@Richard ********

Under the E-visa system this is NOT true. Eg in the U.K. non U.K. passport holders must show evidence of residence to apply. It states this clearly on the Embassy website. There is also a fairly lengthy list of nationalities that then have to physically go to the Embassy with that proof before they can apply.

@Richard ********

Yes, but in this case her parents aren’t going to be here and do a side trip to get a visa and an agent here won’t be if any help, as she implied when asking for one. They can’t get the visa in Thailand and a local agent won’t help. They need to apply for the visa where they live before travelling.

Context is everything - which is clearly beyond you.

@Gia ******************

They will need to apply to the Thai Embassy in their country of residence. If it is not the same as their passport country they will need proof of legal residence in that country. Many countries now use the online system to apply for visas but some do not. It depends where your parents live.

@Brandon ***********

I know plenty of people that have the money in the bank and use an agent as it’s far more convenient. Absolutely no problem if they decide to then do it themselves as the bank book shows sufficient funds. It’s a pretty usual thing to do. Everyone who uses an agent isn’t trying a dodge. Plenty do it for convenience.

It’s very unusual to do an out of province thing. 99% + of people that use agents do so where they reside.

@Sarick *********

Not true. There’s a lot of nonsense posted on here about using agents - usually by people that have never used them and don’t know what they’re talking about. I’m not recommending anyone use an agent but at least as far as Retirement Visas are concerned there are no issues if you use a reliable agent.

@John ******

Absolutely not true.

@Brandon ***********

Sorry, that’s not true. I know several people that used an agent for the initial conversion to Non O and first Extension then did each subsequent extension themselves. No issues at all.

@Kim ********

then they are wrong.

No.

RTE London are pretty good and can be flexible. If you are both applying for your own visas then you will both need to meet the individual requirements though.

You can both try submitting the same joint bank account statements and they might accept them. If you already have a pension then you can use that as proof of funds but your wife can show 3 months of least £10k in the bank.

I showed a travel insurance policy when I applied for the Non O. You only need 90 days of coverage. You won’t need Health Insurance for annual Extensions.

You can try applying without a return flight and if they insist just buy a cheap flight out of Thailand within the time frame, or one you can cancel.

You can show a hotel booking for a few days or so as proof of invite/address.