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Can I apply for a retirement visa in Thailand after arriving with a tourist visa?

Retirement Visa Thailand Visa Rules Tourist Visa Visa Extension Travel Insurance Financial Requirements Long-term Stay Visa Application Process

Sep 25, 2022

3 years ago

Tulip ********

ORIGINAL POSTER

Is it possible to arrive in Thailand and have the 45 day stay, apply before the end for a retirement visa, by showing money in the bank. Would I also have to take out health insurance for retirement visa, or would travel insurance, for whole period in Thailand be enough? Insurance issued by UK company. Basically I want to stay in Thailand for 112 days in total. It seems to me to be fairly cost effective to do it as above, but I am open to suggestions. Every site seems to give different financial requirements and qualifying times. Thai embassy sites are sometimes out of date. How does that compare as an idea with 45 day visa, 30 day extension, break in Laos and then another 45 day visa?

 Thanks for all the help.

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TLDR : Answer Summary

The user is exploring options for staying in Thailand for an extended period (112 days) by arriving on a 45-day stay, applying for a retirement visa while in the country, and considering health insurance requirements. Responses suggest various strategies, including applying for a Non-O retirement visa from the UK, using a tourist visa for a total of 90 days, or following a visa extension and border run strategy. There is confusion regarding insurance requirements, with general consensus indicating that travel insurance might not meet retirement visa needs.

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Grant ***********

I think the 45 plus 30 day extension the break in Lao and then the 45 and 30 extension will work well

3 years ago

Mike ******

I would suggest applying for a tourist visa, which will give you 60 days and you extend it for another 30 days. This will give you an initial 90 days instead of 75 days.

3 years ago

Stuart *********

@Mike *****

That of course is an option, but why spend the £30 and the tedious task of uploading loads of stuff for a visa. They’ll need to do a border bounce anyway to get the days required so can’t see the point.

3 years ago

Reply to

Stuart *********

Kool *******

Here is another option for you, and gives you absolutely no worries about getting an extension a few times, or leaving the country on a border bounce, and wasting precious vacation days. From your comments I assume you have the equivalent to bt800,000 in your bank account in the UK. And you have no qualms about getting insurance (travel insurance doesn't work), because it is smart to have anyway. With these two things, and maybe a police clearance, you can apply for a type O-A visa based on retirement at the Thai Embassy in the UK, and get a multi-entry visa good for 1 year in Thailand. Then when it gets close to the end of that year, you leave and come back in, or if you are out of the country anyway, you just enter Thailand, and get another year, but on this second year when you leave it becomes voided because you've passed the original year. After you get this O-A retirement visa from the Thai Embassy it is good for 6 months until you enter Thailand. If you don't enter the first time within 6 months then it becomes void. Timing everything right, you can get almost two full years out of this multi-entry visa. An important thing to remember though, is you will only be stamped in for however long your insurance is good for. This covers many different vacation options for you over about 13 months, before you can't enter on it anymore, but you can stay up to a year on your last entry. And, you don't have to extend it here, or border bounce. Everyday is pure vacation time.

3 years ago

Colleen *********

@Kool ******

all that for 4 months??! I agree with

@Mike *****

tourist visa then go out and get 45 days.

3 years ago

Kool *******

@Colleen ********

I am also assuming he plans on visiting Thailand again, or not, but if he does, he has one full year to enter again without ever having to apply for anything, and how many ever times he might visit in that first year. Don't think short term, as very few people only visit once, and especially when they have a set number of days they want to stay past the normal 90 days of a tourist visa and extension. I could see a woman only visiting once, but not a single older man.

3 years ago

Colleen *********

@Kool ******

that's a little presumptious. Heaps of women myself included visit often. In fact I've been visiting/living in Thailand since 1996. Tulip's profile suggests she's a woman. Anyway 112 days was specified so I still think the whole money in the bank thing for that time is overkill.

3 years ago

Kool *******

@Colleen ********

you are not taking into consideration what is required to get the 30 day extension, with copies of your passport, picture, and getting the TM30, and hotel reservation, to get it. Then there is the trip to the border, applying for, and getting your visa for that country, turning around and coming back into Thailand, then traveling back to Bangkok. You think this is less hassle than mailing your current bank statement, and a copy of your insurance, and passport to the Thai Embassy, and then getting your one year visa, mailed back to you. You're not looking at the whole picture.

3 years ago

Stuart *********

Most offices don’t need a TM30 to do a tourist or exempt extension. None need a hotel reservation. Probably will get it in about 20 minutes or less at most places. They’d have to do a border bounce with either entry method. Depending on which border they may not need a visa for the other country and can bounce in and out in 5 minutes at many. To get a one year visa takes a hell of a lot more than uploading bank statements and a copy of your passport. You mention that they’d need insurance but skipped the police background check and medical and the monetary requirement to get that visa. Plus the £150 application fee. Complete overkill for the amount of days they’re intending.

3 years ago

Reply to

Stuart *********

No insurance requirement for a Non O based on retirement but to be honest I think you’re better off going with the second option of 45+30, then a border bounce to repeat. You don’t have to stay out of Thailand any set amount of time. Just cross to another country. Stamp in and out of there and return.

3 years ago

Reply to

Stuart *********

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Can I obtain a 90-day Visa in Thailand and later extend it to a Retirement Visa "O"?

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