What are the steps to obtain a retirement visa and open a bank account in Thailand?

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I arrived in Thailand again in September 2025 with a one way ticket from Europe.

I had a Non Immigrant Type ( 0 ) process in the London Thai Embassy web site online. Give yourself weeks to apply for this you need proof of money 💰 like bank statements etc

With this type of Visa no need for Thai Health Insurance with the 800k Bth deposit or Minimum 65k per month deposit.

After satisfying my financial details and other information I received my 90 day ( E- Visa )

Which I show at the Airline check in desk on boarding the plane.

When arriving in Bangkok Airport Immigration desk I just show my passport & ( E- Visa ) on my phone in emails. No problems

Once you get here to Thailand if you don’t have a Thai Bank Account already you need to get a lease on a property or if you own your own the house book and passport & E-Visa or in some cases a T30 from your accommodation place might do.

Take to immigration office and tell them you want residency permit to open a Thai Bank Account. Go to the Bank with all this paperwork and hopefully open a Thai bank account for this as soon as possible.

I would suggest open two accounts. One to deposit the 800k Bth in a fixed term account if you don’t need the money.

For your extension of stay visa ( retirement visa )

Requirement

The other as you daily current account.

After minimum of 45 days go back to your Thai Bank if you already had account

If it’s a New Account it will be minimum 60 days ( 2 ) months to season the 800k Bth

Then and get a letter from your bank for the 800k and also photos copies of the current account monthly transactions

On the same day take this paperwork along with two passport photos and passport photo copies. Photo copies of ( E-Visa ) letter of residence or house book to the Thai Immigration office and fill out the forms supplied.

The staff at the main Hua Hin Immigration office are very helpful and speak English very good. If you need any more photo copies or passport photos there is an office behind in the car park that can assist you for low cost.

I would suggest getting a multi entry visa save you a lot of trouble if you need to leave the country and return in the next 12 months. Total cost 12 month extension Visa ( Retirement Visa ) and multi entry around 5,600Bth

Lodge your application with passport etc

If you decide you want to go down the route of monthly deposit 65,000Bth instead of the 800,000Bth deposit you will first need to season the 800k for the first 12 months period then with 65,000Bth coming into your Thai Bank account during that 12 month period you will be able to prove this with evidence from your Thai Bank

This is of course that you have to open for the first 12 month Extension of Visa ( Retirement Visa ) the 800,000Bth for 12 months.

If your approved on the second year the 65,000Bth 12 months deposit you can then remove the 800,000Bth from your account if you want to at any time.

Only here to help this was my experience and opinion

Don’t forget Thai rules change all the time so check the latest updates on the Thai Government Immigration web site

If you wish to pay a agent to sort it out for you it’s your choice but just remember if your not using your own money 800k Baht deposited in your Thai Bank account

in 12 months time you be going back to use the agent again to pay more money for the next 12 month extension of your retirement Visa and ever year after that.

Only my opinion and experience don’t shoot the messenger.

No commission been paid or ask for HaHa

But a nice cold beer would be ok 😜

Good Luck 🤞

Cheers Irish 🇮🇪 Paul

Or get the visa before you get to Thailand. Won’t help you but may help others.

Go to Cambodia 🇰🇭 much easier and cheaper

In bkk and Pattaya for 14 years, Bkk bank freezes your money, bkk bank pays no interest!!! So locked in for 2 month prior to visa plus 3 month after visa, 5 month in total, then cannot drop below 400,000 balance, then the cycle starts again for the next visa.

Get a visa ffs not rocket 🚀science

Your driving licence and passport is sufficient at kasikorn central festival branch

You basically only have the choice of applying from outside the country now for a 90 day visa using your home back account.

You then enter Thailand and go to the banks with your 90 day retirement visa to open an account.

You then transfer your money as quick as you can so you can apply for a years extension in country.

Unless you already have a Thai account you basically cant apply for the initial 90 day visa in Thailand anymore.

See an agent, you can thank me later

If you have all the paper work , required you need to get the 90 day e-visa from your home country, as your In thailand now , I don't know but maybe as it's application online you maybe able to apply for it online from where you are now . Once you got the 90 day e- visa then you should be able to open bank account, but that took me 11 banks to open a Bank account with me even having that 90 day E visa , they don't make it easy. If you got no money worrys got for a more expensive visa .

F

I recommend you speak to an agent. They will be able to advise and help you

Yep, lol this is Thailand

TIT

Get visa in home Country first

Just went to 2 kbanks , they are not interested in a 90 day visa to open a bank account, want a 1year visa now.

Got mine done in Soi 6 Bart for everything bank account phone number 12 months residents and they put 0 Bart in my account to open it

If you are cashed up you can use a visa agent in Thailand but it's going to cost you $$$

If in doubt use an agent

Most Thai banks will NOT open an account for someone that does NOT have a proper address and/or has less than a week remaining on their Day Visa Exemption stamp.

You NEED a Certificate of Residence from Immigration to open an account (normally - assuming you aren't using a shady agent).

As well - from MY experience - they will NOT open an account and grant "internet banking" to anyone without a actual Visa of some kind.

I had to have an Extension (1 year) of my Non-O Visa before Bangkok Bank would let me use their iBank system.

But a friend of mine who was on a Double-Entry Tourist Visa was given access a couple years ago (same bank, different branch).

And if YOU tried the old scam of trying to open a Chequing Acct - forget it. They only open chequing accounts (or issue credit cards) to people with WORK Visas and WORK Permits.

Yeah, they are well aware what people in flip-flops, stained shorts and filthy "wife beater" t-shirts are trying to do when they ask to open a Chequing account and try to give the bank clerk 100 baht to deposit into the account a week before their 30 Day (back then) Visa Exemption stamp expires.

Used to be a lot of foreigners would try that and then go onto the forums and whine that (insert bank here) was prejudiced against (insert your nationality here) because they wouldn't open an account for them.

And when you ask them what type of account they were trying to open - "the sounds of silence, broken only by a lone tumbleweed rolling past".

Because they won't admit what they were trying to do.

And MOST of the advice from the "old days" was - if you get turned down at one branch - simply go to a different branch - or different bank.

As each of them may have slightly different policies regarding opening accounts for foreigners.

As well - try going to a large branch in a touristy area - or a branch office inside a large shopping mall.

Because those branches are more likely to have more dealings with foreigners - and more staff that speak "your" language.

To make it clear....there is no 'retirement visa" you have to meet the thai low. Either 800.000 baht firm on a bank account or proof an income of at least 65.000 baht per month from abroad confirmed by a thai bank. With this confirmation you can get a 1 year visa without border runs only reporting to the thai immigration every 90 days. After 1 year you must apply again for a 1 year visa.

There's no such thing as a retirement visa. You need to get a visit e (Non-O, or similar) in your country (it another country) then come to Thailand, open a bank account, then file for a retirement extension of your visa. Or marriage extension, if appropriate.

Get an agent to assist you.. you cannot simply walk into a Thai bank and open an account without the correct Visa.. 🤦‍♂️

You need non o visa

Have to have a thai address, go to immigration they will give u a letter to go to bank and open account

Take a agent

Set up a consultation with a Visa agent and they will lay out a complete course of action. Will save you a ton of time and stress. Well worth the cost which is quite reasonable. Check with the moderator of this forum.

I came to Thailand on a tourist visa and applied for a bank account after getting the visa while in Thailand. So you do not have to leave Thailand to open a bank account. But in order to open a Thai bank account you have to have a Non-O visa.you will also have to do a 90 day report unless you become a citizen of Thailand. I hear it is very difficult to do that. So do not leave Thailand. Just wait for the agent to give you the visa. Then ask them to help you open up a bank account.

Get a agent

If you have deep pockets it can be done here

Contact Thai Visa Centre for details & pricing

@https://www.facebook.com/shar*****************************

Korrekt way,make a non O Entree Visa in Your Homland den Your Steh 3 Monts aend Open a Account and the Yaer Visa.

Bruce, look on You Tube , search Moving to Thailand and look for videos by Cal. He does videos on what is the best visas!

I am sure it's been said a 1000 times, but what my understanding is. You cannot open the bank on a short-term visa. Like the free sixty days or visa on arrival i opened a bank account quite easily at bangkok bank with a ninety day o visa. To then be able to get myself the married extension to live here for the year. Some people say to avoid the bank because it freezes your money. But, to be fair, I appreciate that. Because if I want to live here, I need to guarantee. I've got the money in the bank

Where if it's touchable, you can easily want to use it in the hope that you will put it back before the due date.But lots of people i've seen had unforeseen circumstances where they could not put the money back in in time. And then fail the visa.

I get interest on it.

And it's better than paying up monthly for a funeral plan so the money can be released to my younger wife when I die

How I see it and plan it some people might call it a safety net,Nest. But I've seen so many people complaining that they've not been given a visa because the funds was not in long enough. I do not want to make that mistake after investing. So much in building a house

So that's the way i've done it

you can contact an agent, they can assist with things like the account, if you have the funds to transfer the cost will be less. prices vary, so ask around

Leave Thailand to a nearby country and apply for the 90 day Non-O visa via the evisa website selecting the consulate for your location while you are there, you can use funds in your home bank. Return to Thailand, get the receipt showing a TM30 was filed by the person responsible for where you stay and go to immigration for a residence certificate, a mobile provider to get a Thai SIM registered against your passport then go to a bank and open an account.

Its normal practice now a day. To get a 90 non o while still in your homecountry. You then travel here. Open the account and have time for seasoning.

You're supposed to get a visa before you travel to a country. That's how visas work.

A long term visa is required to open a Thai bank account. Tourists are not eligible. You're currently a tourist.

You need to leave Thailand and go to another country and apply for a non-O visa from the Thai embassy in that country. Laos and Vietnam are popular options.

Once you return and enter with that visa, then you should be able to open a Thai bank account. That's how it's meant to be done.