What steps should I take to obtain an OA visa in Thailand before my tourist visa expires?

Why get an OA? If you are in Thailand you get a Non O. No health insurance requirements. If the bank account is pricing difficult, get an agent. You pay once and then you can extend every year by yourself.

If you plan travel in and out of the country pay the extra for a multiple entry visa when applying in Thailand. Will save a lot of hassle for a little bit of baht

Just get your non O

Is it not 1900

Get an agent its hassle free

Question…I’m going thru same path in the next 18 months.

How did you get a bank account with just a tourist visa? Which bank?

Thanks in advance.

Another thing I would suggest is to do this by yourself with minimal help from your Thai girlfriend.  Going into immigration speaking half Thai and half English stuff can get really confusing. I’ve seen it a lot. Stick to English and do it all by yourself and you’ll be better off in the long run. Thai people know very little about Thai visas just the same as an American wouldn’t know much about US visas since they don’t need one.

As soon as u fund your 800k go apply for nonO 90days in thailand with more than 15days left on your current stamp

Yes if you have a bank account it's easy just go to your local imigration office find out what they require get all the required paperwork and its done 2,000 baht.

If you already have a bank account just transfer the money over and get the Non O issued in Thailand. I got my Non O in Thailand based on retirement it’s 2000 baht. The only reason to apply for a non-o in Laos is if you don’t have a bank account already.

You cannot get a non-OA visa. That visa is only available from the Thai embassy in your home country. But that's okay because you don't want the non-OA visa, you want the non-O visa.

Go to your immigration office and ask them for their handout of requirement to convert to a non-O visa based on being over 50 (nicknamed retirement visa)

Once you have the 800,000 in your bank, you should be ready to apply for the visa, based on the requirements from your immigration office. You should not have to leave the country, as long as your immigration office allows conversions. There are only a small number of offices that do not.

If your office is one of these, then yes you can go to Laos and apply for the visa, but that's better asked separately if that situation comes up.