Answered5 years ago

What are the requirements for obtaining a 1 year retirement visa in Thailand as a US expat?

Retirement Visa Long Stay Visa Visa Requirements Thailand Immigration Criminal Background Check Proof of Income

asked Dec 15, 2021

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UPDATED WITH FURTHER INFO

Hi everyone.! I just landed in Phuket last week from the US on a 60 day tourist visa and will now be applying for a 1 YEAR RETIREMENT VISA. I need advice on these questions….

1. For the residence lease/contract requirement, is there a minimum time that I must be under contract when I apply like 30 or 60 days? Or if I’m applying for a 1 year visa, do I need a 1 year contract? The reason I’m asking is that I want to travel to other parts of Thailand once I receive my visa and I may find another location which I might prefer over Phuket.

Will a one month prepaid hotel stay work for the resident address requirement?

2. For the required criminal background check, I had my local municipal police department in the US run it and give me a form on letterhead stating that my record is clean, which I then had notarized. Will that fulfill the requirement? If not how can I get one from the US while I’m here? I sure don’t want to have to fly back to fulfil this part of the process.

3. I am on US Social Security which meets the minimum financial requirements for a 1 year retirement visa, but since the US Embassy will no longer certify income, which is listed as a Thai requirement, what are my options that would qualify?

Before I arrived last week, I had my social security income verification printed and then notarized by a state certified notary. Will that be acceptable?

I can contact social security and have them start depositing here once I open a Thai account will that qualify by itself once they see it on my bank statement? (I don’t have the 800,000 to deposit in place of monthly income verification).

Thank you in advance for your advice and experience!

Mike

Answer summary

The post discusses visa requirements for a US expat applying for a 1 year retirement visa in Thailand, including questions about residence lease duration, criminal background checks, and proving income through Social Security. Key points include the need for a valid rental agreement, clarification on income verification methods, and whether a prepaid hotel stay counts for residency requirements. The poster seeks advice on navigating these immigration rules effectively.

13 repliesnewest first

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Robert *******

People from the US apply for a Visa using the on-line system on website:

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There is no difference based on passport, everybody can apply for the Non Immigrant O visa, which is available on this website, see attached picture. It is just a matter of choosing the correct type of stay.

If you have additional valued comments feel free to contact the admin or moderators

5 years ago

John **********

There's no option for you to get an in country Non-O with the options you have. The only option I can think of for you is open a bank account now, go back to the US start doing your monthly transfers now and in 12 months get a Non-O in the US and then wing your way back here.

5 years ago

Mike ********

@John *********

Yikes! They currently aren’t granting Non-O visas back in the US, only conversions from tourist visa here.(I’m assuming due to covid.) There was no indication on the Thai immigration website that the monthly direct deposit method wasn’t available to do if applying here when in fact the only option is to apply here. Looks like I’ve been f’d by the US for refusing to do certifications through the embassy. Do most countries provide this service at their embassies here?

5 years ago

John **********

@Mike *******

the DC embassy certainly seems to say it does them

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/30/nonimmigrantoaox/

5 years ago

John **********

@Mike *******

US, UK, Australia & I think 1 other don't do them

5 years ago

Benjamin ******

@Mike *******

I saw you try to make another updated post. I sent you a message with a copy of the post, can you just add it to this post (click edit and copy and paste it on)

5 years ago

Robert *******

Lets get back to the start.

You claim you entered using a Non Immigrant O tourist Visa, this is a mixture of two different types of visa.

Please show us the visa without any personal details.

There is no police check needed for an Extension of Stay.

You need proof of address, you can get a copy from the registration from your landlord or the person you give the rent. Copy can look like this

5 years ago

Mike ********

@Robert ******

I am going to be using the monthly direct deposit method, not the 800,000 BHT deposit. So how do I do that since the US Embassy will no longer certify guaranteed monthly income? I just sent a follow up posting regarding this.

Also on the lodging, what is the minimum length required for a lodging contract? Will 30 or 60 days be ok? Would a prepaid month stay in a hotel meet the requirement?

5 years ago

Benjamin ******

@Mike *******

I never heard of anyone being able to get a in-country non-o visa using the income method. I’ve only seen it with the embassy letter or with banked money.

5 years ago

Mike ********

@Benjamin *****

Thanks…. OUCH! That sure doesn’t work. I think I can borrow the funds to do the initial deposit, and then start doing direct deposit of my govt pension each month right away. Do you know by chance if then at the one year renewal I would no longer need the 800k BHT in my account, just the record of direct deposit each month? I so wish I had found this group BEFORE to resolve all these issues before I arrived. On paper it sounded so much easier! 🙂

5 years ago

Robert *******

The rules for conversion into the Non Immigrant O visa based on being over 50 years of age is a foreign deposit of 800.000 Thb into a Thai bank account in your name.

What ever you want to use or what ever your Government want to do is NOT relevant.

5 years ago

Robert *******

Then the first thing you need to do is convert that visa into a Non Immigrant O visa based on being over 50 years of age. And to make it clear for this you need the 800.000 Thb on a Thai bank account on your name. The bank must also make a letter that the money came from abroad.

5 years ago

Mike ********

@Robert ******

Sorry, on information overload 🙂 I currently have a standard 60 day tourist visa.

5 years ago