Thread: Visa for Permanent Residency

I'm married to a Thai and built a western style house outside of Bangkok a few years ago. Never thought that I would want to live in Thailand on a permanent basis. However, since I am now retired I have decided to look into retiring permanently in Thailand. Actually lived in Thailand for 1 year, many years ago, and have made two or three short visits since then. The last time was a couple of months ago.

My question, for the people who are familiar with Thai resident type visas, is which of the three visa types should I apply for:

Retirement Visa

Marriage Visa

Extended stay Non-Immigrant Visa

I am a US citizen, as is my wife. My wife also has a Thai ID and Thai Passport. My retirement income is above what is required by the Thai government.

It seems as though the Marriage Visa may be the best to get. No requirement for bank funds. Only verification of income and Thai House Registration.

The Retirement Visa requirements are also that you need to open a Thai bank account with minimum amount of funds.

The Non-Resident Visa is good for 1 year but then you have to leave the country and reapply. However, this visa seems to be the least restrictive.

When flying to Thailand for a residency type visa, am I able to purchase a one-way ticket and not have trouble when I fly into Thailand? The last time I flew in I obtained a 30 day permission to stay at the airport. Immigration never asked to see a return ticket.

As far as living in Thailand on a permenent basis, does anyone have problems driving around? I would imagine that, unless you are British, you get used to the left oriented traffic and ride side steering column after a couple of weeks. What I mean is whether the police take exception to foreign drivers and whether there is adequate insurance coverage available.

Any assistance that can be offered, with these questions or any other information that would be helpful, is truly appreciated

The retirement (OA) visa is easy to get while still in the US and gives you permission to stay for a year at a time without having to leave every 90 days just a report to local immg.. You can either show 800,000 baht in the bank or a pension of 65,000 baht per month.

Originally Posted by Floridathunderstorm

I'm married to a Thai and built a western style house outside of Bangkok a few years ago. Never thought that I would want to live in Thailand on a permanent basis. However, since I am now retired I have decided to look into retiring permanently in Thailand. Actually lived in Thailand for 1 year, many years ago, and have made two or three short visits since then. The last time was a couple of months ago.

My question, for the people who are familiar with Thai resident type visas, is which of the three visa types should I apply for:

Retirement Visa

Marriage Visa

Extended stay Non-Immigrant Visa

I am a US citizen, as is my wife. My wife also has a Thai ID and Thai Passport. My retirement income is above what is required by the Thai government.

It seems as though the Marriage Visa may be the best to get. No requirement for bank funds. Only verification of income and Thai House Registration.

The Retirement Visa requirements are also that you need to open a Thai bank account with minimum amount of funds.

The Non-Resident Visa is good for 1 year but then you have to leave the country and reapply. However, this visa seems to be the least restrictive.

When flying to Thailand for a residency type visa, am I able to purchase a one-way ticket and not have trouble when I fly into Thailand? The last time I flew in I obtained a 30 day permission to stay at the airport. Immigration never asked to see a return ticket.

As far as living in Thailand on a permenent basis, does anyone have problems driving around? I would imagine that, unless you are British, you get used to the left oriented traffic and ride side steering column after a couple of weeks. What I mean is whether the police take exception to foreign drivers and whether there is adequate insurance coverage available.

Any assistance that can be offered, with these questions or any other information that would be helpful, is truly appreciated

I can't help you with visa advice, as I just get a one way visa and do border runs every 90 days, no re-entry permits no hassles. I have however been living and driving in Thailand for the last three years and can give you a few pointers. Before you come to Thailand get an international driving license this way you will only need to do a reflex and eye test, no driving test, when you get your license, you will however need to show that you are on the house papers somewhere to show you actualy live in Thailand. Your first license will be for one year, after that you will get five year license.
Insurance is no problem, the car dealers can set you up, infact I think my insurance for the first year was included in the price of the car. Insurance is good, I have used it twice, no deductable, insurance just paid the repair cost.
I have never been hassled by the highway police, been stopped twice for speeding, payed thye 200 baht fine, and back on my way. You will find that driving in Thailand can be stressful, lots of motorbikes zipping around and not paying attention, be very careful as any accident will probably your falt,as you are a farang.

Originally Posted by navynine

The retirement (OA) visa is easy to get while still in the US and gives you permission to stay for a year at a time without having to leave every 90 days just a report to local immg.. You can either show 800,000 baht in the bank or a pension of 65,000 baht per month.

Or a combination of the two.

Originally Posted by Floridathunderstorm

I would imagine that, unless you are British, you get used to the left oriented traffic and ride side steering column after a couple of weeks.

Or Australian, or Japanese, or South African, or Malaysian, or Indian, etc, etc, etc

Originally Posted by EmperorTud

Originally Posted by Floridathunderstorm

I would imagine that, unless you are British, you get used to the left oriented traffic and ride side steering column after a couple of weeks.

Or Australian, or Japanese, or South African, or Malaysian, or Indian, etc, etc, etc

That's true. I mentioned British because I have never driven in any country, outside of Britain, Thailand, and Jamaica, Where you drive on the left side of the road.

Never understood why Japan drives on the left side. There hasn't been a great deal of British influence there, has there?

Originally Posted by Floridathunderstorm

The Retirement Visa requirements are also that you need to open a Thai bank account with minimum amount of funds.

No sweat on opening a bank account here and it is nice to have as the 150 baht per use for a foreigh ATM card will eat your lunch in a hurry.
And an A-O retirement is the way to gho as it is no trouble and it is seaier than a married visa, and you only need to show a letter from US Embassy for 65 or more a month, tell the embassy anything you want to and they notarize your signature

Originally Posted by Floridathunderstorm

The Non-Resident Visa is good for 1 year but then you have to leave the country and reapply. However, this visa seems to be the least restrictive.

No, you do not need to leave with a yearly NON O visa,,but do not get a multi unless you want to leave as they cost more and why would you want to leave, and if you do you get a reentry permit.

Originally Posted by Floridathunderstorm

What I mean is whether the police take exception to foreign drivers and whether there is adequate insurance coverage available.

Cops pay no more attention to you than anyone else when they need pocket money, usually go after motorcycles as they are easier to stop.
And ins. costs the same and is easy to get, and no problems driving on the wrong side of the road, I am 76 and have no problems and learned to drive in California and Oregon in the lat 40's.

Originally Posted by EmperorTud

Letter from Immigration used to be accepted, now some offices are only accepting Work Permit or Letter from your Embassy but all offices differ as is usually the case in Thailand.

When you get moved in and set up, go to your local Amphur with your wife and get your own Tambien Ban, it will be a yellow house book instead of the Blue that is issued to your wife or a Thai, you can not be registered in a Blue book if you are a farang, but itis easy to get your own.
Then you will have it and not need other proof of residence.

Hope that answers your quwstions.

Ironically it maybe your wife that has trouble with visas. My mate who some of you know has managed to get his wife American citizenship. Now the Thais are saying she has to descide whether she is American or Thai. Unbelievable since she is actually Laostian which is a whole different story. If she's Thai then ok, if not she needs a visa??????????????????

Originally Posted by the dogcatcher

she's Thai then ok, if not she needs a visa??????????????????

I have heard that if they have a Thai visa, use it to come in on and forget the US or Brit one, and they say no problems. She most likely went out of here on the Thai one.

Dunno.

Originally Posted by blackgang

...nd an A-O retirement is the way to gho as it is no trouble and it is seaier than a married visa, and you only need to show a letter from US Embassy for 65 or more a month, tell the embassy anything you want to and they notarize your signature

...

One quick clarification. The O-A visa is issued in your home country and gets you a one year permission to stay stamp on entry. It requires a police check and medical cert.

A regular Non-Imm O visa will get you 90 days on entry and within the last month of those 90 days you go to immigration with either the income letter from embassy or bank letter/book showing 800k in bank 2 months (first time, 3 months subsequent applications) before application and get a one year extension of the permission to stay stamp. The 800k does not have to stay in the bank the whole year and you can draw it down to live on throughout the year, topping it up when you get 3 months before the next application.
At that time you should also get at least a single -re-entry permit that allows you leave and return without losing the extension.
TH

Originally Posted by the dogcatcher

Ironically it maybe your wife that has trouble with visas. My mate who some of you know has managed to get his wife American citizenship. Now the Thais are saying she has to descide whether she is American or Thai. Unbelievable since she is actually Laostian which is a whole different story. If she's Thai then ok, if not she needs a visa??????????????????

Thais can have dual nationality and whoever is telling them otherwise is wrong.

She should always enter and leave Thailand on the Thai passport. The US one should be used when entering the US. There are many, many Thais that do this regularly for both the US and the UK.
TH

But also The NON-O and A-O is not a permanent residency permit, that is something different and very costly and damn few ever get it.
what you will be getting is a 1 year renewable visa extension, and is good for 1 year and to be reissued every year.
But if you have $2500 a month verifiable income then thats what you get your letter from the Embassy for and thats all you need, none of their damn business what you actually get and I would not put 800 K in a Thai bank, I do not trust them with 50K a month.
and the letter you get is for what you write on it, no proof needed and they just notarize your signature. And you have to get a new one every year even tho you might say it is lifetime pension.

I probably know 15-20 guys on retirement extensions; they are pretty much evenly split on income letter or 800k in getting the extension. Not sure what the issue is with Thai banks (never heard a reliable report of anyone losing money in one), but making one transfer a year than living off it with local ATM card can sure save a bunch in ATM and/or transfer fees. There are, of course, US banks or brokerage houses that have very reasonable fees so for some it probably ok. I just wouldn’t want to be here without at least 10 or 20 grand in local currency readily available.

I can count about 5 people with PR, all of them got it several years ago. My understanding is there have been no new ones issued since the 2006 coup, though they have been giving 6 month extensions to those people who have been caught up in the PR process since then. I think it is limited to 100 persons per nationality per year. Best way seems to be to be married to a Thai and have worked for more than 3 years.

Don't mind me with needless opinions, just trying to get my post count up.
TH

Originally Posted by Thaihome

just wouldn’t want to be here without at least 10 or 20 grand in local currency readily available.

I wouldn't want to be here with 10 or 20 Grand in a Thai bank. I presume you are talking about US$. I prefer to keep my money in Aus banks and access it when I need it. I have an NAB account and ATM withdrawals are free apart from the Thai bank charge of 150thb per withdrawal. At the moment I am getting over 30thb to the A$ so it works out to my advantage.

Originally Posted by Thaihome

I can count about 5 people with PR

I personally know 5/6. All were granted it several years ago.

I think I would be surprised to hear of anyone even attempting to get PR at the moment given the current political climate in Thailand.

Originally Posted by Thaihome

I think it is limited to 100 persons per nationality per year.

Correct.

We also discussed a while back that some people have not received their fees back (which number in the hundreds of thousands of Baht for the PR application and process) even though the fees are meant to be refunded if you are refused.

Caveat emptor.

Originally Posted by Thaihome

Not sure what the issue is with Thai banks (never heard a reliable report of anyone losing money in one), but making one transfer a year than living off it with local ATM card can sure save a bunch in ATM and/or transfer fees.

Maybe not yet, but thats what a lot off folks said about Mexican banks back in the early 90's.
Lots of folks had a lot of money in em, couldn't even spend the interest it was so good, then went to bed one night with 10P=$1, wake up in the morning and it was 10,000 to the dollar,, go to sleep rich and wake up with not enough cash in the bank for a cup of coffee.
Pobly Chinks was saying that shit to at one time when they was buying all that stuff from the treasury, now it ain't worth half what they paid for it.
65k ain't that much to show, and it costs me nothing except the exchange fee, which is nothing to transfer US to Thai bank, I get the listed exchange rate and pay not 1 satang in fees.
I have told 3 people about it in the last 24 hours, they can answer if they wish, and 6 people in the last month I have told and now they transfer in their money at the same rates, now if your US bank charges you then thats your fault, mine charges me nothing for a checking account with an ATM/CHECK card.

Originally Posted by CRSD

If you sign it, they'll notarize it so you are pretty much free to put whatever you like. You will need to have the proof of income document translated into Thai and both the original and the translation certified at the Foreign Ministry Office before going to immigration.

Pretty much what I have done since the first years I was here and even the marriage permit letter was what I said, even tho I took my divorce papers for the last two marriages they didn't want to see them and just asked me if I was free to marry, and sign and pay.
But I have always just went in with my letter from the embassy/consulate that had been notorized and never had to have it translated into Thai tho, but not saying that is not true, because everyone that you talk to in those govt offices has different rules that they seem to make up to suit themselves as they go along, and they seem to change every year at every office from the previous year.

I had to have the translated copy since I had to go to the immy office here in Nonthaburi rather than in BKK. Pain in the ass going out to the Nothaburi office, the BKK office is about an hour closer. The BKK office has moved to about a 10 minute drive from me, but noooooooo.......had to go to the office in my province.

Yep, all changed since a year ago, used to go to BKK or CM, get my letter and get my extension in a day, now this time, I had to go BKK for my letter, then to Nan for my extension so was 3 days instead of one.
Now next year, I will have to go BKK for letter, then to P-louk for my extension so will be one day down and back from BKK and one day up and back from P-louk, unless I have to have a translation too.

Originally Posted by CRSD

You will need to have the proof of income document translated into Thai and both the original and the translation certified at the Foreign Ministry Office before going to immigration.

Just had my visa extended in Bangkok in July and gave them only the proof of income as notarized by US Embassy. Nothing was said about a translated copy. Is this something new?

Might be just at that one office or desk in the office, you know how rules can change with what different chair you set in Nort.

Altho mine will be next Aug. it would be nice to know.
I will have 1 year left on my passport next Aug. 12 and my extension due in the 18th, so will only have 51 weeks of passport left so that means I will have to waste the last year and have it renewed before next August.
it expire on Aug 12 2011.