When should I apply for a retirement visa in Thailand to avoid new rules?

@St**

That's how it's written, "2 months before and 3 months after" with NO mention of how many extensions you've gotten before.

BUT

It's gonna be anyone's guess on how they will interpret it. All I'm going by is how it's written. I'm gonna really go over with the immigration officers their interpretation of the changes that will take effect next thursday when I go to Chaengwattana to get my new yearly extension of stay (thankfully BEFORE the changes start :P )

so to confirm - does an initial application and/or extensions for over 50's after the 1st March both require that 800K 2 months before -- the 3 month before either/or has been removed. Correct?

The OLD rules for extensions based on being over 50 (retirement) are

for your FIRST yearly extension of stay using banked money you need the 800K baht in the account 60 days BEFORE you apply for your extension and for ever year AFTER that you need the money in the account for 3 months BEFORE.

The NEW rules for extensions based on being over 50 (retirement) that come into effect on March 1st are

For an extensions of stays using banked money you need the 800K baht in the account 2 months BEFORE you apply for the extension AND it needs to still be in the account 3 months AFTER you applied ALSO the balance on the account cannot drop below 400K baht for the rest of the year.

There is no mention in the new rules of a 3 month before your extension seasoning on funds (like the current rule has for extensions after your first one.

In the set of rules that will take effect on the 1st of March all it states is 2 months prior and makes NO mention on if it's your first or your fiftieth extension of stay.

Life in Thailand is full of…. adventures ! 😉

@Dana ******

let's wait until AFTER the 1st of March to see what they're really gonna do. I was making a guess on how they MIGHT be able to compel people to return in 3 months to show their balance.

Wow… that would be another new complication…. Say you receive this 3 months "pre-9-months-stamp" and… suddenly have to leave Thailand for a couple of months for whatever reason during this 3 months…

@Dana ******

After March 1st I think it's going to be like this.

You show you have the 800K baht in the bank for 2 months prior to your application for extension. I believe they're going to give people a 3 month extension stamp <- meaning you HAVE to go back in 3 months and that's when they're going to check the balance is still at 800K baht then they're going to stamp you in for the rest of the year (the other 9 months).

I also believe they aren't gonna do anything about the 400K baht in the bank for the rest of the year until the following year when they'll check to make sure the balance never dropped below 400K baht the previous year.

NOW I freely admit those are my own thoughts on how this will work AND no one will know until they get an extension using banked money AFTER the 1st of March.

Thanks !

@Dana ******

nope you just follow the old rules for this extension BEFORE march 1st, after that EVERYONE is on the new rules

If you do your extension before 1 March 2019 (mine is due on 24 March 2019), does it mean that I will stay under the old rule for all extensions in the future ? Or would the new rules apply from next extension (2020) ?

About the necessity to keep the 800k for 3 months after your 2019 extension : the immigration will check this fact only when you apply for your new extension in 2020, right ? And won't grant you the extension in 2020 if you have not kept the 800k during 3 months after the former (2019) extension… right ?

I'm not following you....yes in Phuket they keep the passport overnight....most other places do not. Are you getting confused by being able to extend up to 45 days early? Are you mis-reading my post?

@Ray ********

, yes but he was only without his passport for 1 day...

@Dick *********

That is the correct procedure for Phuket....2 trips!

@Ray ********

, my friend did it this Tuesday and picked up his passport the day after... This was at the immigration in Phuket town..

In Phuket the 12 months extension procedure takes 2 days..submit application any time up to 45 days in advance, collect passport after 1pm following day. Different immigration offices have different procedures...but you lose nothing by doing it early...in fact it is a relief!

You get this stamp the same day and 1 year is added to your current stay. If the Admitted to stay date in your passport is March 27 2019 the stamp will be than Extension of Stay is permitted up to March 27 2020.

You can apply for the 1 year Extension of Stay at some Immigration Offices between 45 days and the last day of your Admitted to Stay ../../.. date stamped in your passport. This Extension of Stay is added to your current stay. You will not get a new Visa stamped in your passport, but a stamp like this: