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What do I need to apply for a bank account and retirement visa in Thailand?

Non-Immigrant O VisaThai Bank AccountRetirement Visa90 Day ReportingVisa Application ProcessExpat Banking in Thailand
Oct 9, 2025
a month ago
Mark *******
ORIGINAL POSTER
Chicken or egg

It reads to get a bank account you need a retirement visa, but to get a visa, you need a bank account.

What do you apply for first.

And if you’re out of the country for more than 90 days, is your visa revoked as you can’t check in with immigration?
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TLDR : Answer Summary
The conversation centers on the confusion surrounding the prerequisites for obtaining a Thai retirement visa and opening a bank account. The key points discussed include that one must apply for the Non-Immigrant O visa before entering Thailand, preferably while in their home country. It's clarified that a Thai bank account is required if one is applying for a visa within Thailand, and that the requirement for a bank account can be circumvented by securing the initial visa before arrival. Additionally, it addresses the misconception about visa revocation when leaving the country, stating that a visa is not revoked for absence. Understanding these processes correctly is crucial for expats planning to retire in Thailand.
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Marty ******
a month ago
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Marty ******
Cart before buffalo logic in thailand m8
a month ago
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Lynnette *******
@Marty *****
 it is simple, you get the visa before arriving. Open bank account. Get extension based on retirement for 12 minths
a month ago
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Reply to
Lynnette *******
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THAI ******************************
To apply in Thailand for a non-o you do indeed need a Thai bank account.

If you are having trouble opening one we offer assistance even if you are on a exempt entry or tourist visa.

LINE:
**********************


But if you are in your home country you can obtain your initial non-o without a Thai bank account.
a month ago
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Jon *****
Don't get sucked in. This seems to be the buzz phrase. It's not difficult at all, if you enter Thailand with the correct Visa and take the time to find out requirements. You might want to look into getting a Non immigrant O Visa before you leave your country.
a month ago
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Peter ***********
It’s not difficult to understand. It says to apply “in Thailand”. Of course you need a bank account here. They can not assess your account overseas. If your bank account is overseas then you apply there. Once you have a visa you can apply for bank account. If your visa lapses you can apply again in Thailand because you already have a bank account.
a month ago
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Dany ********
@Peter **********
 multiple ways of obtaining the non-o… one is inside thailand with a thai account. the other is via eVisa website and your home countries bank account.
a month ago
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Greg ***********
@Peter **********
 the text WRONGLY says "apply in Thailand", and then it continues to list the requirements for a Non-O/A visa. This f....g text implies that you can apply for a Non-O/A visa inside Thailand. This is NOT possible. We need to IGNORE this stupid text the OP posted
a month ago
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Greg ***********
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Greg ***********
Mark Grigg . . this INOFFICIAL text you posted is complete and utter bollocks. . . . . You cannot apply for a Non-O/A visa inside Thailand . . . Anyways you turn and twist it: You picked the wrong visa on this shitty list. . . . THROW IT AWAY! First of all, you should apply for the Non-Imm-O retirement/over 50 visa through the E-Visa online system of the Royal Thai Embassy London, and not for the Non-Imm-O/A visa!
a month ago
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Eric ********
@Greg **********
 oa is possible in Thailand
a month ago
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Greg ***********
@Eric *******
 NO! You cannot apply for a 365-days Non-Imm-O/A visa inside Thailand. You can only apply for it in your home country i.e. the country of your residence . . That's why I wrote the posted text sucks because it is misleading readers (it is not an official text!)
a month ago
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Eric ********
@Greg **********
 Applicant may submit their application at the Royal Thai embassy or Royal Thai Consulate-General in their home/residence country or at the Office of the Immigration Bureau in Thailand located onGovernment Center B, Chaengwattana Soi 7, Laksi, Bangkok
*****
, Tel 0-2141-9889.
a month ago
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Eric ********
@Greg **********
**********************************************************************************
a month ago
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Eric ********
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Ken *******
@Greg **********
 Im applying retirement visa now in Thailand, using an Agent. I have
*****
0baht in k bank as required no probs so far
a month ago
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Dany ********
@Greg **********
 you can get the non-o inside thailand but you would need to have the bank account already. it depends on the immigration office if they do it. but there is official change of visa type forms. and i know plenty of people that did it this way. 100% legit.
a month ago
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David ******************
@Dany *******
 100% legit sounds so 100% dodgy.
a month ago
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Dany ********
@David *****************
 its not dodgy. its a standard process.
a month ago
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Dany ********
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Greg ***********
@Dany *******
 why are you telling me this, I know the "change of visa type" process since many many years and actually recommend it to many people in my visa advice group . . . . . And then came the new banking rules by February this year - the change in bank policies towards people who arrived on tourist visas. This change left a big dent in the processing, because from then on the "change of visa type" would only be possible if you already had a Thai bank account. CATCH22 . .
a month ago
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Greg ***********
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David *******
You get a non-immigrant visa before you arrive. You can open a bank account on this
a month ago
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Steve *********
@David ******
 was the case. You try now.
a month ago
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Donald **********
@Steve ********
 I did with no problem.
a month ago
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David *******
@Steve ********
 That's how it's done. Banks won't open accounts on tourist visa, but non-immigrant is fine
a month ago
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Steve *********
@David ******
 Bkk bank won’t unfreeze my account without a yellow book ( I have no immigrant visa )
a month ago
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David *******
@Steve ********
 Why has your account been frozen?
a month ago
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David *******
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David **********
This is the kind of info that confuses people. You DO NOT need a Thai bank account to get the non-o retirement visa. The initial 90 day non-o gives you the time to open a Thai bank account. Also your screenshot is for the O-A. The O doesn't require insurance, background check, or a health certificate.

And NO, your visa is not revoked if you leave the country. You are confusing 90 day reporting which is required any time you are in the country for 90 days consecutively.
a month ago
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Stuart ***********
@Peter **********
 no, that's not a good idea as it's virtually impossible to open a bank account in Thailand without a long term visa. It is possible to get a non-O visa from outside Thailand and this is definitely the easiest way to do it, and avoids the need to use an agent. The other option is to get the non-OA, but most people seem to choose the non-O as there's no mandatory health insurance requirement.
a month ago
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Martin *********
@David *********
 can you get a non o visa if your already in Thailand
a month ago
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Stuart ***********
@Martin ********
 yes you can, but a Thai bank account will be required, and opening an account without a long term visa is virtually impossible these days. If you already have a Thai bank account it's not a problem. Most people find it much easier to get the non-O visa before coming to Thailand.
a month ago
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Stuart ***********
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Robert *****
@David *********
 you will need a multiple entry visa or apply for a reentry permit B4 you depart. Otherwise if you leave on a std single entry visa it will be void on departure, regardless of the length of stay remaining.
a month ago
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Peter ***********
@David *********
 and you confuse people also. You can only get an OA overseas. You apply for extension in country. Renewal after that remains on OA and not O. To convert OA to O the initial visa has to lapse and you apply afresh in country with your bank account. OA requires insurance. O does not.
a month ago
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Anna *********
@Peter **********
 you’re the one making it confusing 🤪
a month ago
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Peter ***********
@Anna ********
 if you are thick
a month ago
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Anna *********
@Peter **********
 again the only retort men come up with is an insult
a month ago
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Peter ***********
@Anna ********
 ah the misogyny card. Well done pettle.
a month ago
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Anna *********
@Peter **********
 did you mean ‘petal’ 🤣🤣
a month ago
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Peter ***********
@Anna ********
 hahahahahaaaaaa you rose again. So funny
a month ago
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Peter ***********
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David **********
@Peter **********
 I don't think there was anything confusing about my comment. 🤔
a month ago
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Dany ********
@Peter **********
 you apply for the non-o via eVisa service website from your home country… doing it inside of thailand via a visa change is NOT the standard way and some offices even refuse doint it.
a month ago
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Peter ***********
@Dany *******
 thats not the correct way to do it. If you apply without bank account and from outside you have all sorts of innecessary headaches later.
a month ago
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Peter ***********
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Stuart ***********
@Peter **********
 i think David's information is clear, but I am confused with yours. So to clarify, are you suggesting you can only apply for the non O visa inside Thailand?
a month ago
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Stuart ***********
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Steve ***************
@David *********
 correct
a month ago
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Steve ***************
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Paul ********
So from you profile you are a Brit?

So apply for a non o in England. Come to Thailand and apply for a bank account based on your going to get the extension and tell them your putting 800k in the bank. They might give you accident insurance for 6,000 baht. Take it then 2 or 3 month later you apply for extension based on money in the bank.

So 90 day reporting is if your here for 90 days in country.

Please check this as I did mine 9 years ago
a month ago
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Peter ****************
If you apply in y'r home country, you need the equivalent of 800,000฿ in y'r home bank account. The non imm. O-A visa, you ONLY can get in y'r home country.
a month ago
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Simon *******
I use an agent to pay the money into my account ,this allows me to leave my money in a higher interest account in another country ,the interest on £18,000 (800,000 baht) more than pays for the agents fees to sort my visa yes an agent is much more expensive but you money in Thailand won't earn you any interest, Financially its cheaper to use an agent
a month ago
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Incognia **********
@Simon ******
 but pound can lose value.Thai baht is not losing anything more than 15 years.Also giving you around 2 percent interest rate in one year.
a month ago
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Simon *******
@Incognia *********
 I think the pound has held its own over the last two years.
a month ago
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Simon *******
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Tim ******
@Simon ******
 It's unclear how long the immigration accepts this way.

If you want to stay long term in Thailand you shouldn't go the legal limbo way.
a month ago
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Werner **********
@Simon ******
 You have to invest your money in your name, right? Or can the agent open a blocked account where the $800,000 is deposited? And where do you invest your money instead? Feel free to PM me.
a month ago
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Simon *******
@Werner *********
 Sorry I am confused when you say invest in my name ,yes I invest my money in the UK in my name and the agent deposits their money into my account
a month ago
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Simon *******
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Peter *********
@Simon ******
 and this is one of the reasons Thailand is clamping down on bank accounts … you are ‘grey area’ obtaining a visa
a month ago
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Simon *******
@Peter ********
 bullshit if you have been reading and keeping up with what is really happening its about the 40 million laundering accounts the Bangkok bank had opened and was told to find them and close them don't come out with stupid comments like this when you obviously don't know what is going on.
a month ago
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Peter *********
@Simon ******
 not sure about the 40 mil - wow that a large number of fraudulent accounts! - there were over 75million accounts closed in vietnam, even singapore are now hardening down on account and how much you can send.
a month ago
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Simon *******
@Peter ********
 Bangkokup Bank had 110 million account of which they were told 40 million where being use to launder money these are official numbers
a month ago
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Simon *******
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Paul ********
@Simon ******
 As a six-year expat in Thailand who pays attention, I thought I'd never say this. But reading the tea leaves, for the first time I think it is possible that the agent/bank/visa system will not be allowed to continue as before for much longer.

There's not any single factor suggesting this, but rather a combination of situations that raises the question for me. And I could be dead wrong and the agent system will continue for many years to come.

But - if I were depending on using an agent to sort the 800K ransom...sorry "deposit," with the usual magic wand, I would definitely want a sound plan B and C in my pocket at this time.

Personally, I'm neutral on the issue. Not up to me, and I'm not rooting for any particular outcome. I bear no grudge or moralistic stance against those who use agents to perform banking magic. Only time will tell.
a month ago
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Brandon ************
@Paul *******
 Agents aren't going anywhere. The agents in Pattaya just put their customers on a bus to go to different branches of Bangkok Bank, or switched to different banks. The heat was just on in Pattaya. How many crackdowns have you read about in Thailand over the years? This will blow over and things will return to status quo.
a month ago
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Paul ********
@Brandon ***********
 And I certainly acknowledged that in my post, no?

But even in Thailand, sometimes changes happen.
a month ago
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Brandon ************
@Paul *******
 The money spigot never changes
a month ago
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Paul ********
@Brandon ***********
 Tell that to the businesses suffering on both sides of the Cambodian border.

The losses from that money spigot closure dwarf the profits from the entire farang expat community, never mind the subset profiting from "creative" agents, banking and visas.

The conflict brings the possibility for massive profits to some officials.

The only thing that makes it easy to shut one money spigot is the sudden arrival of a far larger pipeline.
a month ago
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Brandon ************
@Paul *******
 True. I guess the disclaimer is "power" trumps even money. Mostly because of future monetary benefits of that power. And certain factions are milking the border for every ounce of power they can at the moment.
a month ago
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Paul ********
@Brandon ***********
 Exactly. Power and the retention or acquisition thereof.

And we haven't even discussed yet Anutin and his hunger for the top position in the Thai government. What might he do to ensure success? He's feverishly casting about for some corruption he can stamp out in a showy virtue-signaling manner, and the visa system certainly fits the bill. Especially if doing so does collateral damage to the power base of rivals and adversaries.

Mix in Trump's insane tariffs, his hard on for a Nobel prize, and his desire to checkmate the pesky Chinese, and China's hunger to score some points in the region (have we got a canal deal for you!), and suddenly a lot of things we all took for granted are a little less certain than before, if for no reason other than the much higher stakes games coincidentally currently underway.
a month ago
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Paul ********
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Bruce ************
@Simon ******
 What is the interest rate you are seeing? Sounds pretty good.
a month ago
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Simon *******
@Bruce ***********
 getting over 4% at moment but as it is only
*****
bht to renew even if you get only 1.6% interest it covers the renewal fee at 3% you will still have £253 left from the interest after you have paid the renewal.
a month ago
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Simon *******
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Simon *******
@Peter ***************
 A non O is better no need for police reports or Insurance, you get 90 days then you extend it to 12 months, then is 12 months every year you renew. You are allowed to open an account on a Non O visa
a month ago
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Tim ******
@Simon ******
 You can change from non-oa to non-o when you are in Thailand and opened a bank account.
a month ago
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Simon *******
@Tim *****
 why not just get an O visa the start with.
a month ago
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Dany ********
@Simon ******
 i would get the OA because i would never have to move 800k into a thai account where it would be dead money… so i would always choose the OA and after 1-2 years i would swap to the O visa with the 65k baht monthly transaction proof instead. but you need 12 months of transaction history to do so…
a month ago
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Tim ******
@Simon ******
 You need a Thai bank account for a non-o application in Thailand.

How can you apply for a non-o?

Convert a tourist visa to an non-o by tm.7.

It is now almost impossible to open a bank account with a tourist visa.

Maybe by using a visa agent it's still possible.
a month ago
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Dany ********
@Tim *****
 you dont need a bank account for the non-o initial visa application. you can apply for it from your home country as well via eVisa service website. it is for 3 months. so you have these months time to open the account and put the money in. you only need to proof the 800k inside the thai account for that 12 months extension.
a month ago
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Tim ******
@Dany *******
 To my knowledge you can apply for a non-oa visa from your home country or from your country of residency.

But you need a criminal report, a health certificate and a health insurance.

For a non-o you can only apply in Thailand.

E-visa isn't possible for all citizens.
a month ago
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Tim ******
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