@Gary *******

when entering Thailand on a Non-Imm-O Retirement visa, you will get stamped in for a 90-days stay permit. The visa itself will become void and invalid for further use. You should immediately get a Thai bank account opened and transfer the required 800,000+ THB. You can then apply for a 1-year Extension of the Stay Permit based on being over50/retired on Immigration as soon as your minimum of 800,000 THB have been sitting in your Thai bank account for 2 months - and you bring to Immigration the "bank letter of guarantee" which certifies this on the day you apply

when you apply for the Non-O Retirement Visa in the UK, you EITHER need the equivalent of 800,000 THB in your UK bank account, OR show proof of a monthly income of a minimum of the equivalent of 65,000 THB using original documents. . . . . . . . .however for the application to the 1-year Extension of the Stay Permit based on Retirement, your need 800,000 Thai Baht in a Thai bank account in your sole name since 2 months on the day of application, because you cannot use your income proof on the Thai Immigration (your embassy doesn't issue certified income affidavits)

@Stephen *******

well, and you are already on the "1-year Extension of Stay based on Retirement", then this 90-days Non-Immigrant visa from Chiang Mai in your passport is already invalid. I do not think that Immigration in Pattaya is going to transfer the 90-days visa stamp to your new passport, they normally only transfer valid stamps, which would be the extension stamp

Immigration will only transfer their own stamps. This means, they will transfer the existing "extension of stay" stamp and any re-entry permit you might have bought for it. . . . . . If you are about to re-enter Thailand, the "admitted until" stamp will go into the new passport, but you will have to show both passports and the "extension stamp" you are on, in order to get stamped in correctly until the expiry date of the existing extension. The visa itself was on a piece of paper, the visa you used before is already invalid. You are in Thailand on an "extended stay permit", not on a visa

the Royal Thai Embassy Vientiane has gained a small reputation as being one of the most easy-going embassy in the South-East Asian region. So their workload is predictably large. It is as it is. Vientiane is a nice place and you even could make a tour to Luang Prabang or Vang Vieng in the meantime while you wait. Even in the event you are invited for a personal interview, you can get back to Vientiane within hours by the new fast train between these locations

@Bent ************

there is no guarantee that the airline will accept a bus, train or ferry ticket as an onward travel proof. Many airlines insist it has to be a "real" flight ticket

@John ********

Lufthansa is know as being somewhat strict in ensuring the IATA conformity rules. And keep in mind: If a flight is overbooked, which happens very often, the airline will use the onward-travel proof to sweep out a few passengers. I am not kidding - this is reality, it is insider knowledge

@John ********

good luck with that. . you never know. There are airlines that only accept a REAL flight ticket. Not a bus or train or speedboat ticket

@Frank ********

that's why I always recommend to ask the airline by email. You can then print out their email reply and take it to the check-in. On a telephone, people like to talk all kind of nonsense

@Kim ********

I know, Thai Immigration in their bad bad English do not make any difference between a visa and a stay permit. . . A few Immigration offices have learned and started to call the "visa extensions" correctly for what they are: