1st Retirement Visa timetable

[vidmaster]

I arrive from UK on 5th Oct with Non Immig O Visa
I will get my Pension proof of Income from British Embassy in BKK asap
Can anyone tell me earliest date I can apply for my Retirement Visa @ UTH Immigration assuming I get my proof of income letter by end of October
Can you also advise if I need any other documentation other than local forms, photographs & fees
Many thanks in advance

[stattointhailand]

Don't forget to get your "Pension proof of Income from British Embassy" letter signed and stamped by the "Legalization Division" at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

[wazza]

I had to provide a Police Record .

Fees depend if you also want a multiple exit re entry permit 1900 Baht.

I think all up it was 7800 for the fees.

[stattointhailand]

I had to provide a Police Record .

Fees depend if you also want a multiple exit re entry permit 1900 Baht.

I think all up it was 7800 for the fees.

Another rain forest bites the dust

First visa (obtained in UK) needed a letter from Plod to say that I didn't have a police record and needed a medical cert to say that I didn't have Hep "B" & "C" and or whatever/Aids etc etc ......... not sure if Aids had been discovered in them days

[macca46]

In Aus one of the medical questions was Elephantiasis my doc looked at and commented are they kidding.

[stattointhailand]

They have obviously heard all about the Aussies then
The NZ medical question is probably about sheeptiasis :-"

[retired]

Don't forget to get your "Pension proof of Income from British Embassy" letter signed and stamped by the "Legalization Division" at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

How do you do this?
Obtaining the Pension Letter from the Embassy is done by post.

[vidmaster]

How do u get the Legalization signed

[Zidane]

I've been getting an extension based on Retirement for 9 years now and don't think its necessary to get the Embassy letter "legalized".
I did do it the first year when you could still apply for the Embassy Letter in person in Bangkok but never since.
The letter from the UK Consul has the "Embassy Seal" on it which has always sufficed for Immigration at Nong Khai and Udon Thani since then....for me,anyway.
If you do feel the need to get the letter "legalized" then you have to go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at Chaeng Wattana in Bangkok but I reckon its the waste of an airfare and paying the MFA for something that is not required.
If you did go the best bet is to get the BTS to Mo Chit then a taxi to Chaeng Wattana but be prepared for a long wait at the MFA.

Just my opinion and experience.....

[Khun Paul]

I agree the UK Embassy is one of the few I know ( there may well be others ) that insist on PROOF of income supplied by your pension providers before they issue a letter, hence the requirement for legalization is not required as the Embassy seal is sufficient. other embassies do not ask for such proof therefore they do NOT attach a seal as they have no proof of what you are saying.
All other requirements are listed on the Immigration web-site , do not forget to get authorisation from landlord or holder of the blue book where you are staying that you are in fact staying there and also ensure they ( landlord etc ) have registered your status with the Immigration Police to comply with Thai law.
It is not rocket science, but I always advise that rather than ask myriad questions on this forum get yourself along top the Immigration department and ask them the questions re First time application etc, they will answer your questions honestly and hopefully truthfully.
many answers we may give could be out of date and for many of us it is over a decade or two since we first applied and goal posts do change,.

[wazza]

They have a brochure on retirement visa. In eng language. Has a check list for ypu.

[747man]

They have obviously heard all about the Aussies then
The NZ medical question is probably about sheeptiasis :-"

Oooohh ! You VERY Naughty Boy !!!

[parrot]

Don't forget to get your "Pension proof of Income from British Embassy" letter signed and stamped by the "Legalization Division" at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Has anyone gotten their first retirement visa without getting the MOFA stamp?

[stattointhailand]

This is from the leaflet I was given last year (even though it says 2008 it must have been produced much later as the new office is shown on the map)

hope it is readable....

Having been stung once before by Udon's dotting "I"s & crossing "T"s policy to the tune of B2000, I think I would need it in writing signed by the chief and countersigned by the PM before I would risk turning up without it legalized

[the-monk]

Parrot asked << Has anyone gotten their first retirement visa without getting the MOFA stamp? >>
Yes i did 2 weeks ago.
I went to my embassy in BKK and asked for an income letter in order to obtain my retirement visa from the Thai Immigration. I provided the embassy with MY original income tax receipt from the government. They would certainly not doubt their own documents. Must be done in person .. NOT BY MAIL
Before they hand you the docs, you must swear that the info you have given is true. The embassy gave me 2 originals.( Signature in blue ink and with Official red embassy seal on both letters. ) I went to UD immigration and no question asked they simply checked the baht equivalent of my declared income.
BTW i m not British.

[stattointhailand]

Your embassy is obviously a lot more thorough than the British one monk.
It would appear that their official is a "notary public" able to legally validate what you are saying. whereas the Brits are just acting as clerks who provide the letter. On the application form they even say that they will not check if what you are saying is true

[Dublin Tony]

Brits dont need the Embassy letter legalized as the Embassy Seal is enough for Thai Immigration.
Its the same for Irish nationals over here.In fact I've hardly ever heard of people needing to go to get their Letter of Income legalized.
So stattointhailand,I think you have been in Thailand for many years ? Are you saying every year you go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok to get your Embassy letter legalized ?
What a waste of money ? Airfare 1500 baht,Stamp from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 500 baht ?? x how many years 10 ?
Thats at least 20,000 baht down the toilet my friend ! :-&

Tony

[Khun Paul]

Oh ST read my post it is clear they are not acting as clerks you numpty, they can and have in my case anyway and I suspect in others verified the letter and then issued a letter showing what you said is true .
When I came here 15 years ago I dio not get anything verified or even legalized from their Ministry the only thing I ever had legalized was their marriage certificate and that was for the UK not for Thailand.
Generally it is accepted by the Immigration office that a British letter with the accompanying seal ( red ) is legal enough for them, to obtain this you MUST have proof of income which they can check should they wish to do so, and they did for mine once, never again. How do I know they told me.

[stattointhailand]

I've only done it once Tony, (last year) .... previous years diff visa. But I shall check later with IO to confirm. I thought it a pain last year, but was told by Immigration office that what was in their leaflet was the CURRENT situation, so when it said I had to get it done ...... I did it. :-& I would have thought that there would be something to confirm that you didn't need to get it legalized somewhere on the net, but I can't find anything

[parrot]

To the best of my knowledge over 20 years, immigration has treated the embassy letter equally, whether issued by the British Embassy or American Embassy. Seems the only people who care are Brits who have to show proof of their income, versus the Americans who swear that the information they enter is correct.