Can I apply for a 50+ retirement visa while on a tourist visa in Thailand?

If you already have a non immigrant O retirement visa the yearly extension of stay is 1900 baht . This is the price that is charged at Division 1 immigration in Bangkok .

I’ve currently in the same process. Just go to immigration but the local main office. Tell them you need a one year visa

Now there are two options

1) you create a Thai bank account and deposit 800.000 baht

2) you tell them you don’t have 800.000 and do the shady stuff 😜

If you go with number two there will be some “payments”. The good thing is everything is working as a Swiss clock

I did exactly that at the immigration office in Krabi. Getting a Thai bank account was the really fun part 😏

I’m actually towards the end of the process of applying for a Non O retirement visa myself. I was lucky apparently and opened a Thai Bank account a couple of years ago at the first bank I approached in Changwattana.

I’ve never done land border runs but last year after entering Thailand on a visa on arrival basis from Australia or Bangladesh after a month or so away each time I found Immigration at Suvarnabhumi were getting quite hostile -hence my application for a retirement visa.

If you can open a Thai bank account and I met a UK guy who told me some banks in Tourist hotspots like Pattaya will still let you on a tourist visa, then I would say you don’t need an agent to get a retirement visa but having someone at your side who can read and speak Thai is a big help.

As

@Brandon ***********

has indicated you can readily get info to convert to Retirement Non O visa from the authorities. But here are some tips from my experience which aren’t in the guidelines. First, you need to complete the application forms in blue biro/pen. I used black for my application copies initially- had to redo.

After each signature, I’ve learnt to put my telephone number, a requirement at my local immigration office, at least.

Then you need to get photo copies of every visa entry into and out of Thailand in your Passport and of course your personal details at the front. Each copy page must be signed by you.

If you do manage to get a bank account and deposit the 800,000 baht and meet the time lines, etc I learnt another lesson. When you apply to change your visa, mine is a 90 day tourist visa, you are instructed to get a bank statement and have your bank book updated on the day you submit your Non O application. This seems easy but be aware, you also have to make sure to make a small transaction to be recorded in the bank book that same day.

By coincidence a fellow applicant banking with Kasikorn Bank found this a real issue because his bank insisted they don’t update the statement on the day. In my case, I deposited some baht through the bank’s atm and then updated my passbook also by atm at the same time.

Myself and the other applicant also found we’d been neatly conned? because my particular Immigration office requires 15 days to process the Non O application and both our visas had only 14 days remaining, so we had to apply for an extension of the existing visa. I got stung for 2,000 baht and they tried to do him for 4,600 baht but in the end he got the same charge as me.

Both of us have been assured we will get a 3 month retirement visa initially, followed by the full Non O visa after an appropriate application to extend. We can learn our application outcome on 8 March.

If you consider what myself and the other guy went through too much, then choose an agent. However, hopefully the clues I’ve provided will make it easier for you do yourself. Took myself and the other guy the best part of two days and two trips to our banks to achieve what we did. Should be possible to do easily in one day in hindsight.

As long as the tourist visa, exemption or extension of the exemption has 15 days or more left you can proceed with non-o application - i was told at several immigration offices and they even calculated my last relevant date. You will need help of an agent to open the Bank account.What i am struggling is the blue book, ID of the owner and today a copy of the last utility bill was added to the requirement. I have a condo contract but the managing agent cannot provide the blue book and the owner’s ID.

Yes you can. Who told you that nonsense

Get an Agent

I got the Retirement Visa last week

Far to crazy to do by myself

It can be done yourself but in my experience it isn't that easy. As

@Brandon ***********

said, get the list of requirements from your local Immigration Office. You'll need to provide all of the requested information.

One requirement is for a Thai bank account with 800k baht deposited. For the retirement extension, the 800k baht should have been in the bank for 2 months prior to application.

An agent is definitely easier but will cost.

If you have the bank account then can do it yourself

Do you have a Thai bank account in your name only with 800k deposited internationally?

Can do but need use an agent

Go to your immigration office and ask them for the handout to convert to non-O retirement visa. There are very few immigration offices that don't allow it.