Anyone have a retirement visa?

[gerry]

I would love to hear from anyone who has a retirement visa.

 

 

 

I was considering getting one since I make 3-4 trips per year to LOS and stay 50-80 days each time, which of course makes the visa run a required part of my trip strategy. I thought the retirement visa could help out with cutting back some of the wasted motion, but I just learned that aftre getting a retirement visa I would then need to get special permission to leave the country each time (they call it getting a re-entry permit), that I would have to go to the immigration department for the re-entry permit, and that I would have to pay a fee dependant upon how long I expected to be before I returned. (No mention was made of what would happen if I overstayed my re-entry permit while in the US.)

 

 

 

Anyway, this is starting to sound like more wasted motion, but after reading three different versions of the story on three different official Thai government sites, I thought I'd like to hear from someone who has actually been there and done that. You can send by email if you prefer, but I would guess there are more than a few of us interested if you were to post.

 

 

 

Thanks

 

 

 

Gerry

 

to_gerry@hotmail.com

[didierhardy]

I stay on a normal one year visa.

 

Re-entry visa is not a problem. You can get it at the immigration or even at the airport. Cost for a singly re-entry 500 Baht, multiple 1,000 Baht.

 

Didier

[gerry]

Is there another name for the normal one year visa? Is this the visa you get with a work permit?

 

 

 

Gerry

[lopburi3]

What we call a one year visa is really an extension of a 90 day non-immigrent visa that is done incountry each year on the basis or marriage, work, retirement or whatever AFAIK.

[Flashermac]

I have a neighbour who has just renewed his retirement visa. A lot of paperwork the first time, but a snap after that. He loves it. A reentry permit is required of everyone who wants to keep their visa, retired or non-immigrant. I think even permanent residents have to get it. It doesn't take but some filling out of paperwork and spending an hour or so at Immigration. Costs 500 baht for a single reentry permit, but for 1,000 baht you can get a multiple reentry permit good for 3 trips out of the country.

 

 

 

Note you are NOT supposed to work while you have it. But if you work overseas, who's to know?

[Sporty]

Anyone who has one or who can explain the mechanics and requirements of the retirement visa?

[rickfarang]

800,000 baht, medical certificate, police certificate, over 50 years of age.

 

 

 

The Los Angeles Royal Thai Consulate has very complet information on their web site. http://www.thai-la.net/non-a-o.htm

 

 

 

I considered the over-50 reitrement visa as a way to cut down on paperwork and such, but the re-entry visa requirement made that look less attractive. Another hitch is the requirement of keeping 800,000 baht in a Thai bank all the time. After hearing stories of people's frustration at not being able to take money out of the country, it started to look a little messier than it first apeared.

 

 

 

Has anyone every tried to take 500,000 baht or more out of the country?

 

 

 

RickF.

[thai3]

 

 

from that site:

 

Verification stating that the applicant has no criminal record issued from the country of his/her

 

nationality or residence (the verification shall be valid for no more than 3 months).

 

 

 

Anyone know how far back they look for a record of minor offences from UK?, sort of thing a lot of youngsters got caught with in the 70's-peter

[liberator]

Sorry - only just viewed this thread! In the UK criminal offences are recorded in the CRO database for ever, but each offence has a 'SPENT' time. That means that depending on the gravity of the offence, it will not be REPORTED in the event of an enquiry after the SPENT period. I don't have the information regarding SPENT periods for every crime, but as an example, theft could have a SPENT period of 10 years. After 10 years, any enquiry under the data protection act would not reveal the conviction.

 

 

 

You can apply for a copy of your 'record' under the provisions of the data protection act, and it should not show any 'SPENT' convictions. So if you were a naughty boy in your teens and are now 30+ all should be OK (unless you murdered someone or did something regarded as major crime which may carry a longer SPENT period).

 

 

[gene1944]

RF said:

 

"I considered the over-50 reitrement visa as a way to cut down on paperwork and such, but the re-entry visa requirement made that look less attractive. Another hitch is the requirement of keeping 800,000 baht in a Thai bank all the time."

 

 

 

Hi Rick,

 

You are not required to keep 800K in the bank "all the time". You only need to have it in the bank when the Thai bank writes the letter stating that the money is in your account. After that, you can spend from the account as you wish. Also, I don't think there is anything to stop you from re-patriating all the money back to your own country immediately

 

 

 

Of course, if/when you renew your retirement visa, one year later, you will again have to give immig. a new bank letter stating you have 800k in a Thai bank.