What are the requirements for obtaining a retirement visa in Thailand and do I need to pay an agent for the process?

Hi Jo.I am a New Zealander who has gone through the process twice.Feel free to send me a personal message. There is an on line option now where you can use funds in NZ with no need to transfer to Thailand. Can only be applied for in NZ. There are post arrival complexities however.

@Jo ********

I query some of the comments and advice you are being given, that is why you are best to go through an agent so you will get the correct advice first time.

@Jo ********

nobody has mentioned in their comments, so just in case you're not aware, each person needs to have a Thai bank account in their own name, not joint names and both need to have the required proof of funds for the Visas, so 800k Baht each.

Why are you using an agent if you have the 800K

Waste of money

Why all the hassle with a different visa first? If you already know you want to stay and use non-o, why not get it before you leave?

You don't need health insurance just a return ticket just get one from scoot it's cheap just to any country Singapore or laos

I recently paid 45K Baht. The first visa is for 15 month. The agent took care of the bank deposit and account. Bangkok Bank is insisting on purchasing 1 year accident insurance with the account. Make sure you have a minimum of 30 days on your visa for opening the account.

I did mine in my own.

It's a slow process but not difficult. Immigration in Chiang Mai easy to work with.

Had friends who used agents and tgen had ti keep using them....expensive in the long term.

Couple of alternatives to paying an agent to do the whole process (which isn’t very difficult). 1. Get an O visa before leaving NZ then when you get here you won’t need an agent to open an account for you. Transfer funds then go to your local immigration office, they will give you a list of required docs for applying for your extension of stay. Get them together and go apply. 2. Alternatively arrive visa exempt, use an agent to open bank account, then you can start the process of applying for the O visa yourself. Does involve a bit more running around but will save you on cost of visa in NZ (since it went from $120 to $800 last March!). You’re going to be paying considerably more to use an agent for the entire process but it’s your choice.

Maybe easier to get non o visa for 90 days then apply for retirement visa in thailand you can either have a month deposit into account or have 0 in bank

You can't use the income method in first year. ( Or does your embassy give the affidavit?) Surely you've chosen an agent who has told you what you're paying them to do.

Perhaps you need all this information from the agent. They need to give you clear detailed explanation of what they are doing for you. Are they providing the 800k? Are they opening bank account for you? Are you using own 800k money? What exactly is the agent doing for you?