@Stephen ******

We did ours on our own - it's really not that hard as long as you have the requirements met - $800 K Baht in a thai bank, rental lease, bank statements and letter from bank and it cost us only 1900 baht.

Eligibility:

Age: Be at least 50 years old on the day of application.

Financial Requirements:

Option 1: Hold a deposit of at least 800,000 Thai Baht (THB) in a Thai bank account for at least 2 months before applying.

Option 2: Have a monthly income (including pension) of at least 65,000 THB.

Option 3: A combination of bank deposit and yearly income totaling at least 800,000 THB.

Health Insurance: For applicants of the Non-Immigrant O-A (Long Stay) Visa, health insurance that meets the Thai government's criteria is required.

No Criminal Record: You must not have a criminal record in Thailand or your country of origin.

Not Prohibited from Entering Thailand: You must not be prohibited from entering Thailand under the Immigration Act.

No Prohibited Diseases: You must not have any of the diseases listed in the Ministerial Regulation No. 14 (B.E. 2535).

Not Engage in Gainful Employment: You are prohibited from engaging in any gainful employment in Thailand.

You can't post in these groups without someone being upset - whether it is how you post, what you ask, the terminology you use or whether or not you use anonymous posting lol There are a lot of snowflakes on the internet who simply take joy from being offended - don't stress, they have empty lives and have nothing better to do than troll people on the internet who are seeking information 🤣They forget that they once didn't know the answer and asked things.

You should be fine - even if they do impliment this prior to your arrival - you would still have the option of midway through your trip going to immigration and paying (I think it is 1900 baht / around $81 canadian) for an extension which would take you to your 60 days.

@Bob *********

I mean self applied without use of agent for our retirement visa, and those must be done I Epson, though 90 day check in can be done online.

@Bob *********

an email isn't a text message though, is it? And is the email from immigration or your agent? We self applied, and we don't get reminder texts or emails.

I saw something about this being a scam. I've never received one to remind me to check in. Check your passport and if it is time use your normal process and don't follow any links associated with the text message.

How many doses does one have prior to being called stupid? Enquiring minds want to know.....

We did it in Jan 2023 - may have changed now, things often change in Thailand, but you may need an agent to help you open the bank account required.

It might help to list the area you are in so people can recommend a trusted agent - that price is WAY too high but being an attorney you'd be paying for the knowledge and ease of getting through the process.

It does depend on a lot of things though - do you have the required 800,000 baht each to deposit in a Thai bank? If the agent has to do that for you the price is higher.

Do you both match the age requirements? For a non O if you tick all the boxes and have all the required documentation and meet all the criteria it only costs 1900 baht to do it yourself, so pricing is based on what they have to work around and fix.

I don't recall it even being a question nor having to get any police clearances for our non-O retirement visa. (They did need that when I immigrated to Australia - the process for Thailand was easier)