I’m actually towards the end of the process of applying for a Non O retirement visa myself. I was lucky apparently and opened a Thai Bank account a couple of years ago at the first bank I approached in Changwattana.

I’ve never done land border runs but last year after entering Thailand on a visa on arrival basis from Australia or Bangladesh after a month or so away each time I found Immigration at Suvarnabhumi were getting quite hostile -hence my application for a retirement visa.

If you can open a Thai bank account and I met a UK guy who told me some banks in Tourist hotspots like Pattaya will still let you on a tourist visa, then I would say you don’t need an agent to get a retirement visa but having someone at your side who can read and speak Thai is a big help.

As

@Brandon ***********

has indicated you can readily get info to convert to Retirement Non O visa from the authorities. But here are some tips from my experience which aren’t in the guidelines. First, you need to complete the application forms in blue biro/pen. I used black for my application copies initially- had to redo.

After each signature, I’ve learnt to put my telephone number, a requirement at my local immigration office, at least.

Then you need to get photo copies of every visa entry into and out of Thailand in your Passport and of course your personal details at the front. Each copy page must be signed by you.

If you do manage to get a bank account and deposit the 800,000 baht and meet the time lines, etc I learnt another lesson. When you apply to change your visa, mine is a 90 day tourist visa, you are instructed to get a bank statement and have your bank book updated on the day you submit your Non O application. This seems easy but be aware, you also have to make sure to make a small transaction to be recorded in the bank book that same day.

By coincidence a fellow applicant banking with Kasikorn Bank found this a real issue because his bank insisted they don’t update the statement on the day. In my case, I deposited some baht through the bank’s atm and then updated my passbook also by atm at the same time.

Myself and the other applicant also found we’d been neatly conned? because my particular Immigration office requires 15 days to process the Non O application and both our visas had only 14 days remaining, so we had to apply for an extension of the existing visa. I got stung for 2,000 baht and they tried to do him for 4,600 baht but in the end he got the same charge as me.

Both of us have been assured we will get a 3 month retirement visa initially, followed by the full Non O visa after an appropriate application to extend. We can learn our application outcome on 8 March.

If you consider what myself and the other guy went through too much, then choose an agent. However, hopefully the clues I’ve provided will make it easier for you do yourself. Took myself and the other guy the best part of two days and two trips to our banks to achieve what we did. Should be possible to do easily in one day in hindsight.

Make sure you read the fine print. I was looking into cheap Thai insurance policies for that purpose and thought I'd found a good one l, until my partner noted you are liable for the first 1m baht expenses, although it does meet the Thai Government visa requirements apparently 😆

@Andy ****

Based on my experience with the Royal Thai Embassy in Australia it’s better to apply in Thailand as others have recommended. I think the Life Partner being referred to is what is classified as a ‘defacto relationship’ in Australia. Has very similar legal implications as formal marriage there but not in Thailand.

After a 20 year long distance relationship, i just married my Thai partner in Australia -much easier than in Thailand. However, I’m not going to bother with the marriage visa in Thailand, just going with the non O retirement visa.

@Dan *******

That's the path I'm taking, wasn't impressed with the advice I got from the Embassy in Canberra. Currently, in Thailand on 90 day tourist visa. Don’t need health insurance. (Although I have comprehensive travel insurance anyhow). Don't need proof of income either, only admin hassle is to get bank statement from my Thai bank to show minimum 800k baht a/c balance, which I've had since mid 2023.

I'm with Krungthai and very happy with the service and the app.

@Peter ********

if you’ve lived here before you may already have a Thai bank account but if not that’s probably more of an issue for you. In my case it was very easy but I’ve read on various forums that it can be a hassle, depending on which bank you approach and the bank’s location.

@Peter ********

Wise transfer Thai baht to your Thai bank once they’ve converted your home currency. I’ve used Wise for years now for large, up to the maximum allowed single transfer and for regular living expenses transfers. It takes seconds to transfer from my Wise account in Australia to my Khrungthai Next account.