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

Thailand visa Retirement visa Non-O visa Visa conversion Immigration rules Bank balance requirement Extension of stay

Jun 17, 2025

2 days ago

Christine *********

ORIGINAL POSTER

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?

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TLDR : Answer Summary

The user is transitioning from a Non-O visa (trailing spouse) to a Retirement visa and seeks clarification on the requirement of having 800,000 THB in their bank account for 3 months prior to this change. Comments suggest that rather than a direct visa conversion, the process involves switching extensions. They indicate that the bank funds need to be maintained for 2 months before the application for the Retirement extension, rather than the 3 months the user initially thought.

NON-O RETIREMENT VISA RESOURCES / SERVICES

Go to the Retirement Visa Section for information on requirements, including age restrictions, financial requirements, and necessary documentation.
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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?

2 days ago

Christine *********

ORIGINAL POSTER

@Michael *******

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

2 days 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. :)

2 days ago

Tod *********

@Christine ********

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

2 days ago

Reply to

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.

2 days ago

Christine *********

ORIGINAL POSTER

@Tod ********

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

2 days 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

2 days ago

Christine *********

ORIGINAL POSTER

@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.

2 days 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

2 days ago

Reply to

Tod *********

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Do you need to show three months of bank statements for a Non-O visa based on retirement, or can the money be transferred in during that period?

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