Thailand is without doubt one of the best nations for an expatriate to settle down in for his or her retirement. The natural vistas are both captivating and relaxing. The local population is very friendly, and the costs of living significantly lower than that of any country in the West.
If you’ve decided to settle down in Thailand, then you should know what you can do to make those plans come to reality. Your first move, of course, is to apply for a non-immigrant visa.
Requirements for Securing Non-Immigrant Visa
The process of applying for a non-immigrant visa is very straightforward. You will only need to prepare the following documents:
- A passport with at least 1 year validity remaining
- Proof of residency from your home country
- Proof of financial capability
The application for your non-immigrant visa must be done through the Thai embassy or consul in your home country.
Once you have been awarded a non-immigrant visa by the government of Thailand, the next step is to secure a retirement visa as an upgrade to the earlier visa.
What You Will Need to Apply for Retirement Visa
As mentioned earlier, the retirement visa is an upgrade to the base non-immigrant visa. As a holder of a non-immigrant visa, you are required to do visa runs after 30 days of stay in the country. Alternatively, you can apply for an extension of stay for up to another 60 days. This brings the total number of days you can stay in the country to 90 days, after which you’ll be required to exit Thailand.
When you upgrade your non-immigrant visa to a retirement visa, you’re automatically eligible to stay in the country for one whole year without doing the requisite 90-day visa run. The 90-day reporting rule still applies, however.
In order to apply for a retirement visa, you will need the following documents:
- Copy of your passport, with each page signed
- Proof of financial capability
- Your non-immigrant visa
- Departure card
- Bank book and letter of endorsement from your local Thai bank
- 3 copies of full face 4×5 cm photos
Now that you understand what you need to apply for a retirement visa, let’s now take a look at how the Thailand Elite visa is more beneficial to your long-term stay plans and retirement in Thailand.
Why Choose Thailand Elite?
One of the benefits of the Thailand Elite visa is its long-term validity – this modified tourist visa has a 5-year validity with multiple-entry allowances.
Unlike the retirement visa, holders of the Thailand Elite visa lets you stay not only for a year in the country, but throughout the validity of your visa. You can stay 5 whole years in the Kingdom without having to do multiple visa runs, which, while fun, can be expensive and stressful.
Because the Thailand Elite visa falls under the tourist category, you will not need to apply for a non-immigrant visa as well. All you need is just your membership and the special visa awarded with it, and you can fulfill your dreams of staying long-term in the Kingdom of Thailand.
Is the Thailand Elite visa legal? Of course, it is! It is a government project, so you have nothing to fear. Contact us now and see how you can become a member of this exclusive program and enjoy its myriad perks available only to members.
