Steven Bungay so what you want to say is, you never applied for the 1-year extension of stay based on being married to a Thai wife. You want to stay (or hibernate) in Thailand for 5 months. You enter on a 90-days Non-Imm-O Married Visa, and before the 90 days admitted stay are up, you apply for the 60-days extension based on "family visit" for which you just need the marriage registry printout from the Amphur that shows your marriage is still alive and valid, and the company of your wife on the Immigration visit. Would have been cool if you had detailled it a bit further, but never mind, mai pen rai, thank you

tomorrow, Thursday, April 16, Immigration will be open. However you can expect the office to be full of people, since Immigration has been closed for 5 days

Dan Dan wrong. It can be done 72 hours prior your planned arrival, not prior to your departure

@David *******

wrong. It can be done 72 hours prior your planned arrival, not before you fly

not really difficult - if one understands the difference between a visa and a stay permit, and does not confuse both with each other. You need a bank account in your home country for the visa, you need that VISA to get a Thai bank account opened so you can apply for the extended STAY PERMIT

Petr S. Van Valkenburg not really - if one understands the difference between a visa and a stay permit, and does not confuse both with each other. He needs a bank account in his home country for the visa, he needs the VISA to get a Thai bank account opened so he can apply for the extended STAY PERMIT

First, you need to learn the difference between a visa and a stay permit

*** to get the VISA, you can show money on your HOME BANK ACCOUNT or on any bank account anywhere in the World, as long as you show the account is in your sole name. Most Thai embassies will ask for the upload of three months bank statements into the E-Visa online application.

*** If you enter Thailand on a Non-Imm O retirement VISA, you can get a Thai bank account opened on this visa class.

*** to get the “1-year extension of STAY PERMIT based on retirement, on Immigration, you either need a minimum of 800,000 THB on your THAI bank account, or an affidavit of income over a minimum of monthly 65,000 THB

*** Handle the process like hundreds before you have it done: apply and get issued the 90-days single entry Non-Imm-O retirement VISA in your own country before you wing your way to Thailand.

*** when you enter, you will get stamped in for a 90-days STAY PERMIT, and the VISA will become invalid.

*** Get TM30 registered in your accommodation, which can be a hotel or a rental apartment. Visit Immigration and ask them for a “certificate of residency” addressed to a specific bank, with the plea to get a bank account opened for you. Some banks accept if you show a long term rental contract Further, you will need a Thai mobile SIM card and number registered in your name and passport number. I recommend either Kasikorn Bank or the Siam Commercial Bank.

*** Immediately transfer a minimum of 800,000 THB to your newly opened Thai bank account.

*** Wait until the deposit has been in your account for a minimum of 2 months. Visit Immigration with the “letter of guarantee” (in Thai: rab roong thanakan) from the bank that confirms this seasoning period, and apply for the 1-year extension of temporary stay permit. Immigration calls this wrongly “visa extension”, however you do not have a visa anymore which could be “extended”. They simply extend your stay permit.

***The E-Visa fee for the 90-days Non-Imm-O Visa online application is around 80 USD.

The fee for the bank letter should be something like 200 Baht.

The fee for the application to the 1-year extension of the stay permit is 1900 Baht.

*** Don’t forget to buy a re-entry permit for your one-year stay permit, on the day you get your 1-year extension stamped.

*** if you think that this is too difficult then you can use the service of an agent to do everything for you. Using your own funds, such a service would cost around 12,000 THB.

In case you have no own funds, it will cost significantly more to get around the existing law, like up from 34,000 THB, and if you entered on a tourist visa instead on a Non-Imm visa class, you can expect an agent fee up from 60,000 THB.

Daniel Loparco a lease alone is not sufficient, he needs to have entered Thailand on a Non-Imm visaclass in order to get a bank account opened. Instead of a lease, a certificate of residence from Immigration would also be enough of an address proof

David Racioppi a lease alone is not sufficient, he needs to have entered Thailand on a Non-Imm visaclass in order to get a bank account opened. Instead of a lease, a certificate of residence from Immigration would also be enough of an address proof

To apply for the 90-days Non-Imm-O Retirement Visa, you can show money in your home bank account. You enter with this Non-Imm-O visa and get a Thai bank account opened, then immediately transfer a minimum of 800,000 THB onto it. To apply on Immigration for the 1-year extension of the temporary stay permit based on retirement, you need to show that a minimum of 800,000THB has been sitting in your Thai bank account for a minimum of 2 months. Easy peasy as that.