How should I manage the 800,000 THB deposit for the Non O visa in Thailand?

Con chi gli pare si Scansano il terzo gol del lecce e' da comica

Just leave it in, if you dip into it you will forget and when the time comes for renewal it's gone, I'm thinking it as an emergency fund, if it all goes tits up at least you can take it home if the situation arises,

"The hunting of the snark" has got nothing on this malarkey!

I don't understand why using an agent if you do have to requirements and you are applying for the N/O VISA in Australia. No need for an agent. Personally, I don't touch it. Get interest 2.75% minus tx.

Can I add my tuppence worth...From what I read..the non o visa when applied from home country is called the non-OA.with which you just have to show the equivalent cash in your home bank.then you've to get your police clearance certificate and health insurance which once you start you have to keep doing year after year which as you get older can become very expensive.The other way is to get the non -O inside Thailand which doesn't require any of the above requirements..You can "self insure" ie keep enough in the bank to either pay for any hospital visits or return to Aus for treatment.

Thai Visa Centre - check out website. Very reliable and helpful...

I’ve been to 3 different agents and all of them wanted me to use their money 800,000 but I know they will take it out the following day thus meaning I’ve broken the rules immediately so I refuse to work with any of these agents. So when I return later in the year, I’ll come on a 90 day non o Visa find out what bank needs what and deposit the 800,000 and leave it there. The agents are definitely breaking the rules maybe not all of them, but I haven’t found one yet that wanted me to put my own money in.

There are several roads leading to the 90-days Non-Imm-O Retirement Visa and to the subsequent “1-year Extension of Temporary Stay Permit based on retirement”, which is a long-term stay permit

MIND YOUR WORDING:

you do not apply for the “retirement visa” on Immigration after you have entered Thailand on the “90-days Non-Imm-O Retirement Visa” you obtained through the E-Visa online system outside of Thailand.

When you enter Thailand on the 90-days “Non-Imm-O retirement visa”, you get stamped in for a 90-days stay permit. The visa itself will become invalid or “used”. It cannot get “extended”. This is technically just not possible. Don’t fall for the wrong wording used by Thai Immigration, for whom a visa and a stay permit erroneously are the same thing.

I am talking about the most common misunderstanding regarding the rules for applying for the “retirement visa” and the subsequent “one-year extension of stay permit based on retirement”. Misunderstandings happen because a “retirement visa” can mean seven (!) different visas and stay permits, but please let’s remain on topic. The most erroneous wording is from people who call the 1-year extended stay permit a “retirement visa” – a mistake that always makes me cringe.

*** The best way is to show up in Thailand on a “90-days single entry Non-Imm-O Retirement/over 50 visa”. It will get you stamped in for 90-days stay permit. Within this 90-days period, you have plenty of time to arrange for the application to the “1-year extended stay permit”.

The important fact is, that entering on this visa-type enables you to get a Thai bank account opened. If you enter on a tourist visa or visa-exempt, you cannot get a Thai bank account opened any more since February 2025. Only a handful of agents offer a service around the law, and it costs up from 60,000 Baht and I have already been quoted 90,000 Baht.

There is NO mandatory health insurance or a police record check or a medical checkup required for the Non-O visa-type. These are requirements only for the application to the 365-days Non-Imm-O/A Longstay Visa, which is a completely different visa-type.

You will need the Thai bank account in case you want to convert the 90-days stay permit into a “1-year extension of the stay permit”.

You can theoretically fly on a one-way ticket because this visa allows you to receive a long-term stay in Thailand. Some airlines might not accept this explanation and will ask you for an onward travel proof out of Thailand within these 90 days, that’s why you should communicate with them by email and see what they say.

In order to apply for the “90-days single entry Non-Imm-O retirement visa” through the online E-visa system at the Royal Thai Embassy of your home country or any other country, you can

EITHER

use proof of income of a monthly minimum of 65.000.- THB, by using your original pension or other income documentation,

OR

you can use a deposit of a minimum of 800,000 THB or the equivalent in your home country currency, or on your home bank account, or on your Thai bank account (if you got one), or just anywhere in the World – as long as it is in your sole name.

Most Thai embassies will require 3 months of account statements. You need to check the website of the embassy you will use for the exact info.

ATTENTION! . . .For the application inside Thailand to the “1-year extension of the stay permit based on retirement”, the financial proof will be slightly different. You cannot use any original income/pension documents from your home country.

If you are a citizen of a country whose embassy in Bangkok does not issue a certified “income affidavit” any more –

(which are the embassies of USA, Canada, UK, Norway and Australia)

you would need a “12 months bank statement” showing that for the past 12 months, you have been transferring from abroad to your Thai bank account a minimum of 65,000 THB, consecutively month for month, not missing a single month.

If your embassy still issues a certified affidavit of income, you can use it for the financial proof. You would need a monthly income or pension of a minimum of 65,000 THB.

For British, Canadian, Norwegian, Australian and U.S. citizens, in the first year there is no other way around than depositing a minimum of 800,000 THB in your Thai bank account - at least in the first year

The alternative would be, if you don’t have that kind of money or are not willing to deposit 24,000 Dollar in a Thai Bank account, is paying an agent to “arrange” the requirements to get around the law.

As soon as you have accumulated 12 consecutive months of 65,000 THB transfers, month for month, you can apply for the next 1-year extension of the stay permit, using the 12-months bank statement. After been issued the next extension, you can theoretically take your 800,000 THB out of your bank account.

There is a fee of 1900 THB for the application to a 1-year extension, and you can theoretically do it all by yourself. You are free to accept the help of an agent for the simplified legal service.

NOTE: It is income OR deposit.

There is a third method, called the “combination method”: A combination mix of income and deposit.

Some immigrations don’t allow the combination method in the first year.

And some Immigrations want the deposit part to exceed a minimum of 400,000 THB.

The combination method means that the sum of the deposit AND the monthly income exceeds 800,000 THB in one year.

But let’s continue with the “normal method” (visa issued in your home country, followed by the application to the 1-year extension inside Thailand):

On the day of application to the 1-year extension, the 800,000 THB must have “seasoned” in your account for two months, and this has to be confirmed with the “bank letter of guarantee” (in Thai: rab roong thanakan).

After been issued the “1-year Extension of the Stay Permit based on Retirement”, the 800K need to remain in the account for 3 more months. After these 3 months, the deposit shall never go under 400,000 THB. And before the application for the next “1-year Extension of Stay”, a minimum of 800,000 THB must have seasoned in the account for two months, again.

On the day you get issued the “1-year extension of stay permit”, you should buy a re-entry permit.

A re-entry permit will keep your 1-year stay permit alive and valid in case you want to travel around and exit Thailand before the expiry of the extension.

A single re-entry permit is 1000 THB on Immigration. A multi re-entry is 3800 THB. On a multi re-entry permit stamped, you can exit and re-enter as many times as you wish during the whole 1-year stay permit period.

Again, watch your wording, because many people fail in doing so: the re-entry permit is not a “re-entry visa”. It is just a permit.

Good Luck and a great time in Thailand

“I am preparing to apply for the Non O visa in Australia, and then use an agent in Thailand to acquire a retirement visa.”

Watch your wording!

*** You are actually preparing to apply for the “retirement visa” (the 90-days Non-Imm-O Retirement Visa) in Australia.

You enter Thailand on the “retirement visa”, Immigration will stamp a 90-days stay permit into your passport, and the visa itself will become invalid.

*** Up from 30 days before the expiry of the 90-days stay permit, you are going to apply for the “1-year Extension of the Stay Permit Based on Reason Retirement”.

The 1-year extended stay permit is not the retirement visa. It simply is a stay permit, not a visa.

Get an agent have no stress quick and easy

1. Get the non-O in Australia.

2. Come to Thailand.

3. Get a SIM plan.

4. Open the bank account.

5. Transfer the monney.

6. Extend the non-O visa for 1 year "based on retirement".

What is the average cost for an agent to do? Im leaving Australia in 2 months

I have my THB in a bank “Fixed Deposit Account”, which matures quarterly. This Bank has got other fixed time periods, but all of the fixed deposit accounts have higher interest than the normal bank accounts. What was around 800K Aug last year is over 950K now.

Shop around

you get non o visa retirement in Austalia. And arrive in Thailand with this stamp. And, open a thai bank account, and put 800K THB or more in that account.. And wait for 2 months at least. And go to immigration office to extend one year. That is the normal route of doing this extension. But if you use an agent, you already have non o visa from Australia. Agent service include opening bank account? or you do it by yourself? only agent does your extension with your bank letter etc for 800K thb? you must decide on which service from Agent first.

I heard that when you get the12 month extension and wait 3 months you can withdraw 400k and maintain the 400 left for your next extension i saw that when i asked the question on google ,can anyone confirm that?

Pinned to my passport by immigration.

I at first went through the doing it myself process and found whilst it was doable it was a lot of screwing around with Immigration and the banks. Employed an agent for a relatively small fee and they did the lot in a matter of a couple of days. If you are happy to sit and queue at the bank and immigration it’s not hard but for me a simple painless solution of an agent ended up being the way to go

If you can afford it the simplest thing is open the account deposit the funds and forget about it. Do not use that account for any spending. That way the money is there each year and there is no risk of forgetting to top up or move it back. We are talking roughly 35K AUD . In no risk bank interest (assuming you would not invest elsewhere and risk losing it) in Australia you will struggle to get more than 5% interest, so about $144 per month. If you have it in Australia for 8 months a year that's $1152 in interest. Let's say you lose at least the $52 in currency conversion and fees moving it to Australia and back to Thailand and make it an even $1100. In reality with fluctuations in the Baht that could be much worse. So really it's up to you if that $2200 for a couple makes a huge difference to your finances then yeah move it around, however for peace of mind, that you will meet immigration requirements each year, it is far easier to just let it sit and stew if you can.

My Visa agent arranged for opening the bank account at which time I transferred the B800k with the full intention of letting it sit. I top off another B100k now and then and use the account for paying expenses but never let it dip below the B800k. So I miss out on some interest in having that money in my home country; it's not big money and I make up for it in my investments. I just consider it one of the expenses of relocation. I think it's a much better plan depositing once versus hoping a monthly transfer happens without fail 12 times.

Once you have the non O visa, a phone sim with your passport number attached, you can open bank account and deposit the 800,000 baht, (with notification it was deposited from an overseas account), then get immigration to stamp your passport for a year stay after the money has been in the bank for 2 months. Don’t understand why you need to pay an agent, pretty straightforward process, and if you need advice go to immigration or ask on a site like this.

i just leave the 800k in the bank and not touch it. phang nga want to see it in the account 3 months prior and 3 months post and not in a bond account. so i get around 4500 baht per year interest but i know i wont have issues with any rule changes that the immigration officer decides as each office seems to have requirements that are different and not follow the official rules.

You come here on the non 0 visa , then apply for extension , and then open the bank account etc .