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Can I use Revolut or Wise for the 800,000 baht requirement for a retirement visa in Chiang Mai?

Retirement Visa Thai Banking Money Transfer Revolut Wise Expats in Chiang Mai

OP

asked Oct 17, 2026

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What's the verdict on revolut/wise for the 800,000 baht for retirement visa. Information is very conflicted, has anybody been able to successfully user either? in Chiangmai Specifically? 

Thanks

Answer summary

The conversation explores the feasibility of using financial services like Revolut and Wise for meeting the 800,000 baht requirement for a retirement visa in Thailand, particularly in Chiang Mai. Responses indicate that while both services can facilitate money transfers, the money must ultimately reside in a Thai bank account. Users report successful transfers via Wise and recommend checking with local banks, emphasizing that the type of transfer (international vs. local) and the source of funds can influence acceptance for visa purposes.

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Doc ********

Doc ********

I used Remity and got my 1st extension approved the other day so no issues there

1

Phil *******

Phil *******

Not conflicted at all, you're not reading things correctly. Both Revolut and wise are fine for transfers, but your 800,000 must be in a Thai bank.

0

Dave *********

Dave *********

I am with kasikorn. I am retiring soon and moved 800,000 over a few months ago, then went to the bank to check this specifically. No problem for me. The wise transfer shows up as an international transfer by the code, and the bank assured me that it is fine.

2

M*

OP

Dave Woodger Oh thank you. That is a good outcome :)

1

Micheal **********

Micheal **********

MB Make sure and keep your home country address, as the address of record for Wise! Having a Thai address of record for Wise, means your Wise account will be governed by the new Thai rules for Wise, that went into effect in August.

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M*

OP

Micheal Millsaps Thanks for the tip Micheal

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M*

OP

Thanks, it's for mother, she can't move easily so must be done without much travel, do you know of an agent, many people claim it has been recently done (convert to NON-O) and open bank using an agent for 12k, I am looking for that agent.

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M*

OP

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

I see, so I really don't have a lot of options here but to find an agent. Thanks

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Brandon ************

Brandon ************

I don't know what you're saying, but the rules of an OA visa are that you can only apply for it from your home country.

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M*

OP

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

home country doesn't allow it. The home country doesn't allow sending money overseas.

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Brandon ************

Brandon ************

you cannot apply for a non-OA from Vietnam. non-OA is only available in your home country. You would have to apply for non-O if elsewhere

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Don *******

Don *******

MB For most people a non-O is better than a non-OA as it has fewer requirements like insurance. It does depend on individual circumstances though, so check how those two visas would apply in your case.

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M*

OP

@John *********

that's all good. I'll keep looking, if I can't find a reasonable solution, I'll take my mother to Vietnam for a retreat and apply there for non o a

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John **********

John **********

you can get an extension of stay for that sort of money but not the full service you require

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M*

OP

@John *********

for that much money I can book a flight, accommodation and a nice trip to Vietnam and apply from there. We already have the insurance. but if I find a reasonable agent (many reports of 12k, 15 and 18k including this one in the video on youtube titled "I Tried Getting a Thai Retirement Visa Inside Thailand… Here’s What Happened" who did it recently for 18k. )

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John **********

John **********

you won't find an agent to do that for anything like that price. Somewhere between 40k and 60k would be more realistic but usually includes the first extension of stay

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M*

OP

Gotta play the hand I was given, no matter how sh!!33y it is. Stakes are high

1

Dave *********

Dave *********

MB Yeah, I am lucky, I opened my account 20 years ago as a tourist when I bought my place. They weren't so concerned about the rules back then. Now, I imagine it may require some "professional assistance".

1

M*

OP

Anyway, thanks a lot Dave, you have saved me a loss of about 37,647.24 Thai Baht exactly haha

1

M*

OP

Dave Woodger I hear you and I have done without for 10 years, but opening a bank account on tourist, and convert to non-o seems to be extremely hard without one :(

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Dave *********

Dave *********

MB can't help there I'm afraid, I never use agents for anything

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Dave *********

Dave *********

MB yeah, I had the same concerns. I had heard a wise transfer can bounce around a bit, such that the last transfer into your account comes from another domestic account. I explained this concern, but the bank teller seemed to have never heard of this problem, and said many people use wise with no problem. Just my recent experience, Hope it all goes well for you 👍

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Jeffrey **********

Jeffrey **********

Dave Woodger et.al: Earlier this year WISE began new arrangements whereby transfers via WISE go into a WISE account in Thailand and from there go to the recipient's account. The result is that the recipients account sees the transfer as a transfer within Thailand, not a a transfer from outside of Thailand. I saw the change with my April transfer. At the time WISE provided guidance as to how to get documentation showing that there was, in fact, an international transfer but I do not remember what one needs to do.

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John **********

John **********

I assume you mean for transferring money to a Thai bank account?

For the initial 90 day Non-O visa applied for inside Thailand the money must show as coming from overseas, this is straightforward with Wise, I don't know about Revolut.

If you're talking about a 12 month extension of stay based on 800k it doesn't matter where the money comes from

1

M*

OP

@John *********

thanks, but have you done that successfully, people have reported that officers reject the visa because the transfer is not FTT on their Thai bank statement, as wise uses local (on source) and local (on destination) transfers.

That's why I am confused about that being "straightforward".

1

John **********

John **********

like I said for the 800k method of extension it doesn't matter. Those doing 65k per month it does matter

1

M*

OP

@John *********

thanks, I have verified that too

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SoftPap*******

SoftPap*******

How you transfer the money is largely irelavant. For large amounts normal swift bank to bank transfer usually works out best as a low fixed fee. Wise etc the bigger the amount the bigger the fee,

1

M*

OP

Why the certainty? It is a loss of 2,000 if you have done the math. And it's not in the fees, it's in the exchange rate

1

Don *******

Don *******

MB It's always the fees and the exchange rates combined. I have calculated it several times using exact rates on the same day and a bank transfer is invariably cheaper for me than Wise is for amounts over about 200,000B. Under that threshold Wise is cheaper overall. It will depend on how much your foreign bank charges for the outgoing transfer though. That fee can vary from zero to the equivalent of 2,000B.

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