I can personally vouch for the owner and the company. Iglu has BOI approval and can therefore facilitate the employment of a large number of expats without the need for the 4-Thai-per-farang rule. It's a fair and reasonable way to operate legally in Thailand as a kind of independent developer / digital nomad. If you set up your own company, it will cost you about the same in the end but you will be responsible for all the admin (taxes, insurance, visas, returns, auditing, etc. etc.). You can also operate as a small entrepreneurial team under the auspices of the company.. The paperwork for your family is processed as well.

you don't need to put money in the bank 3 months prior etc etc. get an affidavit from your consulate attesting that you have min. ฿400k income last year. usually 2 weeks or less by post, some consulates offer same-day.

Write to the British Consulate in Bangkok with (copies of) evidence of your total annual income - which should add up to ฿800,000. Within two weeks, they will send you an income letter that you present to immigration. (If you do it today and explain that you need the letter back urgently then they may be able to send it in time.) No need to muck about with cash in bank that needs to be "seasoned". The cost is £52.

Ken, it's SO much easier to get an affidavit from the British Consulate stating that you have an annual income of ฿400,000. You only need to include some kind of evidence with your request, such as copies of your last year's bank statements or a pension letter or audited accounts or tax returns. It costs £54 and is done by post. it takes about 2 weeks to get the letter back, which you then present to the immigration authorities as part of your application for extension. Start the process about a month before your visa extension is due and it's usually fairly straight-forward.

Yes, but only at certain offices and in certain circumstances (including non-O for the purposes of a retirement visa) and it's tricky; but you also need to have 3 (pref. 4) weeks left on your tourist visa... and in Darren's case, he'll have to go out anyway, in which case just get a non-O visa and be done with it. If your situation is non-standard in some way, get it done professionally!!

You probably can because you don't apply for the retirement visa straight away. You only get a non-O visa and then about a month later you go in to get the retirement visa.

I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure you have to go to a Thai consulate (outside Thailand of course) to apply for the non-O. And, yes, you will need the affidavit in order to do so. Darren, you have so many questions. Get it done professionally! It may cost a bit extra, but you'll probably save a lot of time and money in the long run....

Some people will tell you that you can do it yourself. Yes, maybe, if you can speak Thai or have someone who can do so reliably. I'd rather pay a professional agent to help you prepare everything PROPERLY the first time (remember, you also need to report your address to immigration every 90 days, either in person, by mail a month before the due date or online 15 days before the due date... if the website is functioning, that is).

The income letter is valid 6 months, which means you need to apply for your non-O visa (or renew your retirement visa) within this time. The retirement visa is usually 12 months. Some consulates only accept applications for your "income letter" by mail (which is actually much more convenient of course)...