Can I apply for a retirement visa in Thailand on a tourist visa before July 31?

@Greg *******

rip off scam artist who troll these forum looking for victims. And the more desperate you are the higher the price.

@Bim ******

Yup scum looking for people in distress or desperate.

@Jennifer *******

. If you're paying baht to an agent it's not legal. It's all good if you're not caught. If you are it's goodbye Thailand.

@Bobby *******

There are illegal ways of bending rules ie someone depositing the money overnight to get letter from bank manager or even nothing shown st all. However, some people use agents just to save time and for convenience. I have done it as I coukd not be arsed going to the office and sitting in queues. I work for a BOI company who has been BOI for over 45 years. We have over 10k employees here and hundreds of millions USD invested. Agents are used to put all the paperwork together and process. It just saves time and we do not have to employ staff to do it. C-Suite, VPs, Directors and specialists time is worth more than cost of an agent 😉😇. You do have to turn up once to stand there for a minute while they check you against the pics supplied and passport photo. Ypu may sign somethong but most papers are put in front of you with stickers where to sign. 😊

@Greg *******

. Totally agree. You can tell from the price if it's a legal process or not. Although I've not used an agent (actually I use an unofficial one, my partner, who works in an administrative job in Bangkok, so is well-versed in bureaucratic documentation - every time I return from overseas she has all the TM30 paperwork ready to go, I just have to sign in the space provided!), but I do realise they can save you a lot of footwork for a reasonable price. The "funds in your bank account" is the worrying one! My 80 year old cousin in Chiang Mai used an agent in this way for seven years, until he got a visit from immigration with a request to see his bank book mid-stream, which had about 5000 baht in it. He was arrested and taken immediately to a detention centre where he waited for a week while his deportation was arranged and a "never to return" label put on his file. He was not even allowed to return to his condo to get his belongings, he had to organise all that through friends to get his stuff sent on. I just have concerns with some of the things these agents are offering at the moment at inflated prices. From reports we know the only visas that can be obtained from amnesty are Thai Elite and ED for a university degree, so when you hear of non-O visas being offered for tens of thousands of baht, my immediate reaction is "shonky!!"

@Bobby *******

Agree about some of the agents. I do know of guys using agent witout money in bank initially but then getting extensions on their own whrn they have the funds documented. You are not always tied in forever bit of course it depends on agent and office. On our BOI visa we have never had to do 90 day reporting or TM30. I think reporting might be once a uear but if you travel it starts again like a normal 90 day one. No idea I have someome to deal with that. Same with medical claims, drivers arranged etc. After a couple ofcyears retired and doing it myself I forgot how easy expat life could be at a large company 😉😇😁

@Bobby *******

so very true. We are very lucky to have a great immigration office here. Then you read the experience of others and it's so different to what I myself experience.

@Bim ******

. Depending on your immigration office you need either 14 or 21 days remaining on your last entry stamp, as the application goes "under consideration". My advice is the OP should attend his local immigration office and request the list of requirements required for obtaining a Non-immigration O visa. The office will be issuing the visa so what they say goes. You will get a dozen different versions from asking the question in a Facebook group.

@Bobby *******

good advice

@Bim ******

I used agent as I am a lazy bugger and like an easy life.

@Andy *******

they have an exemption to that right now you pay14,000 baht and you don’t need to leave the country

@Jennifer *******

really, I've never seen that anywhere but after I changed over myself from a 6 month Visa stopped looking to be honest.

@Jennifer *******

Do you have a source for that please?

@Stan ******

loads of agents ... I have been told by a few of them .. can pm you them if your interested

@Jennifer *******

I know a few agents, but only for those who they charge 14,000 if they don't have sufficient funds for their extension

@Stan ******

14,000 won't get you the non-o and the one year extension it'll cost 25,000

And up

@Bob *********

I didn’t say it would. It’s what someone without the necessary funding has to pay to get an extension on an existing retirement.

The initial retirement is a totally different matter

@Stan ******

yes correct

@Stan ******

I’m not looking for retirement visa for Ed visa they can change or volunteer visa

@Jennifer *******

Nor am I, I have one already.