If you have the means, the LTR wealthy pensioner visa is definitely the way to go. Yearly address reporting (versus quarterly for everyone else), multiple entry, no income taxes on money transferred in, & assistance at the airport & also with opening a bank account, are just some of the benefits. All you need is to prove $80k annual passive income to the Thailand Board of Investment (BOI).

UK passport for entering/leaving UK AND checking into flight both going & coming. Thai passport only for entering/leaving Thailand.

We made the mistake once of my wife showing both passports to the airlines; they listed her as a Thai citizen which flagged her upon return to the U.S. since she left the U.S. on her American passport. A discrepancy. American immigration lady yelled at me, suggesting my lack of understanding caused the problem.

@Peter *********

Honestly, Peter, who cares?

So, you feel misunderstood then?

@Peter *********

You are, of course, correct. But a bit uptight. English speakers are notorious for simplifying language for convenience, such as referring to physical education class as gym when technically “gym” refers to a place for working out with weights. So, rather than speak from an elitist podium with “I have an extension based on a non-immigrant type O visa based on marriage” while retaining a firm, straight face without laughing, isn’t it easier to just call it marriage visa? Yes, it’s not technically correct, but who cares? Are we worried about speaking or teaching correct English? In Thailand???

And if we go this route, then shouldn’t our written prose equally be subjected to the same judgemental strictness (e.g., commas should always appear after the word, “so,” when beginning a sentence)?

Don’t mean to go overboard here, but it just seems too many people on this forum get hung up on the precise wording to use when referring to visas. “Retirement visa” or “marriage visa” is simple & universally understood.

@Steve ********

There is an unofficial caste system in Thailand. If you have a Thai friend who’s considered above the working class (e.g., military officers, police, school teachers, doctors, & so on), bring them with you & you’ll have no problem opening an account.

Retirement is better, if you have the means. But … If Thai citizenship is on your horizon AND/OR you want to apply for a work permit, go with Married option.

While I cannot answer your question, I recently read online that the LTR approval rate hovers around 30%. I hope yours goes through.

I too will be applying for the LTR visa this summer, based solely on retirement incomes. For me, it’s about timing. Need to sell my house first, knowing you have to enter Thailand within two months (?) of visa approval.

@Steve ******

No I’m not. When I first moved to Thailand in 2004, the non-O was not an option at the Thai Consulate in LA. In fact, a couple of friends I subsequently made in Thailand that tried but had to settle for the non-OA, later regretted it after learning you could switch from tourist to non-O after arriving in Thailand.

@Ruth ******

Yes, the Royal Thai Consulate General. Sorry if I don’t know the difference, though I actually don’t care. I tried to provide some info, an afterthought, & you want to go to town with me, first by stating categorically that I was wrong ( I wasn’t) & then on semantics?

I don’t need this. Commenters like you are the reason knowledgeable folks like me avoid sharing info.