mongatu Posted March 20, 2003 Report Share Posted March 20, 2003 I was wondering if anyone knows whether it is possible (and if so, how) to get a visa to live in Thailand for 6 months or more (let's say one year), if you are not planning on working there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lazyphil Posted March 20, 2003 Report Share Posted March 20, 2003 I stayed for a year and did a visa run every three months. I got two month tourist visas that can be extended for a month. No doubt this was the most expensive and inpractical way :banghead: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danish30 Posted March 20, 2003 Report Share Posted March 20, 2003 Hi, I believe a couple of tourist visas would be your best bet, unless you are qualified for a retirement visa. Do a search on the board as well, I think you will find plenty of info have a look here Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Visa Best regards, Danish30 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mongatu Posted March 21, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2003 Thanks for the link. Very helpful. After having taken a look there I see that, having recently turned age 50, I could qualify for the "TEMPORARY RESIDENCE [ NON-IMMIGRANT "O-A" (LONG STAY)]" Visa which allows for stays up to a year and can be extended a year at a time. Sounds like the way to go for me when I become ready to try an extended stay in LOS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mongatu Posted March 21, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2003 In looking at the documents required to be submitted with the visa application for the one year visa referred to in my previous post above, I was wondering if any board members who might be reading this post have applied for this type of visa from the US, and, if so, where they got the required notarized no criminal record document from, and where they got the required notarized no prohibited diseases document from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickfarang Posted March 22, 2003 Report Share Posted March 22, 2003 No, I didn't get the 1 year retiree's visa, but did start the process. The crimnal record form comes from your local police department - they already know what to do, you just have to ask for it. The health/drug/alachol certification can come from your family doctor. I abandoned the process when I realized that once I got into the country, I would have to start applying for visas to get out again....! So in the end, I'd only be swapping one visa hassle for another. Besides, it wasnt' clear to me that I would be able to get my 800,000 baht back out of the country if I decided to pully out. Its not as simple as it looks. I continue with tourist visas for now -not too expensive and not too much hassle. RickF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lopburi3 Posted March 22, 2003 Report Share Posted March 22, 2003 I abandoned the process when I realized that once I got into the country, I would have to start applying for visas to get out again You can leave any time and do not need any visa to do so. But to keep your one-year stay alive you have to have a re-entry permit before your travel. This is a simple form with your photo and a multi entry version good for one year costs 1,000 baht. Not really a big deal. You are free to use or take the 800k anytime. But can understand your decision if you don't want to put the money up-front if your plans to stay are not that firm. But if you plan to stay long term believe the tourist visa thing will quickly become a pain as well as subject to restrictions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mongatu Posted March 22, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2003 Thanks for the replies guys. Very helpful. It was not entirely clear to me either about how the 800,000 baht deposit requirement works. I wonder if it would be acceptable to the authorities if it was deposited and held in a Thai bank it in foreign currency such as US$. This way the long term visitor would not have to pay the cost of converting the currency twice (into baht first and then back into dollars upon departure when taking whatever is left of your money with you). If this was allowed, one would only have to pay the cost of converting the currency one actually used in Thailand into baht. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwood13 Posted March 22, 2003 Report Share Posted March 22, 2003 There is more info in this folder over the past 6 months. Do a search using the topic "retirement visa". I'd suggest you come over on a 60 day tourist visa which can be extended by an additional 30 days before you have to leave Thailand to obtain a new 60 day tourist visa. You can then obtain an O visa outside Thailand and then apply for a retirement visa. You can also apparently apply to change your tourist visa to a retirement visa without leaving Thailand. I say "apparently" because I didn't have 30 days remaining on my tourist visa and was denied going through the process at the Suan Plu Immigration office a few weeks ago because of that requirement. Remember that if you apply in the USA the personal statement, bank statement, police clearance and health clearance all have to be notarized. This is a major PITA. It's my understanding that obtaining an exit visa stamp is not a big deal. -redwood Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickfarang Posted March 22, 2003 Report Share Posted March 22, 2003 "But to keep your one-year stay alive you have to have a re-entry permit before your travel. This is a simple form with your photo and a multi entry version good for one year costs 1,000 baht. Not really a big deal. You are free to use or take the 800k anytime" That changes the picture considerably! Thank you for pointing that out. I'll find out more about the procedure and reconsider. Maybe it is less hassle than the tourist visa rout in the long run. About the 800k, I belive it doesn't have to even be deposited in a Thai bank until one applies for a renewal of the visa, so its not as much of an issue as I thought. I was a little puzzled by the statement that having to have all those documents notarized is a major "PITA" (I think was the term). What made this especially problematic? I might do this after all. RickF. About having Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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