Living in Hua Hin ?????
Lomu, I guess that answers the questions, but just to be clear.
The person I'm talking about already lives here but has been coming in and out of the country every couple of months for business reasons so he has had some sort of short term visa each time as his visits here are usually no more than a month three or four times a year.
Now he wants to retire and live here on a non imm OA ("retirement") visa, but at the moment he is working his last few weeks in China. His legal residence (citizenship) is in Scandinavia and he would rather not go all the back to his home country to apply for the visa if he can get it in any Thai Embassy close by, like Singapore or Malaysia, etc.
His question is does he have to go back to his home country in Europe to apply for the first Non imm OA or can he do it anywhere outside Thailand. I suspected that he has to go home because of requirements like the police report.
What say you?
The person I'm talking about already lives here but has been coming in and out of the country every couple of months for business reasons so he has had some sort of short term visa each time as his visits here are usually no more than a month three or four times a year.
Now he wants to retire and live here on a non imm OA ("retirement") visa, but at the moment he is working his last few weeks in China. His legal residence (citizenship) is in Scandinavia and he would rather not go all the back to his home country to apply for the visa if he can get it in any Thai Embassy close by, like Singapore or Malaysia, etc.
His question is does he have to go back to his home country in Europe to apply for the first Non imm OA or can he do it anywhere outside Thailand. I suspected that he has to go home because of requirements like the police report.
What say you?
- Khundon1975
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Lomuamartlomuamart wrote:Khundon1975,
Unfortunately, I reckon that the account must be in your name only now.
Certainly income has to be (the laws changed again last year). If I were you, I'd confirm that through lawyers but I'm pretty sure I'm correct - especially for first time applicants now.
Thanks, it's OK as more than that in my name there, just wanted confirmation of how I saw the law.

I've lost my mind and I am making no effort to find it.
HHfarang,
Your friend will have to get the OA visa in his/her home country. The link is to The Ministry of Foreign Affairs website in BKK But it's down at the moment.
I don't know what visa this person has or for how long their entry stamp allows them to stay.
If I have more information I may be able to give more advice.
By the looks of things, he's better off trying to get a single entry or multiple entry Non O visa, but I don't know his circumstances.
Your friend will have to get the OA visa in his/her home country. The link is to The Ministry of Foreign Affairs website in BKK But it's down at the moment.
I don't know what visa this person has or for how long their entry stamp allows them to stay.
If I have more information I may be able to give more advice.
By the looks of things, he's better off trying to get a single entry or multiple entry Non O visa, but I don't know his circumstances.
Re: Living in Hua Hin ?????
A long shot I know, but would you happen to be the couple that has friends in Perth, Australia?willb wrote:Hello.
New to HHAD. We are a married british couple in our early 60s living in Goa at the moment........ Thanks. Willb

May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil know`s you`re dead!
One of the benefits of getting the retirement visa in Thailand is that they don't require the police report. The medical report can be obtained at a dr. or clinic in Thailand for a couple hundred baht.
If you are a U.S. citizen then you can go to the embassy in Bangkok and fill out a form stating your monthly income. They then notarize it for you. Make sure it is at least enough in dollars to convert to more then 65,000 baht at the exchange rate on the day you go to Thai immigration.
They will also want to see some proof of where you give as your residence. Receipts or lease agreement etc.
If you are a U.S. citizen then you can go to the embassy in Bangkok and fill out a form stating your monthly income. They then notarize it for you. Make sure it is at least enough in dollars to convert to more then 65,000 baht at the exchange rate on the day you go to Thai immigration.
They will also want to see some proof of where you give as your residence. Receipts or lease agreement etc.
Living in Hua Hin ?????
Hi Nereus. No we are from the UK no OZ.
B****Y hell, and i thought the visa situation here in Goa was a bit complicated.
Anyway. From what i read it looks like.
(A) We come to the kingdom on a tourist visa, put 800,000 bht into a bank account, but i read somewhere you need a rental agreement before you can open a bank A/C.!!!!!! and Go back to the UK and apply for a retirement visa.
(B) Or Leave Goa for good. Go to the kingdom on a normal tourist visa, find somewhere to live and start the retirement visa application when we are there.
Would prefer option (B) as we don't really want to go back to the UK until next year.
B****Y hell, and i thought the visa situation here in Goa was a bit complicated.

Anyway. From what i read it looks like.
(A) We come to the kingdom on a tourist visa, put 800,000 bht into a bank account, but i read somewhere you need a rental agreement before you can open a bank A/C.!!!!!! and Go back to the UK and apply for a retirement visa.
(B) Or Leave Goa for good. Go to the kingdom on a normal tourist visa, find somewhere to live and start the retirement visa application when we are there.
Would prefer option (B) as we don't really want to go back to the UK until next year.
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willb,
Actually I think your best option is to get a non-immigrant 'O' visa (not a tourist visa, although I think this can be converted but you may as well get what you need straight away) from the Thai Embassy/Consulate in India on the basis that you are planning to retire here, which will probably be a single entry one, and this gives you 90 days stay in Thailand. If you manage to get a multiple entry one it gives you a bit more flexibility and time to sort all your paperwork and living requirements out. When you are here deposit at least 800,000 baht in a Thai bank as soon as you can after you have found somewhere to rent and getting the possibly necessary copy of the house documents (terbian ban) to open the account, although I am not sure that is necessary. However you need somewhere to live so why not? You are bound to need this document at some point anyway.
Once the money has been in the bank for two months you can then start the application process to extend your visa on the basis of retirement; assuming you have all your paperwork (which others have advised on already and is also covered in many other threads in this section) in order, you will be granted a one year extension where you will just have to report to your local immigration office every 90 days; this extension is renewable every year as long as you meet the requirements of money in the bank etc. You should never have to leave Thailand again if you so wish, although if you do, you MUST get a re-entry permit otherwise you will have to go through the whole process again. I hope that helps.
Actually I think your best option is to get a non-immigrant 'O' visa (not a tourist visa, although I think this can be converted but you may as well get what you need straight away) from the Thai Embassy/Consulate in India on the basis that you are planning to retire here, which will probably be a single entry one, and this gives you 90 days stay in Thailand. If you manage to get a multiple entry one it gives you a bit more flexibility and time to sort all your paperwork and living requirements out. When you are here deposit at least 800,000 baht in a Thai bank as soon as you can after you have found somewhere to rent and getting the possibly necessary copy of the house documents (terbian ban) to open the account, although I am not sure that is necessary. However you need somewhere to live so why not? You are bound to need this document at some point anyway.
Once the money has been in the bank for two months you can then start the application process to extend your visa on the basis of retirement; assuming you have all your paperwork (which others have advised on already and is also covered in many other threads in this section) in order, you will be granted a one year extension where you will just have to report to your local immigration office every 90 days; this extension is renewable every year as long as you meet the requirements of money in the bank etc. You should never have to leave Thailand again if you so wish, although if you do, you MUST get a re-entry permit otherwise you will have to go through the whole process again. I hope that helps.
Re: Living in Hua Hin ?????
Hello willb. The reason I asked is that I have just visited friends in Perth, ( he is Scottish), and they mentioned that they have friends living / retired in Goa.willb wrote:Hi Nereus. No we are from the UK no OZ.
B****Y hell, and i thought the visa situation here in Goa was a bit complicated.![]()
Anyway. From what i read it looks like.
(A) We come to the kingdom on a tourist visa, put 800,000 bht into a bank account, but i read somewhere you need a rental agreement before you can open a bank A/C.!!!!!! and Go back to the UK and apply for a retirement visa.
(B) Or Leave Goa for good. Go to the kingdom on a normal tourist visa, find somewhere to live and start the retirement visa application when we are there.
Would prefer option (B) as we don't really want to go back to the UK until next year.
Please read again that which Lomumart has written. As he points out, you can convert a tourist visa to a Non-Immigrant 0 visa in Thailand, and then apply for an "extension of stay basis on retirement". Also, as he has pointed out, there is no such thing as a "retirement visa'. The OA visa, that MUST be obtained in your own country, is referred to as a "long stay visa". It simply means that you have qualified for a 1 year stay, based on retirement, in your own country, rather than getting the extension once you are in Thailand. There appears to be no reason for you to do that.
Do not be too concerned about opening a Bank account. If the first Bank you ask refuses, just simply go to the next one down the road. What you may want to consider is setting up a method of making a Bank Transfer of funds into Thailand from wherever you hold you funds. If you both obtain at least a single entry, preferably double entry, Tourist Visa before arriving in Thailand you should have sufficient time to process you application to convert to the Non-O, from which your extension of stay will be based on retirement.

May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil know`s you`re dead!
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Nereus,
You and others keep on suggesting that willb and his wife get a Tourist Visa; while that can be converted to a non-immigrant visa when in Thailand, they may as well get the non-immigrant one in the first place, thus removing one layer of bureaucracy they will have to go through. They may even be able to get a multiple entry one, which will give them plenty of time to sort themselves out (with the odd visa run if necessary) for their retirement extension application. As they have to go to the Thai consulate/Embassy anyway it just seems daft to get the Tourist Visa.
You and others keep on suggesting that willb and his wife get a Tourist Visa; while that can be converted to a non-immigrant visa when in Thailand, they may as well get the non-immigrant one in the first place, thus removing one layer of bureaucracy they will have to go through. They may even be able to get a multiple entry one, which will give them plenty of time to sort themselves out (with the odd visa run if necessary) for their retirement extension application. As they have to go to the Thai consulate/Embassy anyway it just seems daft to get the Tourist Visa.

My reasoning for that is; it is much easier to get a tourist visa from any Thai consulate, than it is to obtain a non-o visa, especially in such places as India. By all means, if they can get a non-o visa, then the process is halfway there. Going by the OP`s comments, they do not understand the "retirement" proceedure, but they do understand Tourist Visa.Wanderlust wrote:Nereus,
You and others keep on suggesting that willb and his wife get a Tourist Visa; while that can be converted to a non-immigrant visa when in Thailand, they may as well get the non-immigrant one in the first place, thus removing one layer of bureaucracy they will have to go through. They may even be able to get a multiple entry one, which will give them plenty of time to sort themselves out (with the odd visa run if necessary) for their retirement extension application. As they have to go to the Thai consulate/Embassy anyway it just seems daft to get the Tourist Visa.
May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil know`s you`re dead!
Interest on 80,000 bht
Thought i would ask.............Do the bank pay interest on our 80,000bht, which could be in there for 3 to 12 months.
Cheers. Willb
Cheers. Willb