Is it difficult to change from a METV to a work permit visa in Thailand while considering a retirement visa?

HK consulate must be an interesting visit..!

I was thinking something to do with Boi but then?,

"pull" is not a dispariging remark - it is just an American English slang usage for - getting or obtaining something

Dario - after reading your comments it seems you confuse what is posted as text narrative on a Thai Embassy website as to be a valid interpretation of Thai law and immigration police orders Re: retirement. Embassies and Consulates versus Thai Immigration are two different divisions of government and unfortunately what is sometimes posted on Thai Embassy website to be factually incorrect renderings of Thai Immigration police orders. Sad to say they are often just wrong

and this highlights the problem of people posting other questions in an existing thread rather than asking their question in their own post. :/

Dario - some of my comments are meant for the lady on the thread who interjected questions in your thread. Thus the information about the lease.

Dario, I dunno what visa you're tryin' to pull in Hong Kong, but good luck.

You are confusing what is required to get a Non-O visa from a thai consulate (which are all run by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and the requirements to get a yearly extension of stay based on being over 50 at the thai immigration office inside the country because the immigration offices are run by a division of the Royal Thai Police.

That you hold dual nationality or are forming companies is meaningless as far as getting a visa from a consulate OR getting an extension of stay at the immigration office.

Everyone has the option of either using 800K banked in a thai bank account in their name only for the requisite seasoning period, OR using a letter from their consulate stating they get 65 K baht a month in income OR a combination of banked money and income that is 800K baht a year or more.

If you're using banked money to get the extension of stay inside the country, you'll need a letter from the bank and you'll need to update the bank book on the day you apply for the extension of stay (to show the money is still in the account) AND you'll need to have it seasoned the requisite amount of time in the account (60 days the first yearly extension and 3 months for subsequent extensions of stays).

Once again, I wish you good luck in what ever it is you're tryin' to do.

If you go to a Non Imm O 90 day visa, then get an Extension of Stay (Over age 50 / Retirement) - it is not too difficult as has been said.

However, if later you decide to get a B Visa and Work Permit it complicates the issue. When Applying for a B Visa and WP from the status of Extension of Stay Retirement a person has to use the WP.3 Application process which requires the applicant to have to leave Thailand to complete it. Since the B Visa and WP are intertwined this time out of Thailand to process the WP.3 Application can mean 7 to 14 days out if Thailand.

You would need a Non-B visa and a work permit to work in thailand. No labor office I can think of will issue a work permit while you are on an extension of stay based on being over 50 (retirement).

It is not the hassle you think to go from a tourist visa to first a 90 day Non-O and then a yearly extension of stay. It just takes three trips to immigration's and meeting the requirements.