One or two mils. 4 or 5 if you have a really marketable idea...

@Stuart *********

Stuart for Retirement how do they ensure that you spend the money in Thailand?

Joe, they force you to spend $100,000+ in Thailand:

"Financial qualifications

(a) Applicants must have money deposited in Thai bank located in Thailand with the amount of not less than 3 million Baht; or

(b) Applicants must have money deposited in Thai bank located in Thailand with the amount of not less than 1.8 million Baht and have income with the amount of not less than 1.2 million Baht per year. Once the applicants enter Thailand, they must have accumulated money deposited in Thai bank located in Thailand not less than 3 million Baht within 1 year.

The money in (a) and (b) must be kept in bank account at least 1 year before withdrawing and, within another next year, the money must be left in the account with the amount of not less than 1.5 million Baht and CAN ONLY BE SPENT IN THAILAND."

Insurance also required.

@Philip *********

Doing nothing is right. Will they let you put your money in a CD or investment account?

I would say that, if the extra weight you are carrying is due to saddlebags full of gold and platinum, you should have no problems! Just bravely go forward where you have never gone before.

My impression is that the Immigration officer uses his own judgment. If you have bloodstains on a torn t-shirt and needle scars on your forearms, he might not trust that you will leave in a timely fashion. OnwardTicket dot com is an easy fix. Even cheaper: when you are about to go through passport control, buy a ticket online with 24 hours cancellation time. Cancel after you pass through Immigration. Check in advance that cancellation will incur no fees.

@David ********

wow, I will reread the criteria. I thought it required a Thai spouse or other Thai relative.

@David ********

David, for an O visa you need to have a Thai relative. (Small detail.)

Stuart, for tbe O-X visa you need the health insurance. I think you are right, David: I'm probably not going to like what they tell me, either. I don't like buying wirthlesd insurance or watching $100,000 sit in a savings account for a year earning no interest. Citizens Access will soon be paying 3%. (It's all rather comical, really...)

@David ********

and Stuart Cumming, oh! Wow! I will have to check to see if I qualify for an O visa. Probably not. That would be too easy.... Is that because for an O visa you need to have a gazillion baht in your Thai account - and they figure they can just confiscate your funds if you suddenly need quadruple bypass heart surgery?

Steve and John, thank you! I've gathered that you can't put the money into an investment account of, say, Bangkok Bank. It has to be a simple savings account (that pays virtually no interest)? And I assume for the O visa you have to have the same local health insurance that is required for the O-A visa? It's funny that they won't let you demonstrate adequate funds to cover and medical procedure (instead of buying high-deductible, rather useless insurance that overlaps with the insurance you already have back home).