Should I hire an agent or attorney for relocation to Hua Hin and visa processing?

Get your long term visas(Non imm o) in the US before you arrive, then you won't need an agent.

"Meta AI"? That explains the overly wordy post. I could have asked the same things in half as many words. A.I is still struggling to sound like a normal human. LOL

Hua Hin have a great immigration office. You can get the information you need from this group and then get the visa extensions at Hua Hin.

The easiest way to go is apply for a Non Immigrant O visas in your home country this will require that you can both show the equivalent of 800k each in your own bank account. Once you come to Thailand you open a bank account and if you can maintain that 800k each in your Thai bank account in the first 15 months of stay the Non O route is the best way to go. Note you can let the balances to drop to 400k each during that period but if your mindset is we need to leave the money in the bank that is the best way.

In Hua Hin the best bank to use for your visa requirement is Bangkok Bank. They have two excellent branches that I have personally used. One in Blueport Shopping Mall and the other just outside Market Village Shopping Mall. Both will provide you with any financial documents you need for your visa. Other banks can also provide you with the correct documents but not as efficiently as Bangkok Bank. I personally have accounts with 4 other banks and my experience is that Bangkok Bank is the best in Hua Hin.

Beyond the first extension. You will of had your original Non Immigrant O and extended for one year by then. Depending on you income you can reduce or eliminate the lump sum needed in the bank. If your income is over 130k Baht you can both use the income method for your future extensions. If your monthly income is above 65k you can use the income method for one of you and maintain 800k for the others extension in a Thai bank.

There is other visa types but Non Immigrant O is most straightforward. Others have mentioned the Non Immigrant OA. This is an option if you are going to to get health insurance and maintain it,. If you are a high net worth couple then there is a 10 year Long Term Resident visa you can apply for.

I have given you a high level overview. There are more details to each of the visa types which you can get from this group. As for hiring an agent there is no need to do that but if you really don't want to be bothered with applying for a visa extension once a year then choose your agent very very carefully. A bad agent (plenty around) is worse than no agent at all. I personally couldn't recommend any of the agents in Hua Hin as I have never personally used them.

Look the

@LTR **************************

to see if you qualify. There is no bank account or deposit requirement.

In my mind your assessment is correct. I arrived into Thailand and then handled everything here with an agent. Got all the necessary paperwork and bank account opening and a nice visa stamp completed in under a day with no stress. I came to retire, not to generate extra work and I get no amusement in learning the intricacies of immigration. So an agent was perfect for me. Others have different opinions.... and more free time!

So easy to do your visa yourself if you are organized and meet all the financial requirements it’s not hard at all, no need to pay an agent to do it for you.

Your assessment is not accurate. You don’t need an agent or an attorney. My Thai wife who only went to school to the 4th grade in the Thailand countryside did it all for me. I’m fairly intelligent, but my wife is smarter than me. Simply apply for your visa online before departing the US. One for you and one for your wife.

Follow the step by step process at

Website of Thailand Electronic Visa

Open a bank account in Thailand and deposit 800k THB. One for you only and one for your wife only. Avoid Bangkok Bank.

We live in Thailand mid-October until the end of April each year. Retired.

Enjoy Hua Hin.

Need a Non O Visa and proof of residency,

Meta AI didn’t include your ages, tell me again why AI is so great or just edit yourself.

You can apply for the Non OA (not Non O) retirement visa in your home country and that allows you to use the balance in your country's bank as proof of funds (not Thai bank). Once you have that visa, come to Thailand and then open the bank account with the long term visa and no worries of time frame. Check with the Thai Embassy in the US for the requirements. It will give you 1+1 year stay. You have plenty of time to get yourself sorted on this Visa route.

No need for an agent or attorney Do as

@Lynnette ******

suggested and you’ll be fine. It’s not complicated if you have the required funds (800K THB)

All you need is to get your visa sorted before you leave USA. Enter Thailand. Open your bank account. Deposit the money. Then apply for the 12 month extension. No need for an agent.

Richard Spencer . . .this could get hairy . . . . most embassies have discontinued issuing a "trailing spouse" Non-Imm-O Visa, so you will most probably need to apply for the "retirement visa" and the subsequent extension each one by yourself, and supply the financial requirements each by yourself, too. . . . . . . In case you don't have the required funds of 2 x 800,000 THB and need an agent to get you through the process of opening a bank account for both of you (!), getting the 90-days Non-Imm-O Retirement visa for both of you (!) and getting the 12-months extension of the stay permit based on retirement for you - then you should be prepared to pay an agent a minimum of 55,000 THB, each of you. That's the price a well known visa agent in Bangkok is asking for. It could even be higher in Hua Hin .. . . . . . . . IF you have the required funds, then do everything by yourself, you don't need the agent. But make sure you arrive - both of you - on a 90-days Non-Imm-O Retirement Visa. Only on this visa type, you can get a Thai bank account opened.

Just apply for your non-o visa before you come then you can open a bank account get the funds transferred