What are the best visa options for staying in Thailand for one year with minimal hassle?

Paul it also depends on your age and what country you’re from. Because there’s other options.

Criteria for Consideration

Must have been granted a non-immigrant visa (NON-IM).

Must be 50 years of age or over.

Must have evidence of having income of no less than Baht 65,000 per month; or

On the filing date, the applicant must have account deposited (saving / fixed account) in a bank in Thailand of no less than

Baht 800,000 for the past three months. For the first year only, the applicant must have proof of a

deposit account in which said amount of funds has been maintained for no less than 60 days prior to

the filing date; or

Must have an annual earning and funds deposited with a bank totaling no less than Baht

800,000 as of the filing date.

An alien who entered the Kingdom before October 21, 1998 and has been consecutively

permitted to stay in the Kingdom for retirement shall be subject to the following criteria:(a) Must be 60 years of age or over and have an annual fixed income with funds maintained in

a bank account for the past three months of no less than Baht 200,000 or have a monthly income of

no less than Baht 20,000.(b) If less than 60 years of age but not less than 55 years of age, must have an annual fixed

income with funds maintained in a bank account for the past three months of no less than Baht

500,000 or have a monthly income of no less than Baht 50,000.

Documents to be submitted

Application form

Copy of applicant’s passport

Evidence of income such as a retirement pension, interest or dividends; and/or

Account deposited (saving / fixed account) certificate issued by a bank in Thailand and a copy of a bankbook

Only in the case of Criterion (6), the applicant must submit documents equivalent to Clauses 1-4

stated above.

Things you need to know about the Thai retirement visa:

Thailand retirement visa is the popular term for "Extension of Stay Based on Retirement”. It is an extension of a Non-Immigrant O Visa or Non-Immigrant OA Visa.

The visa can be valid either for a single entry or multiple entries.

This is a long term Thai visa that entitles the holder a stay of uninterrupted 1 year period in Thailand.

The visa is renewable every year and the renewal process can be done inside Thailand (requirements for the visa renewal still apply).

Qualifications

Applicant must be 50 years of age or over

Must meet any of the financial requirements:

Security deposit of THB 800,000 in a Thai bank account for 2 months prior to the visa application

Monthly Income of 65,000 THB

Combination of security deposit and annual income with a total of 800,000 THB

Supporting documents are as follows:

In case of security deposit, you will provide an updated bank book or passbook together with a bank letter stating that the money had been deposited to the account from an overseas source for not less than 2 months.

In case of income, a letter from your embassy in Thailand verifying your monthly income;

In case, your embassy does not issue an income letter, you will provide a 12-month bank statement showing a regular deposit of 65,000 baht into a Thai bank account.

Other documents that may be required to be presented:*

Police Clearance

Medical Certificate

Health Insurance

* These are not usually required if the visa application is submitted inside Thailand, though there are rare cases, however, when an official from the Thai embassy or consulate may ask for them before issuance of the visa.

Are you eligible for the STV visa? They've started issuing again. 90 days which can be extended twice x 90 days.

No need for fit to fly cert but with OA you need doctor to sign the health declaration re TB, syphilis etc.

Paul, there's 2 types of retirement visas, Non-O and Non-OA.

The Non-O can be gotten outside of Thailand or inside thailand and is 90 days, but you can extend it inside the country for 1 year, however you need 800,000 baht in a thai bank account for 60 days before you apply for that extension. There is no background check or health insurance required for it (besides the current covid entry requirements).

Then Non-OA is a 1 year visa that you can ONLY apply for in your home country. You cannot apply for it in thailand. The Non-OA does not require money in a Thai bank account, but is does require specific health insurance.