I have now decided to go down the income road for my visa. I talked to the Thai consulate in Brisbane and they were more confused than me. Talked about requiring 3 non imm visas is a row etc.

Ok a few quick questions. I can get a letter from vererans affairs outlining my income. This will be an original and on their letterhead. I realise this will have to be stamped by the Australian embassy so no problem. Will I need a translation of this document into Thai? This letter will show my pension in AUD$ and for a fortnightly period.

2 or 3 passport pics, a medical, fill in the form and thats it. Anything else?

John

Edit in: Whoops I almost forgot, I have a Non Imm O valid till march 2006.

for myself, usa, didn't need translation for income statement. also, couldn't apply until 30 days before visa or last exit stamp expires. made the mistake of a visa run just before visa expired, and had to wait another 60 days.

Hope this will help a little for you......

1. 1 copy of house registration (wife's if you are married)

2. 1 copy of marriage certificate (if married)

3. 1 copy of letter from your embassy, certified, as to what your monthly income is.
a. If married- 400,000 baht or a combination of your annual income and what you have in the account in a bank, here in Thailand, that will total 400,000 baht.

b. If NOT married - 800,00 baht or a combination of your annual income and what you have in a bank account, here in Thailand, that will total 800,000 baht.

4. 1 copy of a physical by a local doctor, I have here at Pop-Pop's for those who need the form.

5. 2 passports pictures

6. A letter from your bank dated within 10 days ( should be the last thing you get)

Give them copies, not originals. Keep the originals for future extentions on your visas. The only original you give is the letter from the bank, as it's only good for 10 days. I will try and get copies of the form needed for marriage visa but at the moment all I have and the blank forms for physical by a local doctor.

Pop's

Talked about requiring 3 non imm visas is a row etc.

That is the requirement for residency.After your third successive visa you can apply for Thai residency and give them a big pile of cash.

Do yourself a favour - keep the cash, dont waste your time.
Have a look at the statistics for the numbers of people who are successful with PR (Permenant Residency)

If that still spurns you on - check out the requirements for the application !


Even the Good Lord himself would not qualify

I know people who have been here years and still haven't managed it, and as far as I can remember I can recall 1 or maybe two people who I know who do have it. Thats all.

Even funnier is after PR - you are entitled to apply for citizenship - and I know of not one single person who has it (foreigner I mean of course)

Compare that to when my missus went to UK - within 3 years she was a UK citizen with a UK passport. And I can assure that whatever she may think - she is not the good Lord !!!!! LOL

Paul,i believe you have to wait ten years or so with residency before they will even consider you a citizen and then next to no chance.

http://www.thaivisa.com/300.0.html

http://www.thaivisa.com/301.0.html

I understand you also have to be able to speak Thai but not necessarily read it as the questions posed in the interview can be read out to you.

It seems to be expensive to get residency, I thought renewing every year would be a better solution


Kally

Residency is really something for those who feel insecure and worry they may be kicked out for some reason.(Loss of work permit etc)

Another obstacle out of the way. This is a quote from Thaivisa forum and might help some others out there. Turned out to be an easy process.

QUOTE(fdimike @ 2005-02-11 06:01:04)

Hi all. This is only my second post to this forum but thought I could provide some up-to-date info regarding the Non-Immigrant Type O-A Multiple Entry Visa for those of you applying in the U.S. I reside in Tampa Florida (Honorary Counsel in Miami) but chose to deal directly with the Embassy in Washington DC after receiving some questionable information from the Honorary Counsel's Office. The Consular Officer (at the Embassy) asked me what I was going to do in Thailand, to which I replied RETIRE. He asked my age (59) and then asked if I had reviewed the Embassy website (I had). He then asked me to send in the following:

1. Passports
2. Application form w/photos (3 original forms)
3. Biographic form (original + 2 copies)
4. Medical Certificate (notarized original + 2 copies)
5. Criminal Background Check (certified original + 2 copies)
6. Latest Bank Statement (showing at least $20K original + 2 copies)
7. Money Order to cover costs

I also enclosed a Express Mail envelope and preaddressed label, and Thai Marriage Certificate (original). I sent the package out via overnight Express Mail on 1/27/05 and received our passports with Multiple Entry Non-Immigrant Type O-A visas on 2/5/05.
I found the whole process pretty easy.

I assume my wife and I will be good for a 1 year stay in Thailand (reporting in to Immigration) WITHOUT having to make the much talked about Visa Run every 90 days.

We will be leaving from Tampa on 2/26 for Bangkok and then on to Udon Thani where we will begin the task of building our home. Any comments, suggestions, advise, or questions would be appreciated.

=========================================

Amazing. I used fdimike's posted experience as a guideline and got unbelievable service from the Thai Embassy in Washington DC. I sent my passport, application forms, medical certificate (gave my doctor plenty of time to get it notarized), criminal background check (certified original), latest bank statement which showed more than the required 800,000 Baht, and a money order for $125 by Federal Express Next Day Air on Monday, 8/28/06, and just now (8/31/06) received an Express Mail envelope with the Non-Immigrant Type O-A Multiple Entry Visa which is valid for one year. I realize that I will be required to check in with Immigration every 90 days, of course.

If you send three of everything (original plus two copies), you should be on your way. Embassy lady said they no longer require the Biographic Form. Looks like that form applies to Laos or Cambodian refugees anyway.

I'm glad that I didn't follow the Miami Honorary Consulate's misinformed directions. Lady that answered told me that I needed to send copies of my ROUNDTRIP plane tickets even though I told her I was applying for a retirement visa. Also, she told me to send $125 for the visa plus $75 for costs so they could send everything to Bangkok. I heard enough and decided to follow fdimike's path.

My wife, two cats, and I will be leaving Florida on Sept. 20th for Udon and enjoy retirement life.

THANK YOU to fdimike.
Ron

Hopefully, fdimike, a member of this forum also, won't mind that I copied his great information from the other forum.

polehawk wrote:Another obstacle out of the way. This is a quote from Thaivisa forum and might help some others out there. Turned out to be an easy process.

QUOTE(fdimike @ 2005-02-11 06:01:04)

Hi all. This is only my second post to this forum but thought I could provide some up-to-date info regarding the Non-Immigrant Type O-A Multiple Entry Visa for those of you applying in the U.S. I reside in Tampa Florida (Honorary Counsel in Miami) but chose to deal directly with the Embassy in Washington DC after receiving some questionable information from the Honorary Counsel's Office. The Consular Officer (at the Embassy) asked me what I was going to do in Thailand, to which I replied RETIRE. He asked my age (59) and then asked if I had reviewed the Embassy website (I had). He then asked me to send in the following:

1. Passports
2. Application form w/photos (3 original forms)
3. Biographic form (original + 2 copies)
4. Medical Certificate (notarized original + 2 copies)
5. Criminal Background Check (certified original + 2 copies)
6. Latest Bank Statement (showing at least $20K original + 2 copies)
7. Money Order to cover costs

I also enclosed a Express Mail envelope and preaddressed label, and Thai Marriage Certificate (original). I sent the package out via overnight Express Mail on 1/27/05 and received our passports with Multiple Entry Non-Immigrant Type O-A visas on 2/5/05.
I found the whole process pretty easy.

I assume my wife and I will be good for a 1 year stay in Thailand (reporting in to Immigration) WITHOUT having to make the much talked about Visa Run every 90 days.

We will be leaving from Tampa on 2/26 for Bangkok and then on to Udon Thani where we will begin the task of building our home. Any comments, suggestions, advise, or questions would be appreciated.

=========================================

Amazing. I used fdimike's posted experience as a guideline and got unbelievable service from the Thai Embassy in Washington DC. I sent my passport, application forms, medical certificate (gave my doctor plenty of time to get it notarized), criminal background check (certified original), latest bank statement which showed more than the required 800,000 Baht, and a money order for $125 by Federal Express Next Day Air on Monday, 8/28/06, and just now (8/31/06) received an Express Mail envelope with the Non-Immigrant Type O-A Multiple Entry Visa which is valid for one year. I realize that I will be required to check in with Immigration every 90 days, of course.

If you send three of everything (original plus two copies), you should be on your way. Embassy lady said they no longer require the Biographic Form. Looks like that form applies to Laos or Cambodian refugees anyway.

I'm glad that I didn't follow the Miami Honorary Consulate's misinformed directions. Lady that answered told me that I needed to send copies of my ROUNDTRIP plane tickets even though I told her I was applying for a retirement visa. Also, she told me to send $125 for the visa plus $75 for costs so they could send everything to Bangkok. I heard enough and decided to follow fdimike's path.

My wife, two cats, and I will be leaving Florida on Sept. 20th for Udon and enjoy retirement life.

THANK YOU to fdimike.
Ron

Hopefully, fdimike, a member of this forum also, won't mind that I copied his great information from the other forum.

Contgratulations, hope your move goes just as smooth. See you there, hopefully at Octobers forum get together

Thanks, Rito. See ya there.

Think I better have a Bacardi rum and coke, tho. Been infringing on their trademark long enough.

Sorry I was away most of yesterday. I had to make my pilgrimmage to Nong Khai Immkigration to renew my annual Reirement Visa. I thought you maybe interested in my experience:

Arrived at 8.50am, smartly dressed, and was attended to after about 5 minutes. Saw the younger guy, who proceeded to dismantle my immaculately presented bundle of documents, which included one copy of everything. He separated everything up into 3 piles, studied all pages of my passport at length and then told me I needed further copies of my passport (2 in total).

He also asked for copies of my bank passbook pages, which I had thought they wouldn't need, as I had a letter from the bank listing all the transactions. He then handed the 3 piles of papers back to me in one big bundle, and off I went to a nearby shop for photocopies (Currently no facilities at Immigration).

I returned with appropriate copies about 09.15am and after another short wait was attended to by the more senior Sqn Ldr, who spent some time fiddling about with them, checking passport pages again, and making phone calls to the bridge to find out why they had given me a different type of TM card when I last re-entered there. He also pointed out that I was still deficient of 1 photo-copy of one document.

He asked to see the tabian bahn - house registration book. I said I didn't think I needed that. It wasn't on the list of documents they had previously given me as being required. ( I hadn't even got one last year and certainly wasn't asked for it). I did however have it with me, - just in case. He said it was so they could check where I lived (though surely I could have been living in a hotel or wherever.)

They then asked me for 20 baht and did the additional photocopies on site.

He then proceeded to collate all the paperwork into two separate piles, with two separate covering application forms and photos, whilst making and receiving phone conversations with all and sundry, and having an extended conversation with his boss, mainly about my TM card (it was the sort they give you at the airport rather than at the bridge).

I meet the requirements based on my pension income which was certified by my Embassy. He briefly looked at my bank a/c passbook transactions, but asked nothing. Whereas previously one of his colleagues at AEK had told me I had to meet other additional requirements relating to amounts transferred into the bank a/c here.

When he eventually he started writing out the receipt for the 1900 baht, I began to feel re-assured that I wasn't going to have to leave the country imminently. He eventually signed it off and entered it into the register and stamped my passport with a further 1 year Retirment visa.

I left the office at around 10.30am, which was well over an hour to do a relatively straight forward visa renewal.

My conclusions were that: they don't want it to appear too easy, they like to find a few hoops to make you jump through and that he dragged it out because there were only 2 customers in the office, therefore no need to rush.


For the guidance of anyone else who will be renewing their Retirement visa soon, I will list below what I had to provide:

Passport with 2 copies of all key pages, including personal details page, latest arrival and expiry/departure date details and TM card both sides.

2 copies of relevent pages of bank passbook inc name and a/c detail page.
original + copy of bank's letter certifying balance and transaction details.
2 copies of Pension income letter from Embassy.
2 completed application forms each with photograph.
Medical certificate + copy.
2 copies of Tabien Bahn - house registration book.
1900 baht.
Lots of patience.

They also want to see the actual/original bank passbook, house registration book and of course passport!!

Definitely not standard paperwork procedure.House papers,extra copy of income statement,a copy of each page of your bank book,2nd application form w/pic(unless it was the app for re- entry),copy of med cert. and the extra copies of your passport are not required in Bangkok.
I have not had contact with the person we know there for a few months.Maybe they have some new personel!Glad everything went well.You should have stopped by for bit!