Can I avoid the 800,000 baht deposit for a retirement visa in Thailand while living 6 months in Thailand and 6 months in the US?

Why would you ever deposit your SS check in a foreign bank ? Have it deposited in US bank and then transfer as needed.

It is all about retaining control of your funds

Retirement visa requires age 50 and proof of min bank level of 500k from what I have found in their website.

You can visit Thailand on passport for 60days then pay for extension. I'm under the impression for some visas you have to have constant travel to and from.

Also another hint when they say limit on visit if you don't want to pay extension just leave the country and come back. You DO NOT have to return to the states you just have to leave the country to count

Nope

Keeping one foot in two boats, spending six months in one place and six in another, compromises any relationship. Dividing your time and attention like this often creates distance and instability, making it difficult to build trust and maintain a deep connection. Relationships thrive on presence, consistency, and shared experiences, which are hard to achieve with such a fragmented approach.

Just take each 6 months as they come. It's pretty easy to stay in Thailand for 180 days without tying up your money.

IAM getting myself a dtv stay at my house in Thailand and travel around Asia from There and back To Europe every year our less 😆

Dave Anthony . . I am doing this since I turned 50 years old 16 years ago. 6 months Europe and 6 months Thailand

*** On an October 5, I entered Thailand on a 90-days Non-Imm-O Retirement visa and got stamped in for 90 days, until January 4th

*** I opened a Thai bank account and transferred 850.000 THB onto it

*** As soon as the money had been seasoned for 2 months, and there were still 2 weeks left on my 90-days stay permit, I went to my bank and had the bank statement issued

*** I took the bank letter, my passport, the required copies and a filled out TM47, and 2900.- THB to Immigration and applied for the “1-year extension of stay permit based on retirement” (EOS) plus a single re-entry permit for this extended stay permit.

*** the fee for the EOS is 1900.- THB, and the re-entry permit costs 1000.- THB

*** the EOS got issued for one year, and I need to apply for a renewed EOS every other year, since. The expiry date of each EOS is always on a January 4th, ensuing that I will be in Thailand on this date

*** the careful choice of the dates has the following advantage:

I can get the bank letter, make the application for the next EOS, a single re-entry permit and make my 90 days report ON THE SAME DAY

*** No headache no worries, no agent needed.

This means one single visit on Immigration (upcountry) which is done & dusted within 20 – 25 minutes!

I will have left Thailand headed to Europe, before the next 90-days report becomes due

It couldn’t be much easier

I don’t care when people say that putting 800.000 THB into a Thai bank account is stupid. I don’t care about the interest I could theoretically earn in my home country.

I look at this deposit as being a kind of “parking fee” for amazing Thailand and also serving as a quickly accessible emergency fund, if needed.

And by the way, my Thai Savings account is earning a 1.25% interest, which is better than nothing

Just use a long stay multiple entry tourist visa each year. Don’t move your money to Thailand.

I have done that for twenty years .

Multiple entry(important!) tourist visa .

Two months ,one month extension .

Out and back (can same day )

Repeat

6 months .

It make keeping your pensions at home ,travel insurance ,Thai visa easy .

Good luck

I’m not sure what your traveling plans will be but chances are you’ll lose your retirement visa too soon. Not due to money, but due to not being in the country at renewal time.

Anyway, the income method won’t work for you as it must come into your Thai bank, which (I assume) you don’t have. The US embassy won’t give you a statement of your income.

Why don’t you just come on other visa like DTV or something?

Maybe try Vietnam or Malaysia they welcome people more than Thailand.

You need to show the 800K in a Thai bank every year when you renew your visa.

Maybe ask in Thai Visa Advice group (so without 'land). I thought the 800k฿ for 1st year extension, you need in a Thai bank when you make a non imm O IN Thailand. Not if you already buy it in y'r home country. When you got the year extension, also make a re-entry permit. This you can repeat year after year.

I do the same. 6 months uk 6 months thailand previously on METV now on visa exempt. Very simple

A simple option for you would be to get a Non-OA visa before leaving the States. It's multiple entry so you can come and go as much as you want for the year its valid for and it doesn't require any money in a Thai bank, the only possible downside is it requires insurance

I live 6 months in Thailand and 6 months in the USA for the past 3 years.

If you have B800k to deposit in your Thai bank account, that is the best way for us. Remember…B65k a month’s times 12 months is B780k, they are both virtually the same, but if you have a problem and need to return to the US for a longer term, it could take months to stop the B65k monthly transfers.

I dd 3 years ago on a Non-O marriage visa. I didn’t know to get a re-entry stamp so my visa was voided when I left Thailand. I learned.

I did last year on a 30 day visa exemption, plus a 30 day extension. Then I applied for a 60 day tourist e-visa while visiting Korea. I arrived in Thailand before I received the tourist visa, so another 30 day visa exemption, then a border run (in Cambodia for 20 minutes) to activate my 60 day tourist visa and a 30 day extension to get me 6 months of Thailand. This worked better than I expected.

Currently I arrived 6 weeks ago on a Non-O marriage visa that I renew soon to get a 1 year extension.

If you don’t look destitute you can game the system a little bit.

Always try to get the correct visa for your situation.

I hope my experience gives you some good ideas.

Regardless what you decide, leave social security direct deposit in US bank

An optional way - hire a good agent.

Dave. I do that. 6 and 6. Plus or minus a couple weeks. I get 60 days exempt on arrival I hit immigration for extra 30 for 1900 baht. Then I take a bus trip for a day pick up another 60 plus 30. That’s 6 months. No visa, no savings account.

Easy. Agent.

I think that you need 12 months of deposits. At least 65,000 per month.

Check out the DTV visa. Multiple entry visa for 5 years. It gives you 180 days on each entry.