@Matthew ********

So glad someone else sees it important to look out for yourself!

Easy answer: retirement Visa. When it comes to Visa issues it is vastly more important for him to keep independent and away from any marriage Visa tied to wife's whims.

You started on the right track... get a Visa agent! Speaking from experience, it saved me from so much stress and wasted time.

@Mario ********

See the answer from Dorothy

@Dorothy *****

Yes I did the tourist visa... I was addressing your inquiry about long-term visa.

@Stuart **********

Where did I say that I'm giving advice? The poster asked the question "did you wait until you got to Thailand" and my answer was yes I did. People can choose to do it any way they want specific to their situation.

I arrived into Thailand first, then got my retirement Visa. I didn't do anything ahead of getting here other than preparing my documents.

@Nick ***********

What would make the difference between me doing it and my agent doing it? Care to elaborate on what I'm missing?

@Nick ***********

It's great advice backed by experience...I use my agent for everything immigration related and it works perfectly.

@Todd *******

Lol...daunting? The time it took me to get accustomed to retirement was about 30 seconds! I do agree with you 100%... I keep my expat friends circle pretty small and tight. Why do I want to hang out with a lot of people that I used to live next door to who are always going to be complaining about 2 things: visas and landlords! I prefer to meet up with Thai people (females!) and learn more about the country.