Colonel_Mustard

Czech Republic isn't in Eastern Europe.

Thank you. Any idea about needing a lease or not if I would be living at my wife's property? Would it not be required or would I have to sort out a lease with her? This would be for a non-O based on retirement and subsequent retirement extension.

Just out of interest, what would you do if you didn't have an actual lease and you lived at a house that is owned by your wife? For a new TM30, is doing it online ok or does it need to be done in person?

Sadly not with HSBC. My previous transfers to SCB from HSBC expat show as local transfers as they seem to be routed via HSBC Thailand. Seems it will probably be safer/easier for me to stick with the deposit in bank if no proof of overseas transaction is required.

Thank you. So if I obtain the Non O from where I am currently residing, before entering Thailand, I don't need to prove the funds came from overseas regardless of whether it is an extension based on retirement or marriage?

I shall be relocating to Thailand sometime early next year. I will be entering on an O visa and will then need an extension before the 3 months are up. I still have bank accounts with SCB and Krung Thai from 10 years ago when I was on a work visa. If I understand correctly, I have to be able to demonstrate that funds for an extension based on retirement (800,000) or marriage (400,000) have come into my Thai bank from overseas. Is this correct? Is there any way to guarantee that these transfers will show on my bank book or statements as international transfers? I looked at my Siam Commercial bank book and statements and the transfers I have previously made from HSBC in the UK don't indicate that the money has come in from overseas. Is this just a Siam Commercial Bank issue or am I likely to have the same problems with other Thai banks and is there any foolproof way around it?

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It seems to me that it boils down to your main motivation for being here. If a primary motivation for holidaying in Thailand (or anywhere else in the world for that matter) is the easy availability of sex, then it's quite possible that you may be referred to as a sex tourist. If a primary motivation for residing in a particular country is the easy availability of sex, then it's possible that you may be referred to as a sexpat. Having said that, such labels are not really helpful and are only designed to denigrate. Live and let live.

Thanks. I'll probably have to stick to the cash in bank method then.

Thanks. Mine is mainly from rental income so obviously that won't an option for me.

Rental income mainly with a bit from dividends.

As it is needed for both marriage and retirement visas, I assume most have found a way.

Is it fairly simple to do the cash in bank first time round and later switch to monthly income? I won't be able to get a bank account until I arrive so I won't be able to show 12 months of income in a Thai bank account prior to applying for the extension (unless it can be shown in an overseas bank). I understand that the British embassy don't issue letters verifying income though so that could be an issue.

Thanks for all of the replies. It seems that experience of the marriage extension varies quite a lot. It has certainly given me a lot of useful information to ponder.

Yes, we married in Thailand 25 years ago. We would be using the immigration office in Khorat.

Thanks to all who have replied. Retirement seems the best option then. Was just looking at the Thai e-visa official site and one of the questions was: Is your permanent address same as your current address? YesNo I have 10-year residence in the Czech Republic (where I am currently living) but I don't have permanent residence here. Would I therefore need to put my Czech address as my current address and then my UK address as my permanent address? Or would they class my Czech address as being permanent as that is where I have been living long-term and it is where I would be applying for the visa from?

Thanks for the reply.

Thanks for the reply. Is that for the retirement visa? It seemed to me that the retirement visa would require more paperwork - police clearance, medical cert, health insurance etc. Whereas the marriage visa only appears to require marriage proof in addition to funds in the bank.

58-year old Brit, married to a Thai for 25 years and planning on moving back to Thailand in the near future after 10 years in Europe. It seems that the 2 most likely visa options for me are marriage or retirement (I previously was here on a work visa), although I could perhaps also qualify for the DTV visa. Is there any particular advantage to a retirement visa over a marriage visa? From what I've seen a marriage visa requires less money in the bank and also no health insurance required, so on the face of it would appear simpler than the retirement option but is that the case, or am I missing something?

According to the NHS website you are at a healthy weight but towards the top end of it (pretty much on the border with being overweight). BMI is just a quick indication though. It doesn't take into account muscle mass or body fat. On the NHS site it does state: BMI is just one way to measure health. It cannot tell you if you're carrying too much fat, or if you've got lots of muscle. It is advised that you measure your waist to find out if you're carrying too much fat around your tummy. You should try to keep your waist measurement to half your height.