I'm no expert but here's my take on it. If you qualify for the retirement extension on a non-O visa (over 50 and have 800,000 Baht in a Thai bank or bring in 65,000 Baht each month) then there is nothing stopping you from getting it. You only have to do the 90 day reporting while you are in Thailand and can come and go as you wish so long as you have a re-entry permit (single or multiple). I have friends that live about 6 months in UK and the other 6 months in Thailand and they are on the non-O visa retirement I also have a friend who used to return to Austrailia 4 or 5 times a year on the same non-O retirement and if you are intending to spend more than 180 days a year in Thailand then this is the right visa/extension. The only time you would HAVE to be in Thailand is when you renew it, you only do the 90 day when you say 90 days in thailand and it stops/resets as soon as you leave.

Michael Woodcock It's not something I know enough to comment on, sorry I can't help any more. The reason for my comment is that I have a friend who fell foul of this problem so I thought it is worth commenting on.

When you return to Thailand make sure you point out the retirement extension (a lot of people just call it a retirement visa) and the re-entry permit and don't just get stamped the day visa waiver as that stamp would cancel your retirement extension.

You don't say what country so I'm going to guess it's one that doesn't need to get a visa before travelling and would normally get a visa waver or visa on arrival. If it was me I would have him get a tourist vise before travelling rather than hoping that they will issue a visa waver or visa on arrival at the Thai airport. If they won't issue a tourist visa then you know he won't get in. Also as I've said in previous posts the airlines are responsible for bringing back people that are refused entry so there is a very small possibility he might not even be allowed to board the flight. Don't just hope, be prepared.

I have had someone tell me I was wrong for saying that you can renew at any time if you have a valid reason but the visa will run for 1 year from date of issue unless it is withing 40 day of expiry of the old one. I was told this in Immigration when I went to renew my visa in Pattaya before trabeling up to Khon Kaen and not knowing if I would be back in time as it was I was 38 days from expiry so it was a normal reneway. Also my brother who is also on a retirement visa extension had to return to UK for medical reasons a few years back and he was about half way through the year and was expecting a long stay and again he was able to renew his so it is possible but probably down to the Immigration officer is he/she thinks it's acceptable.

I moved from Pattaya to Khon Kaen 3 years ago. All I did was go to the Immigration office in Khon Kaen and registered my new address. I use Kasikorn bank so things were easy, I went to the local Kasikorn bank together with a residency certificate from Immigration shortly after arriving here and had no problems opening a new account but as I had all my UK bank transfers setup for my Pattaya account I left that as it was. When my retirement extension was due I just went to my local branch in Khon Kaen and they issued the statement and letter based on my Pattaya account. So long as you register your new address there shouldn't be any problems but don't expect things to be easy if you don't register and try to do a 90 day or retirement renewal in a different office to the one you are registered with. I'm not saying you can't as I don't know but I could see it being a problem

I am seeing so many comments about using an agent to do some of the simplest things I think these posts are probably by people associated with agents so do you own checking before spending your money on an agent. An agent might be needed but for a lot of posts I've seen it's not

I'm seeing a lot of comments about using an agent, just be aware that Immigration has been clamping down on this. One bank for instance apparently now locks the 800,000 baht in the account for 3 months after issuing a renewal letter to stop the money being put in just before the renewal & taken out immediately after plus for those areas that agents can bypass the system they appear to be increasing cost a lot, I've recently seen comments that it now costs between 50,000 and 70,000 to do a renewal without the money in the bank. I can't confirm this as I have the money in the bank and do my own extension. I wouldn't bypass the system myself as I don't want to be deported and have to wait 3 or 5 years before being able to return as I have a wife & good life here.

John Hicks As I often say, I'm no expert and only reply with what I have been told or experienced first hand. When I came to Thailand in 2012 on a non-O visa with the intention of retiring here I came on a one-way flight with no booking to leave Thailand and was refused boarding at the airport, I then showed them my non-O visa and explained that I was going to get a retirement extension and didn't intend to leave and they let me board. As far as I know as long as you have some booking to leave Thailand and I think (don't know for sure) that if you have a flight to say Vietnam withing the duration of your visa then that's fine. Having said that I know a lot of people come to Thailand with return flights booked more than 60 days and less than 90 days because they are expecting to get a 30 day extension but the extension isn't guaranteed and you might get refused entry or boarding. Some people are recommending booking a return flight within the 60 days and changing it after arriving, really cheap flight to Vietnam during the 60 days might be the cheapest option especially if it can be cancelled.

Gavin Yip Yes, that's how I understand it and as I said. I've lived here for 14 years and it's always been a requirement during that time to have the 800,000 in the bank for 3 months prior to an extension renewal, the only changes were that you now also need to keep the 800,000 in the bank for 3 months after and it must stay above 400,000 for the entire year. I also agree that the best place for advice is the local Immigration office not here on an expat posting site but if you aren't in Thailand then you might have to use the internet which is why we all reply to posts and try to help.