@Jim *********

Conc. 800k฿. I think first extension (When no income statement as for UK), is always 800k฿ (both) needed ? Only from 2nd year extension on, you can use 12 months of international transfer of 65k฿ (each).

Check y'r request ? School is with 'ED' (From EDucation) visa I think 🤷‍♂️ Maybe asked non imm. O with another category like volunteering or so. If you really requested a non imm. O (based on retirement 🤷‍♂️) they should correct it.

@Randall ******

Sorry, never had to use the e-visa site, so I din't know. Already live in Thailand for over 8 years. Then I had to go to the Thai Embassy in the Netherlands myself. To live here I then bought a non imm. O single entry visa, and after 60 days I bought a year extension which I do every year with the Thai immigration every year.

Visa OA is multi entry, but indeed if you go for a year extension you have to have a single or multi re-entry permit. Take care of y'r health insurance. Y'r extension will be as long as y'r health insurance is valid.

Well, as a first longer trip to Thailand, maybe a Multi Entry Tourist visa is an option like others say. But after 60 days (or 90 if you have an extension of 30 days), you have to leave the country and can come back which allows you for another 60 days (with possible extension of 30 days).

If you really want an almost hassle free stay, and you qualify, maybe a non imm. OA visa is an option. (e.g. you must have health insurance and police clearance of good behaviour). This visa gives you a whole year of stay and is multi entry, so during that year you can leave and come back as much as you want. But then you have to do a 90 day report if you stay more than 90 days in Thailand. (rather easy process). If later you want to fully retire and/or want to live in Thailand, with this visa you can also already open a Thai bank account.

I think not relevant yet, but every time you go out of Thailand and come in again, y'r stamped in for a whole year until the expiration date of that visa. So if you leave just before that expiration date, you get a whole year of stay again. But watch out: this stay is not multi entry anymore, so then you need a re-entry permit. Also you need the health insurance for that whole year.

Good luck ! 🙏

@Mario ********

Okay 👍. With a Non imm O single entry visa, no need for a return ticket.

However, look to the price differences between single and return. For me it's 8 years ago, so not sure if it still works out. I bought a return ticket from Eva Air for 600€ (yep, the good days). A single was 550€. I took care that my return date was 4 or 5 months later than my arrival date. This was a tip from some people to take this return as a sort of 'insurance' that you could go back. This because I was never such a long time in Thailand before. Only 5 weeks at the max. So it was only 50€ more expensive then a single ticket.

After 4 or 5 months I was sure that I would stay nor having any trouble with being homesick or so.

Because I always had pleasant flights with them, I decided to call them and said I won't be flying on my return date, so they could give away my seat to somebody else. Then the man said, "you can ask for a refund". I asked how much that was, and he said 150€ !!!

After some clicking on their website, after 2 or 3 weeks I got 150€ back in my bank account. So at last my single trip was only 450€, instead of 550€ , ha ha.

Maybe worth checking. Good luck ! 🙏

@Andreas ********

I also read from a 'Visa guru' (Maybe the same 🤷‍♂️) that IF y'r Embassy still issues an income statement, that it's even not possible to use 12 month deposits for the year extension. Besides the 800k฿ path ofcourse.

@Mario ********

Snap ik. I understand, but I think it's nice to stay in English, because of some other respondents.

@Mario ********

Well, look to the (very long 👍) answers of Andreas.

Especially the answer on an income statement from y'r Embassy in Bangkok. That prevents you from putting 800k฿ in a Thai bank.

However I would open a bank account for sure (with the non imm. O visa) and start transfering 65k฿-plus, in that account every month. You can use it immediately after it is in. I mean you need money to live in Thailand anyway ofcourse. This I mention also as a tip because more and more Embassies stop giving such an income statement.

E.g. Canada and I thought Norway already did this year.

Then you have no real problem to get a new year extension should the Belgian Embassy also stop.

Continue this also when you are those 3 months in Belgium.

The route I followed: (8 years already)

Bought a non imm. O single entry

Arranged an income statement from the Dutch Embassy in Bangkok (For Netherlands it's called 'visumondersteuningsbrief' 🙄)

Gathered all needed forms for a year extension, like TM7, STM2, etc.

Went to imm. office after 60 days in Thailand and got the year extension for 1,900฿.

(If you want to leave and come back on this extension, you also need a single re'entry permit to keep y'r extension alive. Form TM8 and costs 1,000฿)

Then every year you have to come back to Thailand before y'r expiration date of that year extension and repeat everything concerning the year extension and re'entry permit.

Good luck ! 🙏

@Nongnuch *******

Ahhh, maybe that's it indeed...