@Stuart **********

I have been to Thai exactly 100 times since 2000, never stayed more than a month and have never had any visa. It is a 5 hours flight for me.

Why would I delete answers that are rolling in the streets, anyone can see them on the net?

When applying from outside of Thailand, Thai Embassy site says:

"8. One original and one copy of health insurance policy

● Must issue by insurance company in Thailand, Japan or other country

● Must cover all the period of stay in Thailand

● Must cover not the medical treatment of not less than the equivalent of 40,000 Baht for out-patient benefit and not less than the equivalent of 400,000 Baht of in-house patient benefit"

@Thomas ******

My knowledge starts with:

I have:

800,000 THB to deposit into my bank account if I could open one.

My own condo, yellow book, in Bangkok.

Thai wife, legal marriage.

Our Thai national daughter.

To apply from outside of Thai, I need health insurance (that may go into 100s of US$ per month), police clearance from my country of residence. I can do both but none of 2 above is needed when applying from within Thai.

Then, I have to be in Thai for 2 months, the money has to sit in Thai bank where I can not open an account without retirement visa for 2 months - for which I can apply only after 2 months and without Thai bank account - not possible.

Thais, simply, hate to see us there. Visa agencies found some loophole that we can not use without them.

No work permit, no job, no work.

@Graham ******

Somehow, Thai agencies bypass that.

I beleive you, the rules in Thai might have strenghtened. Still, possible, even at that price. Still, fully legal. No account can be opened illegally.

@David ********

It happens every day. A naive tried to open a bank account, with all 5 big banks, they all had a script "show me your visa" that I did not have. Only 60 days stamp.

How could i deposit 800,000 THB for a Pensioner visa?

"Bring your pensioner visa in your passport".

Catch 22.

I was told, by a trusted source, go to almost any agent in Pattaya, there is someone who knows someone in some of the big banks, they can open the account for you. Going price is 4-5 thousand Baht. Likelly, whoever does that for you, splits the proceedings with the bank clerk but that is not your worry.

Fully legal.

The thing is, if you live in Bangkok, whatever problem might arise (say, your girlfriend mistypes the pin when taking money out), the ATM card will be swallowed and you, in person, must go to that very branch to retreive it.

Not a big deal if you are in Pattaya, but if you are in Udon Thani?

It tends to be complicated. Bear with me, I went to Thai Visa Center , an agency, August 2024.

They can sort out my Pension visa.

How about 800,000 THB in my bank account? I can not even open the account.

They said - they will open it for me.

No need to have 800K THB, they will make it, somehow. (I have that money but can not open Bank account on my own).

If you have no residence in Thai, the price for their services is 58,000 THB.

If you have, as I do, my own condo, the property deed is in my name, the price is 52,000 THB for their services.

I have to be in Thai for 2 months (as of now, possible) and they will extend my stay for one more month and then they will log my Pension visa application.

The agency has reasonably nice premisses, even two ATM machines by Bangkok Bank and Siam Commercial Bank on the floor.

That is where my knowledge stops.

Changing from 60 days exemption back to 30 days is under discussion, prompted by some tourism bodies. They claim an average tourists stay 14-21 days and that 60 days + 30 days extension is being abused.

That still has to be discussed somewhere (Ministry of Foreign Affairs?) and accepted.

None of visa services are legit. Anyone and his dog can open a shop for visa services. They are not regulated, the government does not even know they exist. Somehow, the do the job, we can guess how.

It is more the trust foreigners have for some of them.

Imagine, they send your passport to Nong Kai, their van has an accident and your passport burns in it. What you can say? The agency may simply vanish and no contact.