How can my husband switch from an education visa to a retirement visa in Thailand?

Question

Hello everyone
My husband is currently on education visa extension, expiring in November. He turns 50 in September and we want to switch him to retirement visa. I am getting a letter from his school to cancel the education visa and we have money in his bank account since early this month, so it will be 2 months seasoned by September.
What else is there to worry about? Is this easy enough to take care of on our own? when I contacted an agent, they are asking for a fee of 20k, which I thought was very expensive, but I could be missing something. We live in Chiang Mai.
Thanks in advance for any advise.

Ask Thailand · Answer

The user is seeking advice on switching their husband's education visa (Non-ED) to a retirement visa (Non-O) as he turns 50 in September. They plan to provide a cancellation letter from the school and ensure the bank funds have been seasoned for two months. Comments provide insights on the process, noting potential difficulties in switching visas within Thailand without leaving the country, and suggest consulting the local immigration office about changing the reason for stay. There is debate on the costs involved, with mentions of both official fees and personal experiences.

Michael ******* · Answer

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George ************* · Answer

I did what you are trying to do, change the reason for my extension from education (Non-ED) to retirement without leaving the country.  This was in Phuket and about 8 years ago.  My understanding that it is up to your immigration office whether to offer this service or not.  After getting the reason changed to retirement, I was asked how much I wanted to pay.  At this I understood there was no official price for this service, but offered 2,000 baht anyway, which was accepted.  It was much cheaper to me than having to leave the country.    Which is to say you should consult with your immigration office to see if they will do this for you.

Henrik **** · Answer

In theory, it should be possible to get an extension of the ED visa on the ground of retirement. But you will have to ask your Immigration.

Steve ******* · Answer

He may be able to change the reason for his extention of stay from education to retirement, check with your local Immigration Office.

Steve ******** · Answer

Keep in mind it is agents who have caused the problems with the ED visas and why they are now being scrutinised. If you don't want to run into strife, stay away from agents and simply do the application for retirement yourself at an immigration office

John ********** · Answer

If he is on a genuine ED visa and has been fully attending classes he could try asking the school for a letter to immigration confirming this. If he's been skimping on class he could struggle. He may want to look into obtaining the initial retirement visa outside of Thailand and entering with that rather than a tourist visa or visa exempt.

Brandon ************ · Answer

Everything you've done sounds good.  The only thing is I'm not sure you'll be able to switch from Non-ED to Non-O without leaving Thailand and coming back to start fresh.  If that's the case your husband may encounter some issues getting back into Thailand without a long term visa as anyone with an ED visa in their passport trying to return as a tourist has been getting a lot of scrutiny lately.

How can my husband switch from an education visa to a retirement visa in Thailand?

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