# Can my partner and I be on the one retirement visa?



## butchruth (Aug 7, 2017)

Hi, We are hoping to retire in Thailand next year. I have researched the various visa options and think that as we are both over 60 (just), that the 'retirement' visa would best suit us. We would meet the monthly income rule as our super pension is ~ $3700/mth. We want the flexibility of being able to travel to and from our home in Thailand as we wish. We don't intend to work at all.
My question can my partner, (not married but long time defacto) be included in my visa? Does the one monthly pension/income satisfy the rule for both of us? 
Thanks in advance for your advice.
Regards
Butch


----------



## Mweiga (Sep 24, 2010)

Due to not being married , I would say that almost certainly you'll both need separate one year non-immigrant visas (over 50 "retirement visa") which means separate financial requirements for each.

Travel in and out of Thailand is no problem with a single or multiple re-entry visa which you arrange at an immigration office once your one-year visa has been granted. Be warned however that failure to have a re-entry visa gets your one-year visa cancelled automatically at the airport on your return and you have to go through the whole process again.


----------



## butchruth (Aug 7, 2017)

Hi Mweiga, 
Many thanks for the advice, much appreciated.
We may have to get married to formalise our relationship in order to meet the financial obligations.
Kind regards
Butch


----------



## Thai Bigfoot (Aug 29, 2009)

Butch,
It sounds like a marriage would be of the new type. I don't know if it would be recognized in Thailand.
You should check it out.


----------



## butchruth (Aug 7, 2017)

Many thanks for the comments, much appreciated.
I have recently spoken with the Thai Embassy here in Canberra who have said we should each apply for a visa in our own names. We are both able to show a copy of our respective Australian super fund accounts which would then meet the B800,000 financial criteria for the A-O long-stay visa. The funds do not have to be in a Thai bank in this first instance, ok being left in the Australian super account. We are able to use my monthly super pension for living in Thailand.

The embassy did indicate that when it came time for renewal in Thailand, the local officials would likely insist on having the B800,000 each transferred into a Thai bank. Mention was made of being able to get a letter from the Australian Embassy in Bankok upon renewal of the visa/s stating that we each still have individual Australian super account balances above the B800,000, though apparently, this is in the hands of the local Thai officials as to being suitable or not.
So, looking promising so far......
Again, thanks for your assistance.
Regards
Butch


----------



## Thai Bigfoot (Aug 29, 2009)

As an American citizen, all I have to do is have a U.S. embassy document notarized by the embassy, that says I have a minimum of B65k a month income. This is a deal between the U.S. and Thailand. Works great! And, I don't have to have any money in a Thai bank. I've never been too comfortable with that.
I know Thailand has this arrangement with other countries. Maybe, Australia is on the list.


----------



## butchruth (Aug 7, 2017)

Thanks Thai Bigfoot, I will check that out. That may be what the Thai Embassy lady meant about a letter from my Embassy.
Cheers
Butch


----------



## EnglishComputerman (Mar 4, 2018)

You would both need a retirement visa and each of you will need to have THB800,000 in a Thai Bank Acccount (THB1,600,000 if in a Thai joint bank account). Once you have the visa's you should apply for a multiple entry visa.


----------



## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

Here's what I think is the best option for you:

Apply separately in Australia, your home country for non-resident O-A visas. (The O-A is different from the simple O. There are some extra requirements but some important benefits for your case).

This visa is good for multiple entries for one year (there is an "enter before" date on the visa, that's when the visa expires), and as you noted, you can meet the financial requirements using accounts in your home country. Each time you enter Thailand during that first year, you get a "permission to stay" stamp in your passport. The stamp is good for one year from the date of entry. 

What you need to do is right before the end of the first year, right before the visa runs out, you take a trip outside Thailand and re-enter one last time on that visa, as close to just before the "enter before" date as you can. That final entry gets you another permission to stay stamp that lets you stay for a full year - as long as you don't leave. 

You then purchase "re-entry permits" at immigration for the second year. You can get single ones or a multiple re-entry permit for the cost of about 3 singles. You don't need these during your first year because your visa is good for multiple entries. But in the second year, with the O-A visa expired, you use these re-entry permits to preserve your permission to stay. Normally if you have a permission to stay, and you leave the country, the permission is cancelled. These re-entry permits let you leave and come back and continue on the earlier permission to stay. 

(Permission to stay is _not_ a visa, it's just an extension of time until you have to leave. It's a complicated distinction that's important in Thailand. Visa's get you in in the first place. When you enter you get a permission to stay. Single-entry visas expire when you enter, but you have the permission to stay. Multiple entry visas let you go and re-enter until they expire. On your last entry under the multiple-entry visa you come in and get a permission to stay as always, but the visa expires and you have only the permission to stay, not a visa anymore. You need to buy the re-entry permits at that point if you are going to come and go. Important: you have to buy the re-entry permit from local Thai immigration before you leave. If you flub that up you have to start all over in your home country.)

A multi re-entry permit will lets you travel freely during your second year. The cost of the re-entry permits is not bad, I think 1900 baht each or 5700 baht for the multi if I recall right. 

When your permission to stay runs out just before the end of two years, you have a choice. You can then extend again in Thailand using the normal retirement-extension process, or you can just fly back to Australia and apply all over again for a new O-A visa. If you're planning on traveling back to Australia fairly frequently anyway, this is the best option. You'd pay for a new O-A about every 2 years and pay the 5700 baht for re-entry permits every other year and that's it.

If instead, at the end of the second year, you choose to meet the in-country requirements and extend without getting a new O-A visa, you have a sub-choice. You can either put 800k baht in a bank account (one for each of you) or you can get a letter from your embassy in BKK stating you have 65k baht per month in retirement income. It sounds like the letter would be easier, but the different embassies have different rules for issuing it and I don't know about the Australian embassy. Still, you'd have 2 years to find out about that hurdle.

It sounds like you both qualify separately for retirement, with no difficulties. That's the way to go, it's less complicated than the qualification by marriage route even for married people.

Summary: 
year 1: O-A visa, obtained in home country
end of year 1: border run to anywhere, re-enter before end of year 1.
year 2: 1 year extension of stay. Buy re-entry permits
year 3: back to home country, get new O-A visas
end of year 3: border run to anywhere, re-enter before end of year 3.
year 4: 1 year extension of stay. Buy re-entry permits
....

The only time you have to show any financial documents during this process is when getting the O-A in Australia. With this process you don't ever have to do the 800k Baht bank account thing.


----------

