Is it better to obtain a visa for Thailand in South Africa or in Thailand?

@Jaun *********

How to get from the “single entry 90-days Non-Imm-O retirement visa” to the 1-year extension of the stay permit, which most people refer to as being the “retirement visa” (which actually is not a visa but a stay permit)

You apply to the “90 days single entry Non-Imm-O retirement visa” by the E-Visa online system of the Thai Embassy /Consulate in your home country. You will need to fulfill the requirements that are listed on the website of the Thai Embassy, for this individual visa class.

If approved, the visa will be mailed to you as .pdf document, which you need to print out, in order to show it to the Immigration officer when entering Thailand. Most Thai visa have a validity to be used for an entry, of 3 months, starting at the date of issue.

When you enter Thailand with a 90-day non-Imm-O retirement visa, you will receive a stamp that says “admitted stay until” and a date given in blue ink. This stamp is a 90-days stay permit.

Since November 1st, 2023, the financial proof for applying for a visa in the online e-visa system in most countries must

EITHER

be the evidence of a balance of the equivalent of 800,000 THB in your bank account,

OR

a proof of income at least the equivalent of 65,000 THB.

For the application to the initial 90-days Non-Imm-O retirement visa, it doesn’t matter where the bank account is located. The most important is that the documents you upload to the application show that the account is in your sole name

You enter on the 90-day single entry Non-Imm-O retirement visa, and will receive a 90-days stay permit

As soon as 30 days (45 days in Bangkok and Chiang Mai) are left from the initial 90-days stay permit, you can apply for the “1-year extension of the stay permit based on retirement” (EOS)

Most people call the EOS a “retirement visa” and Immigration calls it a “visa extension”, although they do not extend any visa but just extend your stay permit. It can be a bit confusing regarding this technically wrong terminology

You will need to prove finances for this application on Immigration. The way to prove it on Immigration, differs a bit from what you needed to prove in the E-visa system in your home country

In case you seek to provide proof of finances for the application for the “1-year extension of stay” with a balance of at least THB 800.000.- THB, you must open a Thai bank account in your sole name ASAP after you have entered the country on a 90-days Non-Imm-O visa

If you use a monthly income of at least 65,000 THB as financial proof, then you must get your income “legalized”, i.e. been issued an “affidavit of income” from your embassy in Bangkok or from one of the honorary consuls

NOTE: British, Australian and American embassies don’t issue this income affidavit any more, thus citizens of these countries will need to go by the 800.000.- THB deposit method (at least in the first year). After having collected 12 consecutive transfers, each month, month for month, of a minimum of equivalent of 65,000 THB having been transferred into their Thai bank account from abroad, they can switch to the “income method” using the bank’s yearly statement.

You are free to use an agency for opening a Thai bank account for you, without much hassle. An agent can also assist you with your further application. Of course, you can also do this entirely on your own.

To apply for the 1-year extension of stay permit at immigration inside Thailand out of a Non-Imm-O retirement/over 50-visa, you do NOT need to provide proof of health insurance.

However, it is recommended, in your own interest, to have a health insurance for the duration of your stay in Thailand.

The documents required to apply for the “1-year extension of stay permit based on retirement/over 50 years old” from a Non-Imm-O visa are:

(The exact documents may vary depending on the immigration office you are dealing with. Most immigration offices have a handout with a list of the documents you need to bring with you. You need to visit them right after having entered, and ask for the handout list of requirements before you apply)

Proof of meeting the financial requirements:

EITHER

with the “deposit method”:

a certificate from your Thai bank that you got a balance of a minimum of 800.000 THB.- and the money must have been in your account for at least 2 months on the day of application.

This must be proven with a same day (some immigrations accept up to 7 days) "bank letter of guarantee" (in Thai: "rab roong thanakan") as well as an updated bank book and the receipt of a withdrawal from the ATM, on the same day.

The 800.000.- THB must remain in the account for a further 3 months after the one-year Extension of Stay Permit has been issued, and there must never be less than 400,000 THB in the account for the rest of the year. Then, 2 months before the new application for the next “1-year extension”, a minimum of 800.000.- THB must be deposited again.

OR

using the “Income method”:

an income certificate (affidavit of income) from the embassy or a honorary consul of the country which passport you hold, certifying a monthly income of at minimum of 65,000 THB

and the following documents:

***Copies of the relevant pages in your passport:

***the pages with personal details.

***The page with the entry stamp.

***A rental agreement (if available), the blue house book and the Thai ID card of the owner of the place that you are staying

On some Immigration offices you can also provide proof of finances using a THIRD method: the combination method

A mixture of income and deposit.

NOTE: most Immigration offices require a minimum deposit of 400,000 THB if you use the combination method

Combined with the monthly proof of income, the total must be ABOVE the required 800,000 THB per year.

You have to be careful with the income part, as a sudden change in the exchange rate can ruin the calculation - if you fall below the income level, you would immediately be in "overstay". You need a "buffer" to protect you.

If you are planning to use the combination method, you will need to visit your Immigration and ask whether they will allow you to use the combination method in the first year, AND how much they require for the deposit

For the registration of a foreigner at a place in Thailand, you should visit immigration together with the landlord, because a landlord is required to register you in the TM30 system within 24 hours of your arrival at the place of accommodation.

The landlord can also TM30 you online, in case he already has registered the accommodation in the TM30 system.

NOTE: without a TM30 residence registration, you will most probably not get serviced on Immigration!

Continueing whatyou need for the application to the 1-year extension of the staypermit:

***A completed TM7 application form for extension of the stay permit (the form is available at immigration, but you can also download it from the internet)

***a handful of passport photos (most immigration offices now take the photos digitally, but it doesn't hurt to have a few current passport photos on hand)

*** all copies of the documents must be signed by you in blue ink (!)

The application to the 1-year extension costs a 1900 Baht fee

As soon as you got issued the 1-year extension of stay permit, you should buy a “re-entry permit”, because in the event that you suddenly have to leave the country or if you generally want to leave the country for a holiday elsewhere, the “re -entry permit” keeps your extended stay permit” alive.

A single re-entry permit is 1000.- THB, and a multi re-entry permit is 3800.- THB

Safe travels any time!

That depends on what visa you are talking about. A bare minimum of information would be helpful in answering your question. We don't even know if you are talking about a visa for Thailand because you've given no information.