Can some one kindly advise the best steps to follow to apply for a retirement visa in Thailand please
I'm currently on vacation here and wish to move to Jomtien for the first year, I am from New Zealand.
I intend to rent a condo for first year then go from there ๐
If possible best actions and any pit holes to look for thanks.
All replies gratefully received.
170
views
1
likes
3
all likes
1
replies
0
images
2
users
TLDR : Answer Summary
To apply for a retirement visa in Thailand as a New Zealand citizen, start by ensuring you can demonstrate the required 800,000 Thai baht in a Thai bank account. Since you are currently on vacation, obtaining a bank account may be challenging, so consider using an agent to assist you, as the costs for setting up accounts have risen recently. Alternatively, you might travel to a nearby country to apply for the visa at a Thai embassy. This can facilitate opening a bank account in Thailand upon your return. After obtaining your bank account, you can either handle the visa application yourself or have the agent assist with it.
NON-O RETIREMENT VISA RESOURCES / SERVICES
Go to the Retirement Visa Section for information on requirements, including age restrictions, financial requirements, and necessary documentation.
For immediate assistance, contact Thai Visa Centre directly via LINE at @ThaiVisaCentre or Email them.
Explore recent discussions by using the Non-O Retirement Visa tag in the search box at the top of the page.
You're not going to be able to get a bank account if you're here as a tourist, so that's going to be your biggest problem. The first thing you need to start the process is a bank account, because you have to show 800,000 Thai baht in a Thai bank account in order to apply for the retirement visa.
You will likely have to use an agent in order to get your bank account, but due to various government crackdowns on illicit activity, it's become increasingly more difficult and expensive to get a bank account. In just the last few weeks the price of a bank account through an agent has gone from 5-6,000 baht to 12-15,000 baht.
Once you find an agent, you can decide to either just get the bank account from them, and then do the rest yourself with immigration, or you can decide to pay them more money to do the rest of the process in obtaining your visa as well.
One alternative you have is to go to a nearby country to Thailand and apply for the retirement visa through the Thai embassy there. Then you would have the non-O visa and could use that to help you open a bank account when you returned to Thailand. That would then allow you to do the entire process yourself.
Reply to
Brandon ************
Reply
Thai Visa Advice and Everything Else
... members ยท 60% approval rate
The Thai Visa Advice And Everything Else group allows for a broad range of discussions on life in Thailand, beyond just visa inquiries.