How can I renew my Non-O retirement visa in Thailand after a 12-month extension?

@Marty ********

the flight back home to aspply for a new OA visa every year, eats up the interest on your 800,000 THB would earn on a US bank. I never understand people who will rather pay 30,000 THB tea money to an agent to avoid having to put 800,000 THB into their Thai bank account (at SCB they pay me 1.25% interest!) and reason that they get more interest on a US bank, . . . . but then need to fly back home and back to Thailand every two years with a 1000.- to 1200.- USD flight ticket 🙂

@Andreas ********

I moved my 800K to Thailand to avoid the drama. However, I guarantee you that if I had left my money in the States, the money I would have earned through investments would have far exceeded the plane ticket you’re talking about. The folks who pay 30K to an agent do so once. After that, it’s ~5K and, again, I’m sure they can do far better with their investments. I would hope folks are not putting those sums of money into savings accounts earning 1% interest (in the States).

@Ruth ******

the folks who pay the agents, need to pay this sum EVERY year 😎

@Andreas ********

I can see that there are some people that live in Thailand part time. They are in the US anyway so that really isn’t a cost. That’s not me but I am aware that some people just keep getting OA visas.

Often the issue is dissatisfaction with Thai banks. They don’t trust them or they believe that the higher earnings outside Thailand are a preferable choice. That’s rational but also not me.

@Wayne ********

during the first year of the OA, each time you leave and re-enter you can get stamped with a one year permission to stay stamp. The OA visa expires at the end of the first year.

I entered Thailand with an OA visa in Feb 2017. I went to Cambodia in Nov 2017. I was given a 1 year permission to stay stamp when I returned to Thailand in Nov 2017. I got 1 year extensions of my OA visa starting with Nov 2018 and every Nov after that.

Extensions of the OA and O visas are the same except for the insurance requirement for the OA.

You can return to your home country to get a new OA and some people do that. You could also leave Thailand and start the process of getting an O visa again. Or you can just stay and get 1 year extensions of stay

@Marty ********

Yes, you can get extensions to a Non-OA but that requires 800k in a Thai bank account. Going "home" every 2 years for a new Non-OA negates this requirement.

@Marty ********

everything you wrote about the O/A and O visa is correct, except the part when you call the yearly extension of stay "visa extension". Immigration calls it the same, and they are wrong, this is very bad English and technically wrong. You don't get any visa extended - as in fact, you don't have a visa anymore from the point on when you got issued your first extension of stay - you just get your STAY PERMIT extended. A stay permit is not a visa

@Andreas ********

Then let's call it a 1 year extension of stay which is what I usually call it depending on the structure of the sentence. TM7 form.

Of course, there is no need to leave/re-enter during that first year so what is it that you are extending?

@Marty ********

interesting. Hope they do the same with the OX which I have. I had OA first then changed to OX as I could leave my money in Australia banks

@Wayne ********

I got a 10 year pensioner LTR in Jan 2023. I do not have any money in the bank requirements. I do have to show a passive income of $80,000 USD though. My work and Social Security pensions qualified me.

@Wayne ********

The money in your home country bank is a separate issue. If that is important to you then stay with an OX or OA. One year extensions of an OA or O inside Thailand requires money in a Thai bank.

@Marty ********

Yes I prefer the comfort of money in Australia earning interest