rickfarang Posted January 15, 2004 Report Share Posted January 15, 2004 To those of you who have recently gone through the retirement visa application process in Bangkok, The major elements pulled from some website: 1. Copy of a bank statement and letter from bank showing > THB800K. 2. Medical Certificate. 3. Verification of no criminal record. 4. Personal data form. I have 1 & 2. Is the verification of no criminal record still needed? I am a U.S. citizen - would that come from the U.S. Embassy? I would appreciate any details as to whom to contact, etc. Is a Personal data form required to apply in Bangkok? If so, is this the same form that Redwood13 identified on the web in another thread? Aside from the application form, copy of passport, and photographs, what am I missing? I have hopes not making more trips than necessary to Soi San Pluu. Thank you in advance. RickF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gene1944 Posted January 15, 2004 Report Share Posted January 15, 2004 Bring your bank passbook showing the 800K baht on deposit. In addition, you will need a xerox copy of the page with the amount on deposit and the first page of the passbook showing your name. Personal data form is the application form you have to complete. You will need your passport for some of the info on that form. You will need to bring your original passport of course. I was never asked for a statement of "no criminal record". There was a fee of 500 baht to apply but that might be higher now. Don't forget you have to report your address every 90 days on the 4th floor after you get your visa (or entered Thailand). Good luck. WOW, just noticed the number of posts for each of us is identical!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen4dummies Posted January 15, 2004 Report Share Posted January 15, 2004 You need the letter from the bank and a copy of the Transfer Notification to prove the money came from outside of the country. Your bank can supply that. If they tell you it will take a week to get, like my bank did (Kasikorn) tell them you need it right now. It is only a fax. You cannot convert a Tourist visa into a retirement visa. You must convert it into an O visa and convert that into a Retirement visa 90 days later. And you cannot convert a 30 day landed visa into an O, you must be on a 50 day Tourist visa. Anyway those rules applied when I did my conversions. I also needed a notarized form from the US embassy (in my case) that swears i have an income of whatever number I want to make up. I extended my retirement bisa yesterday and did not need that form but did need it for the O conversion. No criminal record document needed. The cost is now TB1800 for the visa and TB3800 for the Multiple Entry stamp. You start in room 303 and the procedure goes very smoothly if you have the proper documents. You can get to immigration on bus number 62 which yu can catch on Subhumvit or Wireless Road. The ticket lady can tell you where to get off. If you stop by immigration they can give you a list of what you will need. The notarized document costs $30 at the US embassy so you might want to make sire it is still needed. Good luck, zrn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eyebee Posted January 15, 2004 Report Share Posted January 15, 2004 I've just got mine in Pattaya - very easy process. Documents needed: Bank book showing 800,000 baht+, letter from bank showing money came from abroad, medical certificate and 2 photocopies of each. Plus must fill in the TM7 form (normal form used to extend your stay). Put in my application one afternoon, got visa the following day. I also had to go through an interview with an immigration official (sample questions: Do you have any brothers or sisters? - WTF? - How much did you earn when you were working in the UK?) Total costs: Letter from bank 200 baht Medical certificate 100 baht Visa fee 1,900 baht Photocopies 50 baht Tip to immigration officer to process application! 500 baht So total: 2750 baht. If you need to leave the country at all you must get a re-entry permit or your retirement visa becomes void. Cost is 1,900 baht for single re-entry or 3,800 baht for multiple re-entry. I already had a multiple-entry non-immigrant 'O' visa which I got from the Thai consulate in Hull, UK before I arrived in Thailand. And you must have this (not necessarily the multiple-entry kind), before you start the process. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lopburi3 Posted January 15, 2004 Report Share Posted January 15, 2004 And you must have this (not necessarily the multiple-entry kind), before you start the process. Don't know about Pattaya but here in Bangkok the Immigration Police can and have been issuing non immigrant visas to those without. So if you have the money in the bank and other items ready you may not have to exit Thailand to obtain a non immigrant visa and obtain the extension. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThaiHome Posted January 16, 2004 Report Share Posted January 16, 2004 "Have been issuing non immigrant visas to those without. " Are you saying they have been giving Non-Imm visas to people with tourist visas or visa waiver entry stamps? Interesting. TH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwood13 Posted January 16, 2004 Report Share Posted January 16, 2004 Specifically Kuhn Pallop an immigration officer at Suan Plu in Bangkok has converted 60 day Tourist Visas to Non-Immigrant O visas for folks applying for Retirement Visas. I haven't heard of anyone else either at Suan Plu or other Immigration Offices in Thailand doing this. Immigration officials seem to have a lot of leeway as to how they interpret the regulations. This can be good - or bad :: For example Kuhn Pallop would convert the 60 day Tourist Visa to an O but he wanted to see 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account. He would not accept any monthly income to meet part of the financial requirement. I finally got my O-A using an honorary consulate in the US. -redwood Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickfarang Posted January 20, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2004 Thank you for the information. I think I was about 90% prepared when I saw Saw KuKuhn Pallop on Friday - for the deposit he needed not only the letter from the bank certifying the transfer, but also another letter certifying the current balance and a photocopy of the passbook with the same amount in it. He implied that the second letter would not have been necessary if the amount in the passbook had matched the amount in the transfer document. Next is a wait for a couple more weeks until my appointment to hear whether the committee approved my conversion to a Type O visa (I just hope nobody on their blacklist has a name similar to mine). One thing I had been sweating but apparently wasn't an issue with Kuhn Pallop, is the fact that my bank account only has my first and middle name on it -it didn't' seem to be a problem as he read my names out loud as he looked at the documents. What may be of interest is that the fee to convert to a Type O visa was 2,000 Baht. I guess the price went up recently (my receipt is also stamped "2,000 Baht" so no funny business here). One other thing - from my interaction with him, Kuhn Pallop is a genuinely nice guy who seems not only to be courteous, but to care about the people who come to his department for help. RickF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shotover Posted April 6, 2004 Report Share Posted April 6, 2004 The Thai Immigration officials have befuddled me again! :: Excellent details posted in this thread, but it they all seem to contradict what the Thai Immigration official at Suan Phlu told me last month. A couple of quick questions, with some background following: 1. Should I apply for a 60 day tourist visa in the USA, then apply for the Non-Imm visa in Thailand? 2. Should I (can I?) apply for multi entry Non-Imm visa since I anticipate visiting Cambodia within a month after returning to Thailand on April 25? Background: I entered Thailand in January 2004 on a 30 day entry stamp, and stayed until late March by leaving the country a couple of times and returning with new 30 day stamps. In mid-March, I went to Suan Phlu, asked the Information desk who I should speak to about applying for a Retirement Visa. I was directed to the office in the rear right of the ground floor where they process Non-Imm business and O Visas. The lady in this section said I must apply for a retirement visa at a Thai embassy outside Thailand, that I could not be granted one inside Thailand. Giving I was returning back to the USA in the next week, I asked for, and the Immigration Official gave me, the instructions and documents I would need to apply for a Retirement Visa at the Thai embassy in Washington DC. When I returned to my home in the USA, I phoned the Royal Thai Embassy in DC, and requested the instructions and documents needed to apply for a Retirement Visa. Needless to say, the instructions and documents provided by the DC Thai Embassy differed from those provided by the Suan Phlu Immigration officials. In fact, the Royal Thai Embassy was nice enough to provide me with 2 different sets of instructions, which to some extent contradict each other! After a phone call to the Royal Thai Embassy in DC, they indicated that I should submit: a. a current valid passport; b. Visa application form completed and signed by the applicant; c. 2 passport sized photos; d. Proof of financial support (800,000 baht deposited in Thai bank OR proof of monthly pension totaling at least 800,000 baht annually). Note: I have documentation showing retirement income exceeding 800,000 baht annually, but I only keep about 150,000 baht in a Thai bank account. e. Verification stating I have no criminal record from the local Sheriff’s office; f. A Medical Certificate form signed by a physician stating I do not have any of the prohibitive diseases in Ministerial Regulation No. 14. g. A money order totaling $50 USD for the visa application fee. I have all these documents ready to be mailed, but do not have full confidence I can get these processed before I return to Thailand on April 25. Thanks for any feedback and suggestions. Shotover Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lopburi3 Posted April 6, 2004 Report Share Posted April 6, 2004 The lady in this section said I must apply for a retirement visa at a Thai embassy outside Thailand, that I could not be granted one inside Thailand. You did not have a valid visa (30 day stamp is not a visa) so they could not issue/change to a retirement type. If you had a tourist visa it could have been done here in Thailand. They may also require the 800k be banked to do this as all reports I have seen the person involved did have the bank account at that level; but could be wrong on that.If you really have to travel to Cambodia you may need a two entry tourist visa to cover yourself if you don't have enough time to get retirement done in US first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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