@Damo *****

you only can achieve almost 9 months, if you do a re-entry on the very last day of the visa validity. . . What you did during the 6 months before the visa validity expired - meaning regardless you did 30 days extensions or border runs, it does not matter at all. It has no influence onto the last 60 days admitted stay. And you only will get close to 9 months if an Immigration officer is willing to give you a 30 days extension, or if you get granted a visa-exempt entry before the last 60 days expire. This will be decided at the sole discretion of the immigration officer. Many people are known to have just achieved 8 months out of the METV, and being refused any extensions

@Stephen ******************

OMG! 😎😃 what a heckmeck! . . . the 6 hour border run with a "visa run company" from Bangkok to Poipet/Aranyaprathet, is cheaper by 400 THB (it's 3500 THB) and takes much less time and effort. The visa run company makes sure the wheels at the border are "greased"

@Kobe *****

You cannot apply for a 365-days Multi Entry Non-Imm-O Retirement Visa inside Thailand

You will need to apply in your home country.

It could be applied for in Thailand’s neighbor countries, however I have noticed many of the embassies & consulates are discontinuing this option. Only applications for Single Entry 90-days Non-Imm-O visa are remaining.

You can enter Thailand on a simple 60-days Tourist Visa and apply for the “change of visa type” from the TR-visa to a 90-days Non-Imm-O Retirement visa on Immigration, as long as 15 days are remaining on your stay permit stamp. You need proof of 800.000.- THB in your Thai bank account on the day of the application, so no problem, you already got that proof.

Up from 30 days left from the 90 days, as soon as the bank certifies in a letter that the 800.000.- THB have been sitting in your account a minimum of 2 months, you can apply for the “1-year extension of stay permit based on retirement/over 50 years old”

No health insurance proof needed for the whole process. Neither before nor after.

You will have to renew the “1-year EOS” every other year. In case you wish to travel outside Thailand, you will need to buy a re-entry permit in order to keep your extended stay permit alive

Following the Link for the “change of visa type” off the Immigration website. Your requirements would be listed under number 9, just click on the text

@Damo *****

every SIXTY days. 90 days only if you include a 30-days extension for 1900.- THB to the initial 60 days

Well, I prefer to stick to the correct wording, because I am giving Thai visa-related advice in a dozen of groups for many years 😇

you can buy 1000.- THB single re-entry permits each time before you exit Thailand, and after three exits you still are 800.- THB good compared against having bought a multi re-entry permit. If you are sure that you will exit and re-enter more often than 3 times during the validity period, then a multi entry is a good choice. And YES, it is 200.- THB more at the airport re-entry counter

allow me to clarify but one thing,

@Ally ***********

: the 12 month "thing" is not a "visa". The visa you began the procedure with, has long ago expired. Immigration is too lazy to make a difference between a "visa" and a "stay permit". They wrongly talk about a "visa extension", yet actually they do nor extend any visa, they will be extending your "stay permit". A visa is used when entering the country, and upon entering, you will receive a stay permit for a certain duration of time. You will be able to see this when you receive the final stamp in your passport. It will say "extension of stay permitted until . . and the date" and there will be zero indication that this stamp would be kind of a "visa stamp". It is a "one year stay permit based on marriage with a thai wife", period

I don't see why you would not be able to get a Non-imm-O Retirement visa, and the subsequent Extension of Stay for it. As there is no insurance requirement neither for the visa, if you apply for it on Immigration inside Thailand (by using the "change of visa type" application), nor for the 1-year extension

@Robert ********

Apply for a Non-Imm-O Retirement visa in your home country – insurance needed for the whole duration you get with this visa (90 days or 365 days) and proof of 5000.- Euros in your bank account. No insurance needed anymore when going from the visa to the Extension of Stay Permit

Apply inside Thailand for a “change of visa type” from a Tourist Visa to a 90-days Non-Imm-O Retirement visa – NO insurance needed but need to show 800,000.- THB in your Thai bank account. No seasoning time needed. However when going from the visa to the extension of stay permit, the 800K must have been in the account for 2 months

You can apply for a 365-days Non-imm-O/A visa only in your home country. You will need insurance for a full year after entry, and you will need to show 20.000.- Euro in your home country bank account

. .and a WORD OF WARNING: the so called "onwardtickets" are viewed very critically by most airlines since the beginning of this year, as the fines for rule violation have been increased. You run the risk to meet a check-in crew that doesn't accept the "onwardticket", which actually is not a real ticket but just a reservation