DISCLAIMER: What follows in NOT meant to be taken as the correct way, or the incorrect way, the best way, or the worst way, when applying for this type of visa. This is simply a record of the steps that I took and the subsequent results. As we all know, things change quickly. YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY!!
Comments? Please feel free to email me at: [email protected]
| 13 March 2005 | Enter Thailand from Laos with single entry Tourist Visa from Vientiane Thai Consulate. | Asked for a double entry visa, but was refused. No reason given. |
| 04 May 2005 | Pay 55B for the bus from Hua Hin to Prachuap Khiri Khan and then pay 200B for a moto-taxi to the Immigration Office (OK, maybe I was ripped off) and receive 30-day visa extension for 1900B. | The Prachuap Immigration Office (Singkhon) is only open until 3:30 p.m., as I recall, but they do not close for lunch. The folks there were friendly and helpful. The office is about 7 km (?) outside the city and difficult to find. I did not see any directional signs in English except for the one right in front of the office.
NOTE: The Hua Hin branch of the Singkhon Immigration office, located at the main police station, is now open. The hours as of 30 June, 2005:
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| 12 May 2005 | Go to US Embassy in Bangkok and pay 1200B (U$30) for Income Declaration form. | NO documentation or proof was rquired or asked for. On the form I declared a monthly income of about U$1800. The Embassy staff person inquired if the information on the form was correct to the best of my knowledge. I replied in the affirmative. I signed, he signed, and ker-chunk, the form was notarized. |
| 16 May 2005 | Open up a savings account with Siam Commercial Bank. | Usual forms to fill out. Bring your passport as ID. 300B charge for an ATM card. Don't know if this account is truly needed as I already have proof of sufficient income from the US Embassy, but sources have told me that Thai Immigration will want to see a Thai bankbook with some money in it. |
| 16 May 2005 | Make four 4 x 6 cm passport sized photos for 100B. | Not sure how strict Immigration is about the size, but this is the size mentioned on the Web sites. |
| 31 May 2005 | Receive letter from Siam Commercial Bank verifying my account. Pay 200B "commission" fee. | 200B for a piece of paper seems a bit excessive, but there's not much you can do in this situation. At first they didn't seem to know exactly what I wanted, but then one gentleman understood and the letter was soon processed. The letter is all in Thai, so not sure exactly what it says. |
| 02 June 2005 | Receive "Health Report" from Hua Hin International Polyclinic for 120B. | Once again had to ask a few people until they understood what I needed. I was weighed and had my blood pressure taken. The doctor listened to my ticker and shined a flashlight in my mouth and eyes, and that was that. Guess I'm fit enough to retire in Thailand! The report is all in Thai, so not sure exactly what it says. |
| 08 June 2005 | Apply for Non-Immigrant Type "O" Visa at Thai Consulate, Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia. | Filled out the form and approached the window with my clutch of documents in hand. The gentleman requested ONLY:
I took a taxi to/from the consulate from Lebuh Chulia Street for RM20 (about 200B) and the driver waited while I handed in the forms. Though I was glad I went to the consulate myself to make sure all the documents were in order, in retrospect it probably would have been easier to use the services offered at the guest house I was staying at to process my visa. At the front desk was a sign with these fees:
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| 09 June 2005 | Return to Thai Consulate after 2 pm and receive 3 month Non-Immigrant Type "O" visa. | This time going out to the Thai consulate took local bus #93 for RM1 and got off at the 1-Stop/Midlands Park Centre bus stop and walked about 15-20 minutes to the consulate. |
| 22 August 2005 | Return to Hua Hin International Polyclinic and receive new "Health Report" - this time for only 70B. Receive new letter from Siam Commercial Bank verifying my account. Pay 200B "commission" fee. | Took in copies of the old forms so it was easy for both places to figure out what I needed! |
| 26 August 2005 | BUREAUCRATIC BINGO! Apply for and receive 9 month extension ("stay is permitted") to my original Non-Immigrant Type "O" Visa at a cost of 1900B. |
Applying for a "Retirement Visa" at the Prachuap Khiri Khan Singkhon Immigration Office was a bit of an Alice in Wonderland experience; I expected a mango and ended up with an orange. Fortunately I like both, and once I recovered from my initial disappointment I was satisfied with what I got. I was under the impression that for 3,800B I'd receive a 12 month multiple-entry "extension" to my present single entry 90-day Non-Immigrant Type "O" Visa. Instead what I got was a 9 month "stay is permitted" (i.e. extension) to my Non-Immigrant Type "O" Visa for 1,900B and NO multiple-entry permit.
I have to report to a Thai Immigration office every 90 days but DO NOT have to leave the country for the next 9 months and a slip of paper was stapled into my passport (aargh!) indicating the date I need to report. These are the items I brought with me:
RED ALERT: The day I was there the Prachuap Khiri Khan Singkhon Immigration Office would NOT accept the Health Report from the Hua Hin International Polyclinic claiming that because it was a "clinic" and not a "hospital" it was not an authorized government medical facility. So, I was forced to detour to this deserted Prachuap Khiri Khan hospital and pay 200B for their worthless Health Report. No blood pressure, no temperature taking, no weighing. Nada. Just 4 ladies taking 15 minutes to produce 1 form. Sigh... The bottom line is contact your immigration office beforehand and confirm which medical facility they presently have, uh, how should I say, a "positive working arrangement" with. Enough said! With the Income Statement from the U.S. Embassy confirming a monthly income of over U$1,625 per month (i.e. 65,000B) and a Thai bank account with about 62,000B the money issue was never mentioned. NOT ONE WORD! If they try to keep the original Income Statement from your embassy politely inform them that you will need it for other purposes and they will return it to you. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU LET THEM KEEP THE ORIGINAL Income Statement issued from your embassy. In my passport is now a stamp that reads:
APPLICATION OF STAY IS PERMITTED UP TO such-and-such-date APPLICANT MUST LEAVE THE KINGDOM WITHIN THE DATE SPECIFIED HEREIN OFFENDERS WILL BE PROSECUTED SIGNED ____________ IMMIGRATION OFFICER Hand written above the stamp is "670/48" and the word "Retirement" and what looks like the word "Visa" - but could just as well be some word in Thai. Immigration officers must attend the same handwriting school as doctors! Note that nowhere is the phrase "visa extension" or "retirement visa" stated in the actual stamp. And yes, this is the same stamp used when you get a "30-day extension" to a tourist visa. I had originally requested a multiple-entry permit being under the impression the total cost was 3,800B, but was informed that it costs 1,900B for the "application of stay" and another 3,800B for the multiple-entry permit; a total of 5,700B - which I simply did not have. Hence I paid the 1,900B "application of stay" fee and will have to pay 1,000B for each exit/entry permit should I leave and re-enter Thailand. WARNING: If you DO NOT have a multiple entry permit and FORGET to get an exit/entry permit, upon returning to Thailand your Non-Immigrant Type "O" Visa will be nullified and you will have to start the process all over again. Anyway, such is my understanding. All in all getting a "retirement visa" is not all that difficult. It merely requires getting the correct paperwork and a lot of patience. Chok Dee! |
| 23 November, 2005 | Report to Immigration as required every 90 days. | Go to the Pattaya Immigration Office with a completed TM47 form: "Form for Alien to Notify of Staying Longer than 90 Days." Only other document needed was my passport. No fees! The bottom 1/2 of the form was duly stamped and authorized with the next reporting date and then stapled into my passport. The entire procedure took about 5 minutes. I'm legal for another 90 days. |
| 17 February, 2006 | Same As Above. | Same As Above. Note! The Pattaya Immigration Office has moved and is now located at the end of Soi 5 in Jomtien Beach. |
| 22 March, 2006 | Receive Exit/Reentry Permit |
As I plan on leaving Thailand went to the Pattaya Immigration Office and received a Reentry Permit as I did not get a multiple entry "Retirement Visa." If you do not get a Reentry Permit your Non-Immigrant "O" visa will be invalidated when you return and you will have to start the process all over again. Filled out the Reentry Permit form. They also requested:
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| 06 June, 2006 | Go to Pattaya/Jomtien Immigration office and receive 1-year retirement visa extension for 1900B. | The Pattaya/Jomtien Immigration office is an efficient, well-oiled machine. If you apply for your visa extension before lunch you can spend a bit of time at the beach and come back after lunch and pick it up. I took the same documentation as when I applied for the original visa back on 26 August, 2005. This time they only wanted one copy of each form. Note: this visit did not change my 90-day reporting date. Oh well... |
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Updated June, 2006
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