Note*** as a U.S. American citizen you can't use the income or the combination method in the first year because your U.S. embassy won't issue an affidavit of income

@Eric ******

How to get from the “single entry 90-days Non-Imm-O retirement visa” to the 1-year extension of the stay permit, which most people refer to as being the “retirement visa” (which actually is not a visa but a stay permit)

You apply to the “90 days single entry Non-Imm-O retirement visa” by the E-Visa online system of the Thai embassy /consulate in your home country. You will need to fulfill the requirements that are listed for this visa

The visa will be mailed to you as a .pdf document, which you need to print out, in order to show it to the Immigration officer when entering Thailand

When you enter Thailand with a 90-day non-Imm-O retirement visa, you will receive a stamp that says “admitted stay until” and a date given in blue ink. This stamp is a 90-days stay permit.

Since November 1, 2023, the financial proof for applying for a visa in the online e-visa system in most countries must either be evidence of a balance of the equivalent of 800,000 THB (approx. 21,500 USD or Euro) in your bank account,

OR

a proof of income at least the equivalent of 65,000 THB (approx. 1840 Euros).

For the application to the initial 90-days Non-O retirement visa, it doesn’t matter where the account is located. The most important is that the documents you upload to the application show that the account is in your sole name

You enter with the 90-day single entry Non-Imm-O retirement visa, and will receive a 90-days stay permit

As soon as 30 days (45 days in Bangkok and Chiang Mai) are left from the initial 90-days stay permit, you can apply for the “1-year extension of the stay permit based on retirement” (EOS)

Most people call the EOS a “retirement visa” and Immigration calls it a “visa extension”, although they do not extend any visa but just extend a stay permit. It can be a bit confusing regarding this technically wrong terminology

You will need to prove finances for this application on Immigration. The way to prove it on Immigration, differs a bit from what you needed to prove in the E-visa system in your home country

In case you seek to provide proof of finances for the application for the “1-year extension of stay” with a balance of at least THB 800.000.- THB, you must open a Thai bank account in your sole name ASAP after you have entered the country on a Non-Imm-O visa

If you use a monthly income of at least 65,000 THB as financial proof, then you must gwt your income “legalized”, i.e. been issued an “affidavit of income” from your embassy in Bangkok or from one of the honorary consuls

NOTE: British, Australian and American embassies don’t issue this income affidavit any more, thus citizens of these countries will need to go by the 800.000.- THB deposit method (at least in the first year). After having collected 12 consecutive transfers, each month, month for month, of a minimum of equivalent of 65,000 THB having been transferred into your account from abroad, you can switch to the “income method” using the bank’s yearly statement.

You are free to use an agency for opening a Thai bank account for you, without much hassle. An agent can also assist you with your further application. Of course, you can also do this entirely on your own.

To apply for the 1-year extension of stay permit at immigration inside Thailand out of a Non-Imm-O retirement/over 50-visa, you do NOT need to provide proof of health insurance.

However, it is recommended, in your own interest, to have a health insurance for the duration of your stay in Thailand.

The documents required to apply for the “1-year extension of stay permit based on retirement/over 50 years old” from a Non-Imm-O visa are:

(The exact documents may vary depending on the immigration office you are dealing with. Most immigration offices have a handout with a list of the documents you need to bring with you. You need to visit them and ask for the handout before you apply)

Proof of meeting the financial requirements

EITHER

with the “deposit method”:

a certificate from the bank that you got a balance of a minimum of 800.000 THB.- that have been in the account for at least 2 months on the day of application.

This must be proven with a same day (some immigrations accept up to 7 days) "bank letter of guarantee" (in Thai: "rab roong thanakan") as well as an updated bank book and a receipt for a withdrawal from the ATM on the same day.

The 800.000.- THB must remain in the account for a further 3 months after the one-year Extension of Stay Permit has been issued, and an amount of 400.000.- THB must not be less than 400,000 THB for the rest of the year. Then 2 months before the new application for the next “1-year extension”, a minimum of 800.000.- THB must be deposited again.

OR

with the “Income method”:

an income certificate (affidavit of income) from the embassy or a honorary consul of the country which’s passport you hold, of a monthly income of at minimum of 65,000 THB

and the following documents:

***Copies of the relevant pages in your passport:

***the pages with personal details.

***The page with the entry stamp.

***A rental agreement (if available), the blue house book and the Thai ID card of the owner of the place that you are staying

On some Immigration offices you can also provide proof of finances using a THIRD method: the combination method

A mixture of income and deposit.

NOTE: Most Immigration offices require a minimum deposit of 400,000 THB deposited.

Combined with the monthly proof of income, the total must be ABOVE the required 800,000 THB per year.

You have to be careful with the income part, as a sudden change in the exchange rate can ruin the calculation - if you fall below the income level, you would immediately be in "overstay". So you need a "buffer"

For example, a deposit of 420,000 THB and a monthly income of 1000.- Euros (35,440 THB) is sufficient for the combination method.

35,440 THB x 12 = 425.280.- THB

plus 420,000 THB

would be 845.280 THB

The 45.280.- THB are the exchange rate buffer. The higher the buffer, the safer you are.

If you are planning to use the combination method, you will need to visit your Immigration and ask whether they will allow you to use the combination method in the first year how much they require for the deposit

For the registration of a foreigner at a place in Thailand, you should visit immigration together with the landlord, because a landlord is required to register you by TM30 within 24 hours of your arrival at the place of accommodation.

The landlord can also TM30 you online, in case he already has registered the accommodation in the TM30 system.

NOTE: without a TM30 residence registration, you will most probably not get serviced on Immigration!

***A completed TM7 application form for extension of the stay permit (the form is available at immigration, but you can also download it from the internet)

***a handful of passport photos (most immigration offices now take the photos digitally, but it doesn't hurt to have a few current passport photos on hand)

*** all copies of the documents must be signed by you in blue ink (!)

The 1-year extension itself costs a 1900 Baht fee

As soon as you got issued the 1-year extension of stay permit, you should buy a “re-entry permit”, because in the event that you suddenly have to leave the country or if you generally want to leave the country for a holiday elsewhere, the “re -entry permit” keeps the “1-year extended stay permit” alive.

A single re-entry permit is 1000.- THB, and a multi re-entry permit is 3800.- THB

Safe travels any time!

I suggest you join the DTV Facebook group . . you'll get more information

@Darin *******

you can't "extend the visa". You can only get your stay permit extended. The 90-days Non-Imm-O visa becomes invalid upon entering Thailand

@Da *****

for the application to the 90-days visa, you can use original income documents from your home country. But in order to use the +65,000 THB income proof for the application to the 1-year Extension of the Stay Permit based on Retirement, you must show a Thai bank statement for 12 consecutive months, month for month, unbroken every month, a minimum of 65,000 THB has been transferred onto your Thai bank account, coded as having come from abroad. (That's a given only if your embassy in Thailand doesn't issue an income affidavit)

@Mark *******

the annual renewal of the "1-year Extension of the Temporary Stay Permit" can be applied for up from 30 days before the current Extension of the Stay Permit expires

@Mark *******

you must do your first 90-days report in person. You can do it up from 14 days before due date until 7 days after due date

@Mark *******

“FOR MY FIRST 90 DAY Visa Extension Check-in”

What a terrible terminology.

“visa extension check in” ???

You can’t extend a visa. You can only get a stay permit extended. The 90-days Non-Imm-O visa you entered with became invalid when you entered Thailand. It can’t get “extended”

WHAT do you want to know?

***Do you want to know from how many days before your 90-days stay permit expires, you can apply for the 1-year Extension of the Stay Permit?

ANSWER: you can apply for the one-year extension as soon as 30 days are left on your 90-days stay permit. On some Immigrations you can apply 45 days before

*** or do you want to know how to do the 90-days report on Immigration?

ANSWER: you must do your first 90-days report in person. You can do it up from 14 days before due date until 7 days after due date

Mike Dias . . . The 90-day single entry Non-Imm-O "family" visa and how to obtain a one-year extension of your stay permit based on being married to a Thai wife.

There is the "90-day single entry Non-Imm-O Family visa" option, which you can apply by the e-visa online system before you fly to Thailand.

You must provide a financial proof for both the 90-day visa and later at immigration for the application for a "one-year extension of the temporary stay permit based on being married to a Thai wife."

For the application to the initial visa, you either

have at least 400,000 THB (approximately $ 12,000) in a bank account in your sole name. There is no seasoning of the deposit required at this point.

(It is irrelevant for the visa application where the account is located – as long as there is a proof that the account is in your sole name)

However, when applying for the "1-year extension" from out of the 90-days stay permit you got stamped in upon entering Thailand, the 400,000 THB must have been in your Thai bank account for 2 months, and this “seasoning” must be proven with a "bank letter of guarantee" (in Thai: rab roong thanakan).

Or you use the income affidavit of your embassy in Thailand (only if applicable - as many embassies do not issue it any more)

You need to provide evidence of an income/pension of at least 40,000 THB (approximately $ 1200).

For the application to the initial visa, you can use your original marriage documents.

However, for the application to the “1-year extension”, Immigration requires a Thai marriage registry printout - the Kor Ror 22 or 2 (whichever applies) This printout must be current, printed freshly by an Amphoe office. This is possible only if your marriage has already been officially acknowledged in Thailand.

The requirements may vary slightly between every one of the 84 immigration offices in Thailand, so it is recommended to visit them beforehand and ask for the list of requirements for the "extension of the temporary stay permit based on being married to a Thai wife."

What almost all immigration offices have in common is that they will only serve you, if you have been properly registered at your place of residence via a TM30 registration.

Immigration normally will issue the "1-year extension of the stay permit" for four weeks "under consideration." They will ask for photos of the two of you together in front of your house, with the house number visible, a photo of you in the living room, and in the bedroom.

They normally ask for a hand-drawn map of the route from your house to the Immigration office, or the Google Maps coordinates.

Immigration will pay a visit at your home during these four weeks (with prior notice) and will question your neighbours about whether your marriage is "real."

After this visit, you visit Immigration and collect the stamp with your one-year extension of the temporary stay permit. (EOS)

NOTE: keep the 400,000 THB deposit in your bank account at least until you have gathered up the 1-year Marriage Extension stamp. You are free to spend the deposit, however the 400,000 THB need to be back in your account 2 months prior (some Immigrations ask for 3 months) to your next application for the 1-year extended stay permit.

NOTE: Always purchase a re-entry permit for your EOS.

A single re-entry costs 1000 THB, a multiple re-entry will be 3,800 THB.

The re-entry permit keeps your stay permit valid in case you leave the country. If you leave without a re-entry permit, your EOS will become invalid.

PLEASE use the correct terminology:

Technically spoken, there is no "visa extension", and the 1-year extension is not a “marriage visa”. Immigration does not extend any visa. That's technically not possible.

The use of this wording is improper English. You use the “90-days marriage visa” for entering Thailand, the visa becomes invalid. You will get stamped in for a 90-days stay permit. You then apply for a one-year extension of this stay permit. A stay permit is not a visa.

@Stephen ********

if you are a citizen of a country whose embassy stil issues a legalized "income affidavit", Immigrations allow the income method, and SOME Immigrations (not all of them!) allow the combination method