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How can I change my Retirement Visa to a yearly visa without keeping 800k in an account?

Retirement Visa NON-O Visa Visa Options in Thailand Financial Requirements for Visa Thai Immigration International Transfers Income Method for Retirement Visa Lottery Deposit Certificates

Sep 6, 2025

7 days ago

ORIGINAL POSTER

Hello …I’m on my 2 nd year of my retirement visa here which gets renewed once a year …is there any way to change it into a yearly visa …the goal is to not have to keep 800 k in an account … I know that 400k can be withdrawn from that account and put back in 2 months prior to renewal and then take it back out 3 months after renewal but that system is getting old and worn … don’t ask why not just leave 800 k in it year round ..I have better things to do with it …thanks for any potential solid advice on options …

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TLDR : Answer Summary

The individual is inquiring about alternatives to maintaining 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account as required for their Retirement visa. Responses suggest switching to the income method by depositing 65,000 baht monthly for 12 months, applying for a one-year Non-OA visa from their home country, or utilizing an agent for visa extensions. Other suggestions include checking for local options like lottery deposit certificates and considering other visa types such as the LTR visa, which may have lower financial thresholds.

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Peter **********

You need to check with you local immigration office. In several offices (not Sakon Nakhon) they allow having GSB 2 year deposit certificates as proof of funds. They certificates represent lottery tickets for a monthly’s draw, but are immediately withdrawable. (If you withdraw within 2 years you get no interest but any lottery winnings remain - withdraw within 6 months at a 2% penalty)

After two years the deposit expires and the whole principal is refunded with 1% interest.

I deposited1 mln thb which guarantees me 700 baht lottery winnings per month with a chance on winning substantially larger amounts. (Plus 1.25% interest per year)

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Daniel ******

LTR Visa if you have a small income of minimal 80 K per year!

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Pete *******

“passive” income for LTR-WP USD 80k.

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Bernie *************

that's interesting

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Bernie *************

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Mma *******

You could pivot to using an Agent on a Retirement Visa.. That would achieve your requirements. You could invest the 800k in your country- and let the Agent ‘take care’ of the particulars.

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John **********

a really bad idea in my view

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Mma *******

@John *********

oh well tens of thousands do it, so it must work well.

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Frank **********

I have a feeling one day they will crackdown on Agents also.

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David *******

It does work.

The bank issue was mainly due to Bangkok bank getting caught for millions of baht.

Read the story from May 2025.

Any commercial bank is acceptable.

Its been a push by some agencies to use BB.

And charge a fee for opening the account in the guise of an insurance payment.

I deal directly with immigration.

Several I.O. do it.

No agent required.

So how can it be wrong?

Stamps, receipts, bank letters, bank books updated.

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Jan ******************

Then you are not on a legitimate stay if you have used an agent to circumvent the formal requirements for an extension of stay. At some point, you may face consequences due to the current crackdown on banking services.

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John **********

yes they do. Precisely why there are so many banking issues

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Mma *******

@John *********

that’s not the reason.

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John **********

it's certainly one of the main reasons, why do you think Bangkok Bank is now requiring funds be in your account for 4 months to get a letter for immigration (or else the funds get frozen for 4 months)

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John **********

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David *******

Use agent or immigration direct method and leave the 800k in your own country banking account.

Will gain you about 19 000 baht interest above the agent fee cost.

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David *******

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Rachael **********

@Russell *********

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Ralphy *****

If you don't want to have 800,000 baht in your account or put 65,000 baht per month into your account get an agent who will do the extension for over 20,000 baht, even if it is not legal

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Greg ***********

the price in the meantime starts at 32,000 THB without own funds. 20,000 THB, this might be the agent's price for the yearly renewal

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Ralphy *****

@Greg **********

yes

*****

agent price

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Greg ***********

for the renewal maybe, but NEVER for the first application without own funds, and def not for opening a bank account or applying for the initial 90-days visa as well

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Greg ***********

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Daniel ******

small income cheaters!

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Daniel ******

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Jesper *******

Have u started depositing 65k baht each month into your acct? If u do have a 12mths statements of that before your extension just bring it to show your IO and request to change to the 65k monthly method

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Pete *******

Why have you not switched to the 65k monthly method that doesn’t require any funds in the bank?

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Deanna *******

Just interjecting here. My husband and I deposit well over 65k per month in a Thai bank, so we tried the 65k per month proof of income. But one month, the date of deposit was different. One other month, a LARGER deposit was made than before. The officer we were dealing with said NO. Not the same. You have to leave the country!

He ended up offering for us to be "special case" for 50,000 baht. We left and went down another path.

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Frank **********

my Social Security check comes in on the 4th Wednesday of every month. The 4th Wednesday falls on different days depending on the month. I also sometimes transfer more then the required 40k. Never had a problem at Immigration in my Province.

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Graham ******

It doesn't have to be the same date every month and the sum can vary as long as it is always a minimum of 65k deposited. The IO was conning you to get a bung.

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Deanna *******

yep. I know he was.

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Deanna *******

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John **********

yep, you can't miss a month and try and make it up the next month

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Michael ********

its has to be EVERY month you cannot do it anyother way, you have to abide by the rules

*****

every month minimum !

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Deanna *******

@Michael *******

the deposits were every month! Just was a different amount on one of them and a different date (same month) on another.

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Michael ********

Thats not allowed, it has to be

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baht EVERY month and they enforce that to the letter, I was talking last evening with a guy who let his 800,000 drop one month by only a few hundred baht and there was no way out of that either, he has to reapply again from the start.

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Ian *******

@Michael *******

and this is why I chose the 800k option. Now I don't have to worry about it at all.

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Ian *******

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Pete *******

like any method you have to meet the requirements.

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Pete *******

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Jan ******************

You can only apply for a one-year Non-OA visa through the Thai embassy in your country of passport or country of registered permanent residence at the time of application.

If you are able or willing to transfer the required 65,000 baht for twelve consecutive months, you can, as you probably know, switch to the income method in order to free up the funds in your account.

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Paul *******

You are certainly not on your 2nd year of a Retirement visa. If you obtained a Retirement visa from outside of Thailand, when it ran out, it expired and was finished because it cannot be "renewed". I supsect that you spent ime in Thailand and just before you visa expired, you went to an Immigration office and successfully applied for an extendion of stay based on being over 50 years of age. This is not any sort of visa.

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Frank ************

@Michael *******

or a 🔔end

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Karl *********

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Bob **********

yes

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Greg ***********

@Michael *******

another clever dick telling others they are clever dicks?! 😂😂 A visa can't neither be renewed nor extended. A Non-Imm-O visa epxires when you ENTER Thailand. All you can get "reneweec" or "extended" is your STAY PERMIT, you do not have a visa any more. Before you call others clever dicks., you should touch your own nose

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Michael ********

@Greg **********

you don't get it either, I didn't say he was wrong 😂

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Greg ***********

@Michael *******

or Buriram, after people have asked them to clarify . .

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Michael ********

@Greg **********

it probably says that in my immigration as well your right and so is clever dick 😂all I'm trying to point out is when someone asks a question deos it make any difference we all know what he's asking, so give him a answer not try to educate him first. 👍

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Greg ***********

@Michael *******

many Immigrations do not issue "visa extensions" any more. They have switched to the correct wording . . here, Hua Hin

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Greg ***********

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Paul *******

@Michael *******

Wrong. It is an extension of stay. Not an extension of visa.

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Michael ********

I didn't say it was a exstension of visa i said thats why its called exstention of stay on the visa you came in on.

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Ron **********

@Michael *******

wow..so many exstensions (sic)

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Paul *******

@Michael *******

First you abuse me for being pedantic then you try to be pedantic. If someone is staying long term in Thailand it is important that they learn the correct terminology. I was only attempting to educate the original poster. I am sure that you are not the village idiot. But be aware that I overheard him discussing moving to a new village.

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Michael ********

maybe you should start to educate the officers at immigration even they call it a visa extension 😉

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Paul *******

@Michael *******

With all due respect to your experience, at Chiang Mai Immigration they have always referred to it as an extension of stay based on being over 50 years of age.

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Paul *******

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Bob **********

it could be a OA visa which you will get about 2 years out of

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Greg ***********

yes, and I strongly suspect it is. . . . . Because in order to go from the second year out of a former Non-Imm-O/A Visa into the next "1-year Extension of Stay Permit", you need to transfer your 800,000 THB from your home bank acocunt to your newly opened Thai bank account for the first time in two years (because in the first two years out of a Non-O/A Visa, you were allowed to keep the money in your home bank). Now that's what the complaint is about. She needs to move the money from her country to a Thai bank account in order to be able to apply for the 12-months extension of temporary stay permit. Her wording is absolutely confusing and wrong: she does NOT "extend" or "renew" any visa. She is applying for the extension of her STAY PERMIT

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Greg ***********

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Michael ********

Another clever Dick, we all know what he means, anyway the visa cant be renewed but exstended thats why its called exstention of stay on the visa you came in on.

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Michael ********

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John **********

You don't provide your nationality but if your embassy in Thailand provides income certificates you can use that but an increasing number do not. If they don't you can transfer a minimum of 65k baht into your thai bank from overseas each and every month for a full 12 months prior to applying for your following extension. You need the full 12 months as a minimum so if you are currently part way through an extension start now so you are sure to meet the criteria, the 65k baht can be spent once it shows in your bank account

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Peter ********

@John *********

The RTP/ Immigration offices are a law to themselves. I had 65,000 transferred for 12 months and they required that I also deposited 800,000 into my bank. The explanation they gave was that I had to show regular income to my home bank account even though I had the proceeds from the sale of my house invested in reputable managed funds.To obtain the extension I did transfer the 800,000. I am about to apply for a further extension and the 800,000 is now

*****

0 . I have a lawyer prepared to take the B's to court thought I have drawn a monthly income as proof that I have the means to continue to import 65,000. Will be interesting.

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Jim *******

Yet another example of how Immigration loves to make life difficult for foreigners..

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John **********

immigration are entitled to ask you to show the source of your income. Sounds like you couldn't, investments are not income.

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Kool *******

lololol, good luck, but be prepared to leave the country when you lose.

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Kool *******

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John **********

@John *********

This is one of the better answers to the question!

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John **********

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