Thailand Visa Question No. 115/23: Which Long Stay Visa?
Questioner: Rob
I would like to live in Thailand for about 2023 to 7 months from October 8, I am 64 years old and retired now. Now I'm having trouble picking out the right visa.
I hear and read something here and there about a 6-month visa and then extending it, but also about a non-immigrant short stay visa and then having it transferred to a +50 year Retirement visa, which is actually called an extension of stay based on retirement, but I'm not sure I do.
I don't get telephone information from the embassy because you are simply referred to the online application system, not pleasant to be honest, you can clearly see that Thai are not really happy with us I think.
Again, I want to live in Thailand and I don't need multiple entries or anything, I hope someone can give me clear and certain advice on what I can do best now, but especially which visa I should apply for, thanks in advance.
Reaction RonnyLatYa
1. You can apply for a Non-immigrant O Single entry visa online based on Retirement. You can find the requirements on the website of the embassy.
CATEGORY 1 : Tourism and recreation related visit
.....
3. Longer stay for retired persons (pensioner aged 50 or above)
VISA TYPE: Non-immigrant O (retirement) Visa (90 days stay)
....
https://hague.thaiembassy.org/th/publicservice/e-visa-categories-fee-and-required-documents
This will give you a residence period of 90 days upon arrival. You only need to apply for that visa once, because you can then extend those 1 days in Thailand by a year. The financial requirements are especially important in that case
– Bank account with at least 800 000 Baht
of
– Income of at least 65 000 Baht
of
– Combination of income and bank amount that must be at least 800 Baht on an annual basis.
You can then repeat this annual extension every year. Make sure you are in Thailand when you ask for the annual renewal.
If you leave Thailand, don't forget to apply for a re-entry first, otherwise you will lose the annual extension when you leave Thailand. This re-entry means that when you return you will again receive the end date of your annual extension. Be sure to come back before the end date, of course.
2. Another possibility is that you leave with a Visa Exemption or Tourist visa. However, you cannot extend the period of residence that you obtain with this by one year. You must first convert your tourist status to a Non-immigrant at immigration. What you need for that is here: https://bangkok.immigration.go.th/wp-content/uploads/2022C1_09.pdf
If allowed, you will obtain a Non-immigrant O status. You will first get 90 days, which you can then extend for another year in the same way as I said before.
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