How can I convert my volunteer visa to a retirement visa in Thailand?

Laos has always been laid-back. If you want some tips on doing a run there message me.

You'll probably have to leave first then come back in on a visa free or TR visa then apply for the non O retirement visa at your local immigration

I have non O marriage I had to leave last year and come back I was on covis stamps and non B before you can't convert you have to leave and come back

Not an expert. Definitely would ask someone who knows. Rhys at Assist Thai Visa Services has been helping me out for years. Well worth his fees in my opinion and then I rest in peace knowing everything was done correctly.

If you have all the normal 90 day extensions you should have been getting with your legitimate volunteer visa you'll be fine. The ones having problems were those having the year visa, but not having the normal 90 day extensions.

You could do what I did which is to come in without a Visa on a 30 day entry. Then go to immigration and convert that to a Non O Visa a few days before the 30-day expires, seed 800k that you will need to deposit in a bank account for 2 months and then go back to immigration after 2 months and get a one-year extension based on retirement. Then renew every year. You don't even have to leave the country.

@Brett *********

In answer to your "criticism" of the lump-sum Bank Deposit Method: If, like my wife and I, 65K x 2 or 135K Baht per month is FAR more than we need to comfortably live on in (we reside comfortably in CM on only about 30K Baht per month), then we would still be "tying up" in a Thai Bank all that extra money coming in continuously from the monthly transfers. After approx. 1 yr, would then "tie up" even more than the lump-sum Deposit Method.

Getting a new passport from the same country will have no impact.

How old are you?

Suggest you consider simply extend your existing visa based on retirement. Maybe use an experienced agent the first time to smooth the process.

I would highly discourage the OA unless you meet certain very limited circumstances.

To extend on retirement you need a minimum of 800k baht in a Thai bank account for at least 2 months before you apply or a minimum of 65k baht each month transferred in for the previous 12 months

I had a dodgy volunteer visa. I had to leave last May to get a 90 days from Malaysia (my immigration doesn't issue this). No problem with the extension at immigration and they are notorious here for being difficult.

I take it you have a thai bank account so you have two options put in the 0thb or give a agent about to do the paperwork

But firstly you need to leave the country and get the 45 day holiday visa and then you can go to immigration office to apply for an 1 year extension on retirement visa they will provide the information for you to do the paperwork the cost for your application is 2000thb then 1900thb every year after that

If you've just turned 50 you may be best to leave the country, get an o-a visa which requires 12 months health insurance in advance but isn't too expensive if you've only just turned 50. You need to show the equivalent of 0 baht in your native account. You can then start sending the required monthly amount from abroad to a Thai bank account so you can then go to an O visa the next year (or even the year after, as a multi entry o-a can get you almost 2 years if you border bounce at the right time, and then you won't need to have 0 tied up in a Thai bank account, as long as the required minimum monthly transfers have been adhered to

It shouldn't be an issue to ask for an extension for the reason of retirement if you do comply with the requirements. It shouldn't neither be a real problem to "convert" to a new Non-O for retirement, again if you comply. However, on a retirement visa, you are not allowed to work not either as a volunteer, and they might check on you if you go to Immigration with a Non-O based on volunteering as they might suspect you trying to avoid the strict rules for getting or extending a volunteer visa...

From what I understand is you do not need a retirement visa but apply for 1 year extension on existing visa for reason of retirement.

Over 50 and have income or lump sum in the bank. 1900 baht.

There are strict guidelines on the money part...seasoning etc.