IMA_FARANG

You can open a bank account on a tourist visa as I once did.

But that was back in 1982 and most banks today will have many reasons to tell you can not open an account.

They are all B---s---t however. (male cattle fecal matter)

if you are over 50 years old you may be able to do it.

Savanaket Laos will still give you a 90 say non O visa if you can show them the funds.

You can then use that 90 day NON O visa I believe to open a bank account and then use the funds (seasoned 60 days) to open that account and the get the needed one year retirement visa/.extension.

But it is a process, and many banks will still lie to you about needing  a job and work permit in  Thailand f  irst.

I opened my retirement account in 2011 with a cashiers draft check deposited in a Thai bank after having another account since 1982 for my Thai female partner.

Even then it was a problem to do it,

I lost my U.S. passport (or to be precise, someone I trusted lost it for me) and I was given a 1 year Emergency travel document  (ETD) by the U.S. embassy in Bangkok.

I did not  travel on that ETD, instead I filed a police report  of a lost passport and applied for a new 54 page U.S. passport which I received within 2 weeks.

I am now on that new passport, but looking at the ETD it is supposedly valid foe one year from the date of it's issue.

I have no idea if my new 10 year U.S. passport, which I now have, cancels that ETD or not.

I am now using my new 10 year 54 page U.S. passport.

To answer the specific question, NO.

You must be at least age 50 to qualify for at retirement visa or a retirement visa extension  in Thailand.

that does not   mean you can't stay in Thailand in other ways legally, just that for a retirement visa you must be at least 50 years of age

Do you have a current VISA or do you have an extension to your visa.

If you have an actual visa, canceling your  work permit will allow you to stay in Thailand as long as your multi entry Non B visa remains valid.

If you have an extension to your visa based on your work permit, and your Non B visa is already out of date then canceling your work permit will also automatically end your visa extension based upon your work permit.

You will then have to leave Thailand in a maximum of 7 days to get a new visa.

Actually the full size U.S. passport is 54 pages these days.

When you apply you have an option to request he larger passport on the application form.

That doesn't  help you however as you are talking about a U.K. passport.

I have applied at least twice in my time in Thailand for a 54 page U.S. passport at the U.S embassy in Bangkok.
It can be done, and usually takes less than 2 weeks if you collect the ne passport at the U.S. passport in Bangkok.

But as I said above none of this info applies to you as you want a U.K. passport.

Not recommended but if you leave every 89 days and then reenter one or two days later with another visa you never will have to d a 90 day report as you are never in country longer than 90 days in a row.

However, the trips into ad out of Thailand will be ridiculously  expensive.

Not really practical but in theory, possible.

Dual Nationals and Thai citizens are usually better off in entering and exiting Thailand on a Thai passport.

use your British or Foreign passport when leaving the U.K. most times.

Remember that if A Thai national enters Thailand on a U.K. passport, they should always exit on that same U.K. passport to avoid overstay problems.

Every entry stamp in your foreign passport REQUIRES a corresponding exit stamp.

Otherwise they may call you on an overstay, even though technically they can't.

But never give immigration a chance, if you enter as Thai most often you should also exit Thailand as a Thai.

I did a number of them (retirement visa/extensions) at CW.

Never that fast, but it was because of waiting in queue for my number to e called.

When you know what they want to see it doesn't take long.

Just have the correct documents ready and it goes  quickly.

No need for an agent especially your 2nd or 3rd time doing the process.

After a while it becomes  routine, you really don't need an agent to do it.

Don't be fooled.

The landlord is not paying the required tax on what you are paying them.

they are not declaring their income for the rental money, and they are legally violating the tax law declaration.

that is why they won't sign the TM -30 form for you.

I don't mean to be critical, but every year hundreds if not thousands of people seem to be able how to get retirement visa/ or extensions  or Non O work visas and work permits.

Why is it then you seem to think you need an agent to do the paperwork?

O.K. so we are all different, with different skills and talents, but if others manage to thread their way through the maze to success, then why can't you.

I will tell you a true story.

In 1982 I got a job offer through a friend of a possible job for me in Turkey.

So I traced down the company's address in Turkey, and flew there, took a bus halfway  across the length of Turkey, had a job interview, and was hired.

I was working in Saudi Arabia at that time.

I am an American citizen., just so you know.

I suspect they will allow a current bank passbook showing funds on deposit and immediately available for withdrawal.

I used that once in Ho Chi Minh City for a SETV from The Thai Consulate there.

But at that time I had about 400K in my Thai Bank account.

The bank book was accepted .

they are not fools.

Every year someone posts a list of legal holidays on this Thai visa forum.

If you go looking for it you will see the holidays listed.

Labor Day is a Thai government holiday and immigration will be closed this year on Labor day May1st as it is every year.

 As a U.S. citizen two months ago my U.S. passport was lost.

Not by me, but someone  I mistakenly trusted..

I was in hospital at the time with a broken left arm due to a fall.

I was able to get a one year temporary U.S. emergency passport from the U.S embassy in Bangkok, after filing a police report of a lost U.S. passport

I applied for a new U.S. passport at the same time, and received my new 10 year U.S. passport in about a week from the U.S. embassy.

It can be done.....I did it.

They know their passport business at the U.S. embassy in Bangkok, as passports are lost all the time.

Not True

If you are legally retired in your country and at least 50 years of age here in Thailand, you can retire here in Thailand on a Non O visa/annual extension.

You need to be retired and drawing a retirement pension in your home country.

For U.S. citizens this probably means being 65 years or older.

You can then enter Thailand on a 60 day tourist visa.

In the last 30 days of that tourist visa you can extend that visa for another 30 days by paying a 1900 Baht extension fee.

Now you can travel to Savannaket Laos  and apply for a 90 day non O visa based on retirement in Thailand.

When you get that Non O visa you use it to enter Thailand for 90 days.

During your time in Thailand you open a bank account in your name with a Thai bank.

You will need to deposit funds or prove your pension from outside Thailand.

If you deposit funds in your Thai Bank account of at least 800K Thai Baht OR

show a monthly pension of 65K Thai Baht, you can then extend that Non O visa you obtained in Laos for one year at a time.

You will need to show you have the funds in a Thai Bank for at least 60 days for approval of a one year extension to that 90 day visa you obtained in Laos.

And each year at extension time you will need funds in your bank or a monthly pension to get another year extension.

Big dumb American that I am, I did this in 2011 to retire in Bangkok, and I am still here 6 years later.

I extend my original Non O visa annually by having a pension paid monthly from the U.S. to my Bangkok Bank account each month, by direct deposit to my bank account.

If a big dumb American from a small diary farm town can figure out the rules, so can you.

As A U.S. citizen I am able to get a income declaration  from the U.S. embassy which has been accepted by immigration for a retirement visa/extension.

In order to back that up as I have a U.S. Social security pension from the U.S. government I also can, if requested, show documentation from the U.S Social Security of my monthly retirement pension.

However, I have never been asked for that as immigration has so far accepted my income declaration statement from the U.S. embassy.

But, just for backup proof if f required I do have documents from the U.S. Social Security showing my monthly pension info.

Not exactly the answer to your question, but just telling you what works for me.

Exact details may not apply to others.

I have a 3 month signed contract in a residence in Bangkok.

I have used a signed copy of that contract to meet the residence requirement at various Thai consulates around South East Asia.

I also have stamped Paid copies of my monthly rental invoices showing I have paid monthly for the room for a year with me, but I have never been asked to actually show them.

The signed contract has always been enough to get me a SETV, they have never actually asked me yet to see the stamped monthly paid receipts.

But they are there as my Plan B Backup just in case requested.

No, is Phuket as bad as everyone says?

Is Pattaya as bad as everyone says?

All such questions are dumb questions.

Never pay attention to what "everyone" says, because most peoples opinions are crap anyhow.

Find out for yourself by having your own experience.

You do no have to leave Thailand every 90 days.

All you have to do is marry your wife and do 90 day reporting on your marriage visa/extension.

The choice is yours, ether follow the rules or don't.

Of course, your marriage visa/extension will mean you have to come up with either 400K Thai Baht or 40K monthly for the  marriage./visa

As I know from my previous history, my Thai partner was left penniless with 3 children by her Aussie husband who later drank himself to death in Australia.

I met her in a Bangkok bar, and stayed with her for 30 years raising her 3 children.

to adults.

But that is a long story.

In this world you make your own choices, don't you/

Boy you really have no clue, do you?

First o all what you are talking about is a non O visa based on retirement, and there are 3 ways to get an extension of one year on that visa.

One is to have the required 800K Thai Baht in a Thai  bank account for a year, another is to have a monthly income of at least 65K Thai Baht which may be from a pension coming in from outside Thailand, and the 3rd is to have a  combination of Thai bank account and monthly income (as in number 2) equivalent to 800K annually.

with the proper funds this can be done each year and can be renewed each year  each year as long as the funds meet the requirement.

I fell and broke a bone in my  left arm in February 2017.

I had to have an operation to reset that bone and put a metal stet in to clamp the bone together.

The doctor who did the operation in the hospital has requested I stay in Thailand during the recuperation period from that operation, as he is watching the bone's regrowth every two or 3 weeks.

So far I am on a medical extension on my 60 day SETV until may 27th 2017.

You will need to have the doctor who is treating you write a request for an extension of stay, and the immigration medical nurse at CW will have to approve that request.

As I say it is possible as I now have a medical extension by the doctor's request and I may get another one for another 30 day stay if the doctor/surgeon thinks it is required.

My next doctor's exam will be 17 May, and depending on his opinion he may request another 30 day recuperation period extension.

I live in a rented residence in Bangkok (3 monthly rental contract, but payable each month) and my return to Thailand to that residence is reported on-line to immigration each time I return from a trip outside of Thailand. That's the way it should be done.

It is the responsibility of the residence or hotel owners to report your return.

There is a Filipina worker who handles such on-line notifications as part of her job.

She copies your passport I.D.  and entry stamp for each entry, and forwards that copy to immigration on-line for each arrival.

The reason is clear

Many Indians are caught on overstay in Thailand. often working illegally in Thailand.

I recall    a case where a Indian waiter was working at an Indian restaurant in Pattaya.

He had been there for several years and had a Thai wife.

His visa had expired years ago.

I realize you may not be planning this, but it happens to often and therefore all Indian tourists are suspect based on such cases.

That may not be fair, but it  is a reality.

In 2011 I brought in a Cashier's Bank check for about 20,000 U.S. dollars and deposited it in my  Thai bank account.

Took about 2 months to clear my U.S. bank account and show up in my Thai  bank account.

That was the funds for my Thai retirement visa extension.

So yes, it can be done legally.