It simply asks for a personal bank account in your name only. There is no designation of what style of account

Anonymous participant did you file income tax last year anywhere?

Okay, if you are serious about this permanent move to Thailand, take it in steps, and this is a little more detailed to what everyone has said so far. First, set up separate bank accounts in Australia for both you and your wife in each of your names, with at least the equivalent of bt800,000+ each, not a joint account, this makes some future details much easier. For your next trip here go onto this website, and apply for the type O visa based on retirement, and each of you do this so you each have separate visas, and why you need two bank accounts. This gives you each 90 days in Thailand when you enter. You've got 90 days to use it once it is issued, and is bt2000. That this gives both of you is the needed expat visas to open your Thai bank accounts without having to use an expensive agent to do it. Sure you could come in on a visa exempt 60 day free entry, but you can not get a Thai bank account on any tourist entry anymore by yourself, and in the future you will both need your own type O visa extension (one year at a time), so you both need your own bank accounts to do that, as not every immigration office allows joint accounts for both your retirement visa extensions. Also, it gives you the ability to use electronic payments here with no problem on your first vacation. When you decide where you actually want to live, and long term, your Thai bank accounts will have been taken care of, as they do not disappear, and you can get another type O visa for the initial 90 days living here, and the time to get your money transferred into Thailand for your long term visa extensions. This is the easiest long term visa extension to get. As soon as your bt800,000 baht has been in your accounts for at least two months, you can apply for your one year extensions, at bt1900 each.



Foreigners can not own land. You can only lease it, for upto 30 years. You can own condos though. Bangkok is very good to base out of. Best medical is in Bangkok. Best food selection is in Bangkok. And, you can go most anywhere in South East Asia and all of Thailand, in just a few hours. It is very nice living here. Also, make sure you have your health insurance worked out here, as the older you get the less choices you have. Private hospitals are the most expensive, as they are for profit. The government, and university hospitals are top quality, and about as expensive. Don't be fooled by promotions by some of the private hospitals, all doctors speak English.

Anonymous participant you seem to have money so just buy the Privilege Visa, that used to be called the Elite Visa, from bt600,000 for five years, to bt3million for 20 years, or you could go the actual Investment Visa route through the BOI, still with a minimum bt10million in approved investments, and now does allow approved condo purchases, as part, or all, of the minimum financial requirement.

As long as you follow a pattern of an actual tourist, and not someone trying to live here long term as a tourist, you'll be fine. That involves staying at least 5-7 days or longer in other countries surrounding Thailand, not the same place everytime either. There are lots of long term tourists that base out of Bangkok, traveling all over South East Asia, for years. As soon as immigration decides you are trying to stay here long term as a tourist they will refuse entry.

@AliJames ****

yes, but you were using the wrong terminology, and with visa and extensions it can avoid confusion. Of course you can get the 90 day type O inside Thailand, but you need the money in the bank here to do it. Then the only way to keep it if you leave Thailand and come back is by buying a re-entry permit.

Just remember though, you need more money in the bank for the DTV, bt500,000, than you do for the type O one year extension, at just bt400,000.

Anonymous participant here is a route if you are serious, and want to live here the rest of your life. First, enroll in university, and go to school to fluently learn Thai language, and to an extent formal history, and culture. This will at the very least give you formal language skills and cultural understanding at the Thai level. A good talent to have if living here, and in no way will it affect your SSDI. You can do this for 4 years, as long as you pass your classes. During this time, and I am assuming you are single, you will meet many educated single Thai women. If you get married you can get a long term marriage visa extension, and have serious non-judgemental companionship, and realistically for the rest of your life, and it will not affect your SSDI at all. Even with a disability you are very valuable as husband material, and it doesn't affect your SSDI. At the very least it gives you four years to act on the options you find for long term stay here. The DTV is not your best option at this point.

@AliJames ****

when done inside Thailand it is called an extension as you can not get a visa inside Thailand. Also you need to buy either a single entry, or a multi-entry re-entry permit to be able to leave the country, and come back on the same extension type. What you did before no longer exists so get all of that out of your head. You need bt400,000+ in your bank account. There are no longer any exceptions to this.

@AliJames ****

not for the initial 90 day extension. For the one year extension yes, plus the rest of the documents.