The easiest route is: 1. Apply for a non-O visa based on retirement for 90 days from the Thai Embassy in your country. 2. Enter Thailand ensuring immigration stamp you in with the visa. 3. Go to immigration and get a list of requirements to extend your stay and a residence permit. 4. Open a Thai bank account. 5. Deposit 800,000 baht in the account within the first three weeks of arrival. 6. Wait two months until your money has been in the account for two months and return to immigration with all the documents on their list. Fill out one a4 form (easy), a map of where you live (copied from Google), some passport photos, lots of photocopies, pay 1,900 baht and you are good for another year.

Ignore Bill's advice or you will regret it when you get here. It used to be possible a year or two ago to come without a visa, but now you will have massive problems. Listen to the advice given by the moderators (Brandon) and people like Lynette.

He can lease a property when he gets here, with a contract that includes a copy of the owners id card and blue book. That's what I did. No need for lawyers.

Seems very strange Paul, did they give you a reason?

Probably a silly question, but could he get a non O-A visa for the first year, open a bank account, deposit 12 months at 65,000 and then leave Thailand, apply for a non-O, return to Thailand and extend it based on the 65,000? Or would he still need to deposit 800k?

I can see two options for you. 1. If you can get the income affidavit from your Embassy (I think you can, but I could be wrong) that's the best option. Apply for the non-O retirement online at the Thai Embassy before coming to Thailand. 2. Failing that you can apply for a non O-A visa instead, it requires insurance and police checks, but means you don't need to deposit 800k in a Thai bank. When in Thailand you can open a bank account, deposit 65,000 per month and for the next year use that method instead (I think that would work, but someone correct me if not). There is the third option others have mentioned getting an agent to use their money, but that would not be a good idea at a time when banks and visas are being scrutinised. Good luck.

What is he going to do if he has a medical emergency if he doesn't have 800k? If he has insurance he can get the non o-a visa instead. I think that's the reason the 800k rule was introduced.

I can read, what's your point?

@Steve ********

bypassing the rules seems like a huge mistake these days with the clamp down on banking and visas, but it's up to him I guess.