What are the costs and processes involved in using an agent for retirement visa requirements in Thailand?

@Pete ******

he does this when he runs out of steam

It’s like trying to reason with a grumpy 3 year old

@Eddie ***

yep it's getting ridiculous for something so simple 👍

@Stan *****

you can use either one for the embassy as long as you can show the proof. But in Thailand you'll only be about to use the 800,000 for the first year

@Brandon ***********

perfect thanks.

@Stan *****

to be fair you only get stuck with an agent if you use them to cheat the system and fake the 800,000 on your account. If you just use them to help with the paperwork, get you a place in line at immigration etc then you aren’t stuck with them. And no it doesn’t have to be a pension. Theoretically if your embassy certified pensions etc you can use that method but the us does not. So it’s show your 3 months of adequate bank statements, get evisa. Enter Thailand. Open bank account quickly. Transfer at least 800,000 baht. Let it sit for 2 months. Then apply for 1 year extension. You can let it drop to 400,000 after several months but never below that. Must be 800,000 again 2 months before re extension or… for the 2nd year you can do monthly transfers of 65,000 from overseas into your account.

I got my own visa and have extended it in two different provinces several times. I opened my own bank account. I also got married, bought a house, got the yellow book and ID card. I also obtained my 2 and subsequent 5 year driving licence and bought a car. All of these things I did WITHOUT using an agent. The visa and extension is one of the easiest things to do (the extension is one A4 form with about 15 questions (name, address, passport number, date arrived in Thailand etc). If I am unsure how to do things I ask immigration or online here where there are some brilliantly knowledgeable and helpful people like the moderators. You quickly learn to ignore or block the idiots telling you false information or to use agents.

@Jim ******

my 85 year old parents did this 6 months ago all by themselves

And they knew where immigration was cos they looked it up just like they did for learning about the requirements for extension based on retirement

Google is amazing

Feel free to contact them 🤣🤣🍆

@Jim ******

you’re initial comments about not being able to get a visa or bank account without an agent are completely inaccurate

As far as your costs with money transfers they will not apply to everyone as we all use different banks methods currencies etc

Al

@Anna ********

No, you are not. It all goes through the Kasikorn bank, even those mickeymouse transfer outfits.

When I paid for my eVisa, there was a note, can not remember the exact wording, it was something like "Thai government has authorised Kasikorn bank to handle all transatcions".

Who do you think is policing sanctioned countries and individuals?

It is all SWIFT, whether you see it or not. If the transfer company does not hit you with transfer fee, the receiving bank will, with end point exchange rate.

Those that may be cheaper, they rent the bandwidth at lower rates off peak times, to the receiving banks. You can see throughout the blogosphere that sending money via Wise takes anything between few seconds and 4 days to arrive.

@Jim ******

that rant (another one) makes no sense to me and as is so often the case has absolutely nothing to do with the OP’s question

@Glen *******

Agreed; we all have different perspectives and priorities.

@Glen *******

How you get big interest from 400k baht?

@Marc *******

0 baht

@Glen *******

but you can use 0 baht of it during the year. So you don't need to have 0 bath on the account for the whole year. Therefor only 0 is blocked for full year.

0 is only blocked for 3 months per year.

@Marc *******

wrong. 800,000 THB are blocked for FIVE months per year (2 months before day of application to the extension, and 3 months after being issued the extension)

@Andreas ********

yes ok 5 months then. That's still 7 months you can only calculate with 0 being blocked and you cannot calculate with interest of the 0 you could have made somewhere else

@Marc *******

🤷ye go for it then 👍

@Glen *******

sure and that’s part of why accounts are getting shut down etc. you are locked to that agent and anything they may decide to charge you because you’ve broken the rules and faked your adherence to the requirements for your visa.

@Kim *********

your not locked at all,there's ways round all situations 👍

@Glen *******

I will

@Glen *******

what happened in the first place seems down to people not fulfilling the terms required for getting a visa and an extension of stay, together with the involvement of agents, some Immigration officials and some bank employees, in circumventing the rules.

@Donald *********

well,I'd still rather keep my money invested,making more than the agent fees,and knowing it's safer in a bank of my choice...but each to there own 🤷

@Glen *******

and there you have it. Blame the Thai’s for changing the rules.

@Jim ******

so what visa are you on in Thailand? Why did you find it so hard to get a Thai SIM registered to your name and passport?

@Lynnette ******

Actually it is not hard. but someone can make it harder. they can do this. Whoever can do this. especially to foreigners. We do not know why. but why is not important in that case. Just follow or give up. only two options we have. For example, in my case before, an officer asked me my bank statements from other country. no problem. I got it and showed it. the officer refused. The reason? because the bank statement of my bank is not the right form they need. My bank is one of biggest bank in that country. And all banks in the world followed international standards. The form of the bank statement is not right, so they denied. I asked my bank if they can change the form of the bank statement. My bank said what????? so stupid question I had. Then, I just gave up. 😂banks or any government officers who have over power can make someones case harder. This is really true. I believed there is one rule that works everywhere. But it is not. Sometimes, someone can make things harder or mostly not possible. this is the fact I know and must accept. No one knows.

@Lynnette ******

I am on non-O extension that is valid until September 30. 2026.

It may not be hard to get Thai SIM, still have to do it, maybe Monday 10. November. We have 3 iPhones, mine is iPhone 16 that has no hardware SIM to insert into the handset. I do not want to carry 2 phones (we live in Japan half a year). If there is no other way, OK, 2 handsets, one for Japan, one for Thai.

I do not care about mobile Apps, as long as I can see my bank account over the net. It is them (the banks) that insist on it.

My wife has a BBK Bank account since year 2000, their web site is good, always good, we need nothing more than that.

@Jim ******

why would you need to have two phones? You can run two active esims. I run a us and a Thai esim. I got a Thai phone number post pay with my passport when I got there. No need to show a local bank account or anything else to get the number.

No, no, no. The same iPhone 16 (from Japan) got an eSIM card from AIS Thai, I can switch from Japan and Thai.

AIS gave me a document that my Thai SIM is in my name and my passport, no mickey mouse prepaid card or mobile number from the airport..

Important is, any Thai bank will ask for it. That is to open another bank account, with Kasikorn bank.

@Jim ******

no need to carry 2 phones. New phones can have 6 esims installed with 2 operating at one time

@Jim ******

wrong, wrong ,wrong…..

I’ve got a non o visa… I’ve got a tourist sim …. I got a tm30….. I don’t need a C of R .

I’ve opened a bank account

I’ve been immigration and obtained my TM30

I’ve talked to immigration, I don’t need a C Of R to get a 12 month E of S

You don’t know what your talking about do u

@Anthony *******

troll.

@Jim ******

you are wrong. . . .on a 90-days Non-Imm visa type, one can definitely get a bank account opened. TM30 done, Thai Sim-card, certificate of residence or rental contract, is all you need. Some bank staff is too stupid to help you, then you just use an agent to help you with opening a bank account. An agent service for the account opening can be had for 5000 THB.

@Jim ******

where did you read "walk in the park"? Thai sim is not difficult. Took me about 20 mins. Your anger that someone says it can be done without agent is very strange.

Thai SIM has to go into the existing or new phone. From iPhone 16 there is no hardware SIM, only eSIM. Even if there is a way around it, the SIM has to be registered in the very name of the person and proof of that issued by the mobile provider (say, AIS). Paid by some plan, where from if there is no Thai bank account opened yet? AIS might accept monthly payments.

Then, with the bank, TM30 in print, Cerificate of residence (mine took a week to be ready, had to go again to Immigration to get it), then to the bank (not gone yet, this will be my 2nd Thai bank account).

@Jim ******

just a minor correction iPhone 14,15s and 16s in the US have eSIM only. FYI just in case someone from the US doesn’t run out and buy a new phone.