Answereda year ago

Do I need to keep 800k in my account for 3 months to switch from Non-O to Retirement visa in Thailand?

Non-O Visa Retirement Visa Visa Application Procedures Financial Requirements for Visa Thailand Immigration Expat Visa Advice

Christine *********

asked Jun 17, 2025

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Good afternoon, helpful people. I need to convert from Non-O (trailing spouse) to Retirement visa. I transferred the 800k into my account on 27 April. I was waiting for 3 months to pass before transferring to new Retirement visa, taking me to 27 July. 

A friend said to me that, when she applied for a Retirement visa the first time, that the 800k did not need to be in her account for 3 months before. But she is not sure if that is because she was on a 30-day visa exempt at the time.

There is a reason why it would be more convenient for me to change visas before 27 July.

My question is - if I am transferring from Non-O to retirement, must the 800k be in my account for 3 months before the change, or can I do it earlier?

Answer summary

The user is seeking clarification on whether they must keep 800,000 baht in their bank account for 3 months before applying for a Retirement visa conversion from their current Non-O visa status. Comments suggest that the requirement may not apply as strictly when changing extensions, indicating that the funds only need to be in the account for 2 months prior to the application for the extension and must remain for 3 months after the extension is granted.

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Michael ********

Do you actually have a NON O visa? Or do you have a 1 year extension of stay that you got after your NON O visa?

a year ago

Christine *********

@Michael *******

I must be on extension of stay then, as I have been here for 3 years.

a year ago

Michael ********

@Christine ********

Ah right. Not mentioned in the post. As Tod says, your trailing spouse extension follows your husbands. So, follow his instructions and change the reason to retirement extensions for yourself. :)

a year ago

Tod *********

@Christine ********

you are getting yearly extensions of stays that match the primary visa/extension holder than.

a year ago

Tod *********

You're not converting anything visa wise 😮

I'd bet dollars to durian you don't have any valid visa 😉 but instead are here on an "extension of stay" based on being the spouse of a foreigner on a legal visa/extension.

All you're doing is a REASON CHANGE from one extension to another

The seasoning requirement on banked money method for extensions of stays based on retirement are "the funds need to be in a thai bank account in your name only for 2 months before you apply for the extension, then the 800K stays in the account for 3 months after the extension is granted and after that the balance can't go below 400K baht the rest of the year

You would get everything ready for the retirement extension (all the documents, bank letter, statement, updated bank book, map, copies, lease TM30, etc) go in cancel your extension based on being a trailing spouse (you might or might not need the primary visa/extension holder with you to cancel the current extension you're on as it's just a piggy back one)

As soon as you cancel the current extension you'd apply for a new yearly extension based on retirement for 1900baht

GO to your immigration office, get the hand out listing the requirements for the extension based on retirement well before you're going to try this change the reason for an extension.

a year ago

Christine *********

@Tod ********

thank you SO MUCH!! Yes, I must be on extension of stay as a trailing spouse.

a year ago

Tod *********

@Christine ********

look at the stamp in your passpot, it will clearly say in english "extension of stay permitted until" and have a date you're allowed to be here during it

a year ago

Tod *********

@Christine ********

The school can't do it without him sitting there at the immigration office as the extension is in his passport

So what that means is that's the day you need to have your ducks in a row by because you need to go with him to immigrations on that date and cancel your extension too <- you lose your extension the same day the primary visa/extension holder loses theirs because yours is piggy backed to theirs

a year ago

Christine *********

@Tod ********

thanks. Whilst that date is March next year, my husband is leaving his job in July, so the school will cancel his work visa on the day he leaves. Hence the reason to change early.

a year ago