Getting a Retirement Visa

@kenmacalpin

Everyone with Non O or B visa is subject to 90 days reporting

No need to go to police, but there is a 90 day reporting at immigration, not the same....

You can do the reporting online, google 'TM47 online'

When you leave Thailand, at any time, upon return the 90 days count starts again

@martinoo2002

Thanks good info, so can do reporting on line that's a relief.

I lifted this from the Thai Consulate in Hong Kong my questions in BOLD

STEP 1: OBTAIN A NON-IMMIGRANT VISA – CATEGORY “O”

Requirements:

Passport with validity of at least one year remaining before expiration

Proof of Accommodation in Thailand (if you apply for this visa within Thailand) applying from HK

Bank statement showing proof of funds | 800k THB?

Annual health insurance (as required by some Thai embassies or consulates abroad)Not sure about the Hong Kong Thai Consulate anyone know?

You must be holding nationality or permanent residence of the country of visa application | PR from Hong Kong and British Passport.

STEP 2: OBTAIN A ONE-YEAR THAI RETIREMENT VISA EXTENSION | Is this after I get the Thai Retirement Visa once I arrive in Thailand to get the Retirement Visa activated?

Non-Immigrant O Extension Requirements:

Must be 50 years old and above.

Passport (signed copies of each page)

Non-Immigrant O  Visa

TM30 receipt

Proof of meeting Financial Requirements such as bank statement (for income)

Income Certificate from the embassy in Thailand (applicant's nationality)

Thai Bank Book showing deposit account (original) | You need to maintain the minimum 800k THB.

Letter from your Thai Bank (certificate must be signed by the bank official)

Three (3) 4×5 cm photos, with full face taken within the last 6 months.

Proof of permanent accommodation in Thailand such as a lease or rental agreement.

A medical certificate and criminal record certificate are not required for the retirement visa application process completed inside Thailand - I'm applying from Hong Kong, guess I need to get a Police statement of good conduct.

STEP 3: OBTAINING A RE-ENTRY PERMIT

Most people misunderstand the different concepts of “Extension of Stay” and “Re-entry Permit”. Sometimes mistaken for each other, you must understand that these are two different things, both of which you would need during your stay.

The Extension of Stay is simply the controlling date for your period of stay. Everything else is dependent on this. Everything is invalidated when your Extension of Stay expires. Extension of stay is usually valid for 1 year | How do you renew your retirement Visa? On the other hand, the Re-entry Permit's validity is subject to the validity of your Extension of Stay. However, leaving Thailand without a re-entry permit automatically invalidates your extension of stay or period of stay | So must ensure your you have a multiple Re-Entry Permit.

The Re-Entry permit comes with two options for the Thailand Retirement Visa holder:

Single entry (1,000 THB)

Multiple entries (3,800 THB)?

I know about the 90 days ‘in person' for the first meeting at the immigration office, the second can be done online [TM47] once you set up the immigration account.

Health Insurance is not required, it says on the Thai Immigration website, it says the applicant if in Thailand for the Visa to be exempt from Insurance,if I'm applying from outside Thailand is this an issue any thoughts?

Thai Financial Requirements for Retirement Visa - Deposit of 800k THB minimum in a Thai Bank, or monthly income of 65k/month can I just deposit the minimum 800k THB

My question is, If I get the Thai Retirement Visa (O) it still needs to be activated when I first go to Thailand, via Airport Immigration staff, or do I need to go to the Chiang Mai Immigration department?

Any thoughts are welcome, now looking into getting my dog (JRT) to Chiang Mai anyone know of good quality Vets in Chiang Mai?

Thanks, Ken

@kenmacalpin WE are on a retirement visa. We still have to go to immgration every 90 days to prove our address, and show our passports. Also we have to refresh our yearly visa to prove our fiancial status, and address. We rent a house as foreigners are not allowed to buy houses only condo's.

@suzianddave

As I stated earlier, and it is so much easier, you can do the reporting online, google 'TM47 online'

Foreigners can own houses on  leasehold land for example by developer, hence all the moo baan with foreigners living, this or more or less similar to condo leasehold ownership

Or the Thai partner owns the land, foreigner the house and leases the land. There are accepted legal constructions like usufruct to make this happen

I recently went through this whole process (from Canada, so there can be some differences) and here are my comments:

STEP 1: OBTAIN A NON-IMMIGRANT VISA – CATEGORY “O”

>Bank statement showing proof of funds | 800k THB?

Yes, a HK bank statement showing you have at least 800k THB in equivalent value (you may want to note what the

exchange rate is on the bank statement)

>Annual health insurance (as required by some Thai embassies or consulates abroad)Not sure about the Hong Kong Thai Consulate anyone know?

In Canada that was on the website but when I went to fill in the actual form (it was all online) then there was nothing about insurance. Hopefully it's the same in HK.

>STEP 2: OBTAIN A ONE-YEAR THAI RETIREMENT VISA EXTENSION | Is this after I get the Thai Retirement Visa once I arrive in Thailand to get the Retirement Visa activated?

This is after you have been in Thailand between 2 months and 90 days. 2 months because that's how long you have to had 800k B in a Thai bank and 90 days because that's how long the initial visa will be. So it's very important to rent a condo and open a bank account and deposit the money as soon as possible (I managed it within a week).

Non-Immigrant O Extension Requirements:

>A medical certificate and criminal record certificate are not required for the retirement visa application process completed inside Thailand - I'm applying from Hong Kong, guess I need to get a Police statement of good conduct.

This was not required when applying for the 1-year extension, at least in Chiang Mai (may vary from office to office)

>Health Insurance is not required, it says on the Thai Immigration website, it says the applicant if in Thailand for the Visa to be exempt from Insurance,if I'm applying from outside Thailand is this an issue any thoughts?

It'snot required for Non-Immigrant(O)

>Thai Financial Requirements for Retirement Visa - Deposit of 800k THB minimum in a Thai Bank, or monthly income of 65k/month can I just deposit the minimum 800k THB

Yes, and have it in the bank for 2 months

>My question is, If I get the Thai Retirement Visa (O) it still needs to be activated when I first go to Thailand, via Airport Immigration staff, or do I need to go to the Chiang Mai Immigration department?

You show your e-visa at the airport and they give you the Non-Immigrant(O) stamp at the airport with a 90-day expiry

Hello everyone,

Please note that I have moved a couple of post to this thread of the Chiang Mai forum since they were off-topic on the Cost of living thread.

All the best

Bhavna

@suzianddave

after the first interview at immigration central, the following 90-day visa should be On-Line?

@rbakker

Very good information and much appreciated.