Hello, I am researching and planning my retirement to Thailand and I am undecided on whether to apply ahead of time while still in California (Type "OA" visa) or while already within Thailand (Type "O") via a tourist visa. From my research I am still not clear on a few topics:

1) To prove that I meet the 65k baht monthly soc. sec. payments.

Is this requirement for showing monthly deposits to my US bank

or to a Thai bank account?

2) If I need a Thai bank account to have my soc. sec monthly direct

deposit set up, how is it possible to open a Thai bank account

ahead of time? Is it possible to open a bank account on my next

vacation trip by using an agent?

3) For applying for a type "O", why is it required to have a return

flight itinerary? I imagine that I will need to make sure the return

flight is refundable when I book my flight to Thailand.

Thanks in advance for any help with the above,

Carlos

Although I have been coming to Thailand since 2003, this trip is the first time I have ever applied for a visa. I got myself a 60 day from London before I came out. Once the UK put Thailand on their red list I started thinking about staying longer to avoid 19 days in a cheap hotel with a high price tag upon my return. Not wanting to get anything wrong I went over to Kalasin immigration at 16.00 today, just to ask what I needed to get an extension. I left at 16.30 with a thirty day extension in my passport to start on the 30th of this month. The people in there could not have been more helpful and worked right up to clocking off time so I didn’t have to go back. I have read many horror stories before so went in ready for a long slog. Still smiling that I have my stamp and can now stay to the end of October.thank you Kalasin Immigration, a good team you have there.