Visas for living in Chiang Mai

Posted by Arda on June 29th, 2007 filed in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand, Thailand travel

So, you would like to come and live in Thailand? Chiang Mai is a popular place to retire to or simply come and live in, and many foreigners already live here legally. To do this you need to apply for a non-immigration visa which is the first step towards a permanent or ongoing visa, and it allows you to remain in Thailand for periods of between three months and a year, with the option to renew the visa continuously. Most people find it possible to remain in Thailand, and the authorities aren’t too tough on immigration law enforcement. The local immigration office is used to dealing with applications and there are also several companies in town who can help you cut through the paperwork.

However, there are some specific regulations governing the issuing of visas and although the people of Thailand are quite happy to let foreigners come and live in their country and spend money here, Thailand has some strict immigration laws just like every other country. If you can show sufficient funds to support yourself here, or have a job offer then you can possibly get a retirement visa, business visa or work permit (with residence visa). Thaivisa.com

Firstly you will need to apply for a non-immigration permit, which can only be issued outside of the country. Consulates located in countries bordering Thailand tend to be more strict with the paperwork so you are advised to apply in your home country. There are several types of non-immigrant visas; the ‘OA’ visa is for retirement or spouses of Thai citizens, ‘B’ for business or work and ‘IB’ for investment, among others which include study, missionary work and media representation.

An application form (known as the T.M.7) should be submitted with a 500 baht processing fee and 4 x 6cm photo, along with your passport. The processing usually takes less than a week. You may even mail the documents to your local consulate. The most important criteria for retiring here is that you are over 50 years old and can show a sum of 800,000 baht ($20,000/€16,000/£12,000) in order to support yourself here for 12 months. Alternatively you can show proof of a monthly income of 65,000 baht. Those, of any age, who have married a Thai national can also apply for this visa – with the same financial criteria.

If you are applying for a ‘B’ visa, you will need a letter of intention to employ you, from your prospective employer, and they may ask to see a copy of the company’s registration certificate and tax number. Those interested in starting a business here can also obtain a visa, but there are much higher financial implications than the ‘OA’ visa, and these are co-ordinated by the Thailand Board of Investment which has recently established a onestop service to streamline this procedure (visit www.boi.go.th for more information).

Many of the people who are too young to qualify for a retirement visa get by with a non immigration visa that is issued on the basis of a variety of ‘questionable excuses’ and simply continue to renew them. Over the past few years immigration has been tightening up the enforcement of this practice.

Once you have obtained your non immigration visa you may enter Thailand and remain here for three months maximum, by which time you should have undertaken the necessary paperwork to have this extended for the maximum 12 months (from the date of original entry into Thailand). If you have been issued a multiple re-entry visa it is possible to extend the it for a further three months, after which you must leave and return in order to gain and further three month extension which can be extended locally once more (this effectively makes it possible to remain here for up to a year on one visa.)

If you have the correct documentation then you should report to the Immigration Department to have the full 12 months issued. In the case of a retirement visa this is quite straight-forward and these days can be issued on the spot. You need to show that the 800,000 baht financial security is now in your Thai bank account, or that there is evidence of your minimum 65,000 baht monthly income coming into Thailand. They have been known to accept as little as 400,000, particularly in the case of a spousal visa. Often a medical report is also required to prove you are not a major health risk. A fee of 1,900 baht also applies. The annual renewing of this should be a formality after this, however, every time you wish to leave the country you will need to pay 1000 baht for a re-entry permit, or you can obtain an annual multiple re-entry permit for 3,800 baht.

Unfortunately it’s far less simple if you are trying to secure a work permit – a popular method for those establishing a business here because they are too young for a retirement or other type of visa. The process of applying for a work permit is lengthy and full of red tape. In short the company needs to have at 2 million baht in registered capital and at least four Thai employees for every foreigner employed. There also has to be a good reason to employ you instead of a Thai, and newly established companies often come under more scrutiny and will need to be personally visited by an immigration official. Unbelievably, after all the paperwork is presented and the work permit issued, you will need to repeat the entire paper chase for the immigration department who may check up on the legitimacy of the business before issuing the full 12 month visa to support the work permit. This process can take months and if your visa needs to be extended during this time your work permit will also need an extension, resulting in numerous trips to both departments and plenty of ‘fees’ along the way.

Those who opt for a spousal visa will have to present a copy of the marriage certificate, proof of sufficient funds to support their Thai spouse (regardless of whether the spouse is a wealthy breadwinner – though the procedure and criteria does differ somewhat if you are a woman married to a Thai man), and a fee of 1,900 baht. Usually you will be interviewed too. The stipulations for ‘sufficient funds’ is the same as a retirement visa. Of course, if you are working here they will accept your work permit and contract as proof of a regular income. Thailand facts

The process of getting a visa differs from one case to another and some people find all the red tape very frustrating. The Immigration Department have tried in recent years to make their service more efficient and ‘customer friendly’, however civil servants in Thailand prefer to do everything ‘by the book’ and some individuals have been known to solicit a gratuity or encourage it through deliberately inefficient service. You should exercise plenty of patience and remain polite when dealing with the Immigration Department and expect multiple visits, and requests for further paperwork before finally securing a full visa.

Chiang Mai Immigration Department is located on the road to the airport and opens Monday to Friday 08:00 – 16:00.