Is it mandatory now to have a signed lease (with copies of all the owner docs) in order to get a Non-O Extension based on retirement? I recall years ago I flew in and re-extended while staying in a hotel. They made me draw a map to the hotel to the Nana Hotel. Is that no longer possible? Thanks!

Hi everyone, I'd love to get some advice from people who have experience with the Thailand retirement visa.

Here's my situation: I'd apply for a Non-OA (retirement) visa from my home country — the 3-month entry type. Once in Thailand, I'd extend it for a full year at Immigration and file a TM30 for my rental address. I'd sign a lease for roughly 5–6 months, which covers the period I'd actually be staying.

After that, I'd need to return home for family reasons — but I'd come back before the extension expires, get a new place, file a new TM30, and apply for another annual extension. Before leaving Thailand I'd also get a re-entry permit so the extension stays valid while I'm abroad.

I have two specific concerns I'd love your input on:

1. Does Immigration require a lease that covers the full 12 months when granting a 1-year extension? Or is a shorter lease (5–6 months) acceptable? I've heard some offices ask for proof of address for the entire extension period.

2. During the months I'm back home, there would be no active TM30 on file for me in Thailand — since my lease would have ended and I wouldn't have a new address yet. Is that a problem? Does Immigration expect a TM30 to be on file at all times, even when you're not physically in the country?

Any firsthand experience or advice would be really appreciated. Thank you!

My non o retirement visit is due at the end of next month. Are there any new requirements  I should be aware of🙏

I’m interested in the Non O Visa but must return to my home country for a procedure every 100 days. my question are. 1. Do I need longer than a three month lease to get the extension? 2. Do I need to report in if I am out of country?

Thanks for your replies

We'll be coming over in a few months on Type-O visas. I keep seeing people say you come over, you get a residency certificate from immigration, and you open a bank account. Don't you need a 12-month lease in there between arriving and getting that residency certificate? Can you actually get it with just a hotel address?

I was wondering if anyone knew the minimum requirements for getting a Certification of Residence from immigration in Bangkok? Would they do it with a TM 30 from an Airbnb or a TM 47 from a hotel, and what would be the minimum stay allowed by the immigration officer to obtain this?

The goal is to use the COR to open a bank account. I know this is atypical as most would already have a lease , but the reason I am asking is that I am entering the country on a non-immigrant OA for retirement, but because I have a sick parent, I will only be in Thailand for the first three months straight before needing to go back-and-forth to deal with her healthcare. In a perfect world, I would choose to not commit to a one year lease initially and was hoping that getting a COR from immigration would allow me some latitude to open a bank account?

Has anyone done the COR with minimal requirements? Thanks in advance. I’m trying to avoid using an agent if possible. 

Do you need a copy of a lease for a condo/house to open a bank account. It just seems that despite having 90 days to extend the non o on first arrival, it’s actually under 30 days to sort everything out due to needing to seed the bank account with the 800k for 2 months. So if you need to sort out a lease for bank account opening that means a lot to sort out as soon as you arrive. Or am I misunderstanding?

For the non-o retirement visa has anyone done a six month lease and been approved for the initial one year extension? Or is it not a good idea at all and just go for a one year lease from the start? Thanks!

Hi all. My yearly lease at my apartment in Bangkok will expire next month, but my Retirement Visa (Non-O) will not need to be extended until the end of September. My hope would be to NOT sign another one-year lease, but to spend the coming year exploring around Thailand and other countries. I have been told that I must have another "long term lease" when I apply for an extension at Chaeng Wattana. But how long is that - another year? Again, I'd really prefer to just do month-to-month rentals in different cities for the next year. Thanks!

I have a DTV visa. Does anyone know the minimum months I need for a lease to open a Thai bank account? Examples: 1 month, 3 month etc. Thanks