Joe Leeds at Chaninat & Leeds is an American lawyer at a Bangkok law firm. I used them for my prenuptial agreement and marriage documents. I would use them again. Check their website for the areas of law that they practice. They are very near the Nana BTS station in the Trendy building.

@Ellie ******

Thanks. This is useful. I’m going in for my 1 year check-in in June.

Congratulations. I got my pensioner LTR January 2023. I transferred the visa to a new passport in June 2023 and the BOI staff took care of everything. Very easy. I will be going for my 1 year check-in in June.

@Joseph ********

Wherever they tell you to send it then send it there. Read the instructions. Don’t assume it is Manila.

They send you the form to the address you gave them. They will tell you where to send it and if I recall it wasn’t Manila. I recall sending it EMS to the US

@Michael ******

Also a helmet

@Andreas ********

I can see that there are some people that live in Thailand part time. They are in the US anyway so that really isn’t a cost. That’s not me but I am aware that some people just keep getting OA visas.

Often the issue is dissatisfaction with Thai banks. They don’t trust them or they believe that the higher earnings outside Thailand are a preferable choice. That’s rational but also not me.

@Graham *****

Which is exactly what I did. Deposit 800,000 plus my monthly operating funds. I have no problems with my Thai bank but most of my savings remain in the US.

Going back to the US to apply for another OA would be expensive and a major PIA but if that banking feature of an OA is important to you then you have that option.

I assume you mean the 800,000 required to extend your stay for 1 year. You have already been on this visa or permission to stay for 1-2 years.

I move my money from my US bank to my Thai bank with wire transfers. I got my first extension of stay 18 months after I first entered Thailand on my OA visa. I moved the 800k during that 18 months. I don’t recall anyone asking about where it came from. I gave them a bank statement and I am pretty certain none of the wire transfers were coded as from a foreign source because typically they were coded as from a domestic source presumably having been routed through another Thai bank.

@Andreas ********

Then let's call it a 1 year extension of stay which is what I usually call it depending on the structure of the sentence. TM7 form.

Of course, there is no need to leave/re-enter during that first year so what is it that you are extending?