If you consider that Thailand is looking to tax any foreign income, which would include the income for a visa, meaning you would need to bring in more to account for the tax amount it does begin to make the 800k lump sum more appealing because if you can show it's 'old' money from savings it's not taxed, which would mean you could in theory and depending on lifestyle being over much less to live on each month, which would potentially mean paying lower tax because of a lower tax bracket, so you could say the embassy is trying to save you money....

So I feel like my original statement is true, if apply in country with an agent it seems they get around the insurance part, but if you apply from UK you would need it, please can you provide a source or link to where it specifically says you don't need insurance for either visa, not looking to argue or annoy just trying to understand

@Stuart ********

so I decided to look online and confirm or deny and from what I can find you DO require medical insurance to apply for a non-O or non-oa now since 2021, this is from several sites, TIT they change the rules a lot and don't always update people, so like many things in Thailand it seems it can depend on what agent you ask, so like many things it's as clear as mud

@Stuart ********

so then you need the medical insurance, so em yeah, in regards to bank account it seems to vary a lot, a friend of mine who is 36 did it on his own on a visa exempt about 3 months ago, so it's not impossible just need to maybe try a few places, for him he got first place he tried and didn't need to get any extra insurances, so it does really seem to depend on the mood of staff any given day

@Stuart ********

so your saying that you wouldn't need the first non-O part of apply from UK, if that's the case great but I don't think many are aware of that

@Sherry ******************

so if you mean close as in can walk to it have a look at places around Pratumnack Soi 6 as on Soi 6 there is very large market with many world foods, and clothes and bits but not too much fresh veg, it's called the Russian market but there is food from many places there, it's open 6pm to midnight, or maybe somewhere close Thepasit road would be good, another big clothes and bits market with a big food stall section, but again not much fresh veg, but I believe there is another market close that has, I just have not been there, in general though getting around by bolt taxi is cheap so I wouldn't worry about how far a place is too much unless you will go the market everyday, it's not close to a market but I stayed in Peak Towers for a while and it was very good, very close to a big 711 and only 5 mins from the main street with bars and shops and only 5 mins to the beach, and on the main street there are 3 fruit shops and also a couple of veg shops and also 3 restaurants and other food places and each night at the opposite end of Soi 9 to Peak Towers there are usually a few food stands, sushi, grilled fish, chicken kebab, roti, and more up the street that do roast chicken and ribs, and so many more that are mobile and come around to you and some stay opposite the big 711 too, really is lots of choice and lots of it's mobile

@Stuart ********

ok, but then if you need insurance to apply for the first part of the process then technically that does mean if you are starting that process from the UK then you would require medical insurance to apply for the retirement extension visa from the UK, or am I missing something?

@Sherry ******************

what kind of fresh market? Seafood, meats, vegetable? In Pattaya there is a 711 or tops every 500m so you want be far from one unless very unlucky

I am not retirement age just yet, but I did live at a bar in Pattaya for over a year and so talked to many expats and tourists about visas, my understanding is most would come to Thailand on the visa exempt entry and apply pretty quickly for the first 3 months part a non-O I believe and then inside that 3 months window they and there agent would get together all the paperwork for the retirement visa extension, so first one is 15 months and I understand in Pattaya costs from 28-35k depending what you may need help with, I understand from many UK expats that they apply from inside Thailand because if they apply from UK then they require medical insurance, but I would say if you have several months left on your marriage visa I would let that expire first or maybe you can use a couple of months of it to sort out your retirement extension and not need to 3 months part and save some cash...

As I was not so long ago denied entry and sent back to Vietnam on the basis that I did not have 10k baht in CASH on me, they didn't care what I had in any account they wanted to see Cash, so I would recommend that you have 10k in baht per person, but also the 10k advised was when you only got 30 days on arrival so they could try and say you need 20k per person if they wanted to be funny with you.