Requirements for a Non Immigrant Visa ‘O-A” (Retirement)

• Passport (must have at least 12 months (18 months preferred) remaining until it expires).
• The holder of this type of visa is allowed to stay in Thailand for 1 year.
• Proof of Financial status with a letter from Bank showing proof of deposits.
• Employment of any kind is strictly prohibited (including volunteer work).

Eligibility for Retirement Visa

• Applicant must be aged 50 years or over (on the day of submitting the application).
• Applicant is not prohibited from entering the Kingdom as provided by the Immigration Act B.E. 2522 (1979).
• Applicant has no criminal record in Thailand or in the country of his/her nationality, or in the country of his/her residence.
• Applicant has no prohibited diseases ( Leprosy, Tuberculosis, drug addiction, Elephantiasis, the third phase of Syphilis) as indicated in the Ministerial Regulation No 14  B.E. 2535.

Documents Required for your 1st Visa

If applying from outside Thailand you may need 4 copies. If applying from inside Thailand you may only need 1 or 2 copies.

A – Application For VISA form TM 7   (original + 4 copies).

B – Photos – (Passport-type photo, 2” x 2”, color, front-view, taken within 6 months, and write your name and last name on the back of each photo). They almost never check the photo for signature, but it is the law.

C – Copies of your  Passport (every page). Sign every page.

D – Copies of Personal Data Form – Click Here to Download Form

E – Copies of Bank statement.  Deposit verification letter from your bank (if already here) stating the balance of your savings account (800,000 Baht). Normal cost is about 100 to 200 baht. This letter must not be older than 7 days.
OR
A Notarized Affidavit of Income from your Embassy, with a monthly salary of no less than 65,000 Baht (USA Embassy cost: $50)  US Form download form. This form can not be older than 6 months
OR
Combination of Bank Account and Income over 12 months = 800,000 Baht
OR
If you are married to a Thai National you need an Income Certificate with a monthly salary of no less than 40,000 Baht. A Thai Bank account showing a reasonable amount is also required.

If you are applying using 800,000 Baht+ to meet financial resources:

a. First (Initial) Application – Needs to show funds have been on deposit for at least 2 months before applying.
b. Subsequent (renewal) Application – Needs to show funds have been on deposit for at least 3 months before applying.

F – 4 copies of Police Clearance (must be notarized) stating the applicant has no criminal record (issued by the authority concerned of his/her nationality or residence). The verification must be no older than 3 months. This Police Clearance applies only when applying from outside of Thailand and is not required when applying from here.

G – 4 copies of a Medical Certificate. When issued from the country where the application is submitted, showing no prohibitive diseases as indicated in the Ministerial Regulation No. 14 (B.E. 2535) (Leprosy, Tuberculosis [T.B], Elephantiasis, drug addiction, Alcoholism, 3rd phase of syphilis) with the name and address of the doctor. The certificate must be no older than 3 months.

Medical, Health & Property Insurance

Everything is cheaper in Thailand including Insurance. The reality is that you are not truly living in Thailand until you have come off your motorbike at least once. And a quirk of living here is that it is always the Westerner’s fault – no matter what happens or who is really in the wrong – it is the Westerner who pays.

We have spent a while looking and found an Insurance agent that speaks English, has both Thai and International insurance policies available, and works within the customer’s budget. By this, we mean the agent insures many Burmese workers here in Thailand and the usual rate of pay for a Burmese National is 200-300 baht a day. If they can find insurance for them – they can find it for you. 🙂

When you are here in Chiang Mai, we will arrange for the agent to come and visit you (or you may go to their office).  In the meantime, to get an understanding of how much a policy will cost (and why you should have one) you can read the following article:

How to Find Cheap Insurance in Thailand
Learn about the different types of Insurance Policies in Thailand. Travel Insurance, Health Insurance and Life Insurance with an estimation of how much it is likely to cost you. Home and Content Insurance, Medical and Accident Insurance and much more is also available.

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Longer Term Accommodation

Once you have found an area you want to live in, there are plenty of cheap condos and houses available to rent or to buy. By far the easiest way to do this is with a Real Estate Agent who will find you a place to live at no cost (their commission is paid by the owner). The problem with this is that many Thai agents not only have no concept of what a Westerner wants – they fail to grasp and adapt what they show to you. For example, you can say you want a Western kitchen and tell them each time they show you a place without a kitchen: “No, I WANT a BIG kitchen” – and move on to the next place on the list (without a kitchen). This is not to say all Thai agents are like this – but enough are to waste a lot of your time. We have an American agent who provides amazing properties and condos (above the 13,000 baht a month scale).

If you want something a little cheaper and are prepared to do the grunt work (that means sitting on your computer and looking) – we at Chiang Mai Buddy can assist in the lease negotiations. Often the price to rent a property is more if you do not sound like you are a Thai person.

When it comes to buying a condo or house – this is firmly in the realm of the Real Estate Agent and we at Chiang Mai Buddy are happy to connect you with the ones we have found to provide amazing service for our customers.

Where to Live in Chiang Mai

There are 3 areas in Chiang Mai where the majority of new arrivals tend to populate, depending on their specific requirements, but mostly because of the number of other expats living in the local community.  Obviously, there are Expats spread around the city, many choosing to live in the more remote areas (because they like solitary living or have moved in with a Thai person, and sometimes because they want the peace and quiet).

Nimman Area
The Nimman area is located to the West of the Old City, and is a thriving and more upmarket area of town. This is the prime location chosen by the Digital Nomad community and has many better-quality condos occupied by expats. Close to everything, including 3 shopping malls and many supermarkets, the Nimmanhemin (Nimman) area and it’s surroundings has an inner-city type vibe. It’s mostly condos in this part of town, many new developments finishing each month, waiting and ready for lease or purchase.

Hang Dong Area
The Hang Dong area is located just a 10-minute drive from the Old City and the Nimman area. This area is popular with retiring expats because of the many Moo Baans (gated community developments) and rural vibe.  Beautiful housing developments with lakes, club houses and gyms are located here, along with many large home improvement stores.

Chang Klan Area
The Chang Klan area is located close to the Ping River, which has long been a favorite location for Western-styled restaurants and night life. It is also close to the red light district, and the tourist-oriented Night Bazaar market. This area of town is populated by many single men, and has a much larger local population that speaks English.

How to Lease a Condo or Rent a House
Step by Step Instructions with Checklists and Suggestions
Have a detailed look at the types of places you can live in and how much it will cost, along with a checklist of things you may not have thought about – but are important.
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Moving and Storage

Ok, now you ‘re here! But you need to get that lifetime of memories over the pond(s). At Chiang Mai Buddy we have spent considerable time sourcing reliable businesses to refer our customers to. In Chiang Mai we have an Expat who has spent his entire life organizing International Moving. He came here to retire, but got bored not working and started a company for helping people move their property and belongings to Chiang Mai.

If you need this, (some people like to start fresh and do not), then this Moving Business is one of hundreds in our database. We can put you in contact or make the arrangements on your behalf – it all depends on what you want to do.

Getting a Driving License

This is actually a pretty simple time-consuming process. If you have your current driving license then it is just a matter of filling in the forms and spending half-day watching in amazement how slow the Driving License Government agency is.

At Chiang Mai Buddy we make the process easier by getting your residency certificate for you. This saves you from going out to another Immigration office, getting confused in the hustle and bustle of hundreds of Burmese people (who also go to this particular office) and having to go back the next day to pick it up.

We can accompany you to the hospital to get your medical certificate (if you want us to) and to the actual Driving License Office and sit with you and explain what is going on. Sadly, we can not speed up this process, but having a Chiang Mai Buddy staff member with you helps you to feel more comfortable and they can communicate in Thai (because not many of the staff speak English) if any problems arise. You can, of course, do all of this yourself. Forums and FaceBook groups have plenty of posts by people who did it all easily in just a few hours and just as many who were sent away to come back the next day for reasons they never understand.

You can read more and find out about the process in the article below

How to get your Thai Driving License
Step by Step Instructions
Get your Driving License in Chiang Mai in 3 easy steps. This article deals specifically with the process of getting a driving license in Chiang Mai, however the same procedures and forms will be more or less the same throughout Thailand.
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Beginning a Social Life

No place, not even Chiang Mai is a happy experience unless you have an active social life. At Chiang Mai Buddy we are here to hold your hand, and get you started in your retirement until you feel as if you do not need us anymore. One of the quickest ways to do this is to quickly obtain your own social life and groups of friends.

We will introduce (in the Familiarization Tour) you to the number one Expat club in Chiang Mai. Here you will find a wealth of information and people just like you. The Chiang Mai Expat group holds regular meetings and events, social outings and informal meals for people to get together and find new friends.

In addition, Chiang Mai Buddy holds an occasional dinner event, where we invite our customers to get together, eat, drink and exchange contact details. We do our best to make sure that you are not alone when you come here.

Maid Cleaning Service

No… you are retired – why spend time and energy cleaning your place (unless you enjoy it of course)?  At Chiang Mai Buddy we can arrange for regular cleaning of your Condo or House for next to nothing.

The cleaning activities include:
Living Room & Bed Room
Vacuum or Sweep and mop floor
Dust & clean all furniture, tabletops and appliances
Clean & wipe cabinets, external surfaces & doors
Dust & tidy tables and chairs
Empty dustbin, wash dishes
Wipe glass windows and mirrors

Kitchen/Toilet
Wash & wipe floor and wall tiles
Wash and disinfect sink, wash basin, toilet bowl and bathtub
Degrease cooking stove & hob, if any
Dust & wipe exterior of kitchen appliances

Pricing

Regular Maid Service

[uds-pricing-table name=”Cleaning Regular”]

NB:  This works out at about 5 baht per minute

So much More ….

We have various other services that might be of interest to many people. Call-Out Massage by a Spa qualified therapist (at half the Spa Price), Luggage Storage if you are leaving town for a few weeks and decide to rent your condo out on our Airbnb management service, and much, much more. And, of course, any problem big or small, we have the Thai-speaking staff to help. We can talk to repairmen and tell them what you want done, explain your phone bill and what plans to get, we can call and connect your cable TV… because when you have a Chiang Mai Buddy – you’re never alone.