What steps should I take regarding my retirement visa and potential marriage in Thailand?

its called a pre-nup.....

@Ray *******

you do realise you cannot own land in thailand, it will be your wifes if anything goes wrong.ten years together pretty good start,best of luck

@Ray *******

Everything was going smoothly and 6 months after marriage she did the dirty. Always keep your assets in your home country and never burn all your bridges.

@Ray *******

it's not illegal to use an agent and it seems many people do, but to use one to do something against the law is illegal.

The laws are there for a reason, but for example some people use an agent to bribe an official for things like gaining a Thai driving licence or not depositing the required funds in a Thai bank It's up to the individual if they want to do this, but if the immigration officer is investigated, all of their illegal visas are cancelled (this does happen, i have seen posts from several people complaining). It's not worth the risk imo, that's why I mentioned it, in case you were unaware.

@Ray *******

it kind of was common practice to use an agent, if you’re not confident or don’t feel able to meet certain requirements. However, you’re always at risk. Something may happen in the future, and you don’t want that hanging over you. If you can meet the req legitimately, albeit by jumping three a few hoops / it’s best to do it like that, in a normal legitimate way. Best of luck

@Ray *******

as it stands right now, and you already have the required money in the bank, your best option for the next five years is the soft power category of the new Destination Thailand Visa. It's the new five year multi-entry visa that stamps you in for 180 days on each entry, and you can extend it once each year. It is so new that rules and regulations to govern abuses they find haven't been put in place. If you get it now you would be grandfathered in for any changes for the next five years. Basically you just need at least bt500,000 in your bank, and you have that.

@Ray *******

Shame. All the best.

@Ray *******

I doubt that you can get a marriage sorted within 2 months. You need an affirmation to get married for both you and the bride, from the UK

@Ray *******

Yes you can just change reason for extension of stay from retirement to marriage.

@Ray *******

yes