Transcript of the above video: 

I have done some videos on this in the past, I kind of felt the need to do it again; I'll explain why. I thought of making this video after reading a recent comment on our channel, quoting directly: "The question concerning the YouTuber I am talking with a grain of salt and why I would like to clarify. While he was not clear, he eluded that by having a Retirement Visa from Thailand, it made it difficult for him to travel outside of Thailand because he needed to apply for additional visas to travel. I don't know if this is true." No it's not true. Again, I don't understand why folks take it upon themselves to talk about stuff that they just don't know at the end of the day. Again, people can talk about whatever you want I guess but when you are making content and putting it out there in the ether of the internet on matters pertaining to, tax is another issue. I've just seen people just completely talking nonsense about tax policy and tax law in Thailand but Immigration - again I see people talking nonsense about this as well - it has implications. The reason I get so upset about this is because people talk about it and then other people detrimentally rely upon what they say and it causes them problems. 

No there are not additional visas associated with the Thai Retirement Visa but as we have discussed, if you obtain an extension here in Thailand on a Retirement Visa, then in order to preserve that extension - if you wish to leave - you do need to get a Re-Entry Permit. This can be obtained at the same time that you get your Visa Extension done and for practical purposes, like our clients don't even really notice it because we do it all at the same time, and as far as they are concerned, they are just coming and going and they have their visa. Yes, strictly speaking there is a travel document required in order to maintain status on an Extension if one wishes to leave; that's called a Re-Entry Permit, it is not another visa. 

The other misconception that is being massively promulgated if you will by this nonsense is again there are two types of Thai Retirement Visa as well. There is the O-A which will be issued at a Thai Embassy abroad; that's a multi-entry Visa in and of itself. It doesn't require any further travel documents to come and go; it's different from an Extension. Again I know these are fine points and it seems a little bit pedantic or semantic to sit around and parse the difference, but they make a difference. And again, this is why lay people that are just talking on YouTube really can cause problems for people because they don't know what they are talking about. 

So again, an extension here in-country, a visa extension here in country, is a different animal than a multi-entry Retirement Visa issued abroad. The two things operate differently okay. So again it doesn't require an extra Visa in order to come and go from Thailand on an extension, you simply get a Re-Entry Permit at the same time that you get your visa extended. Meanwhile it is also possible in the Retirement Visa category to obtain a multi-entry visa from abroad which again you don't need any extra travel documents in order to travel in and out of Thailand utilizing that documentation.