@Greg **********

exactly. I based my reply on his amount of $1163 in social security which is far below the threshold. On the official Thai Evisa website, it states 65k (currently over $2,000 USD per month) monthly income. This is under the category Retirement "pensioner aged 50 or above with state pension..." So while it doesn't specifically say this amount HAS to be fully from pension (or social security for US purposes) it also DOESN'T say that either. Thus, in my case, and I believe the OP's, the 800k is advisable.

@Ling ****

understood. I based my answers on the OP being from America and my personal experiences as an American getting a Non-O retirement visa and 1 year extension.

@Ling ****

It's income from other sources, not wages earned from employment. I had income on my tax return. The key element here is wages. This is line 1A on the tax return "total amount from Form(s) W-2, box 1". Income from lines 2-6 is acceptable.

@Steve ******

I appreciate the clarification. That being said, in my situation, to open my Thai bank account, they required me to "prove that you are retired". The only way to do this was to show my previous years tax return with ZERO income from wages. Since the OP is from the US, I wouldn't want him to get his 90 day Non-O and get to Thailand and not be able to open a bank account.

@Stephan **********

To season the 800k it has to be in a Thai bank account. To open a Thai bank account on the initial 90 day Non-O retirement account, I was required to prove that I am retired. The only way to do that was to show ZERO income from wages on my previous years tax return. This was my personal experience, so if others have successfully opened an account while still working, more power to them.

@Erik **********

I certainly didn't deliberately misinform. When I opened my bank account, they asked for a "letter or document" from the United States stating that I am retired. Since no such thing exists, I showed my previous years tax return showing ZERO income from wages. So I'm not sure if the bank will allow you to open an account if you are still working (obviously not in Thailand)

Short answer - no.

The retirement visa means that you are retired. So income earned from working, even though it's not in Thailand, is not acceptable. To apply for the initial Non-O retirement visa it is required to show a bank balance equal to 800k THB. The $1163 you get from social security is not even half of the required 65k THB, so your only option is the 800k.

Just to be clear - The 65k THB is only for a renewal - thus 800k is truly your only option for the initial application and 1 year extension.

I think your best option would be soft power under medical care.

Join the DTV Facebook group for more info specific to the DTV.

@Vicki ******

Might I suggest a trip to Vietnam. That's where we did our Non-O and it was quite easy AND we really enjoyed Vietnam. It takes 5 business days to complete the process. If you have any questions feel free to message me 😊