Wanting to work out the easiest, but not so pricey plan, and want to be prepared as best possible in advance.

@Tod ********

SO very helpful!!!

Thanks, that's what I was wondering. :-)All of this information is very helpful! If I can bug you a bit further, how long might it take to obtain the 90 day single entry Non-Immigrant Type O visa based on being over 50 from a neighboring country? Will I only need the income verification paper from the US consulate? Is one country easier for this than another? I'm considering Singapore, because I might have a place to stay with a friend.

Unfortunately, I don't have the 15 days left. My current extension expires on March 25. So, I'll need to leave the country regardless. This is my second time entering on a tourist visa, with extension, since November 2017. I spent a month in Vietnam between the two times. Does it make sense to just exit and enter the country on the 25th and then work on the Thai retirement visa here? Or since I have to leave the country anyway, better to apply somewhere else?

Thanks,

@Tod ********

! If the US Embassy doesn't check the actual income, it seems worth going and getting the form. I worried about signing something that wasn't accurate. So, I can get this while in Thailand (I'm here now), and then would use the form at a Thai embassy outside of Thailand to apply for the first step in the Retirement visa?

@Ellie ******

thanks for that info!

From the US Embassy site: "The Thai government requires all U.S. citizens with Thai retirement visas to verify their income when they renew their retirement visa annually." They then provide one form which states: "I also affirm that I receive a monthly income of $____________________ from sources in the United States." Does this mean that if I receive monthly income only from sources outside the United States, I am ineligible for a Thai retirement visa?

Thanks! Can you tell me what the requisite time before and after application that the 800K would need to be in the account? And, in that case, would I not need the affidavit from the US embassy?

But, I think the form states that I am agreeing the income was earned in the USA...will check wording again. Or, maybe there is a separate form for US citizens residing in other countries?

In looking at the form it states that the income is earned within the US. I've lived in Japan for over 20 years, so very far removed from any US income.