avidorn

More good info, thanks. It sounds like appointments aren't as important there. Which is helpful, if you can't really get one. 😄

Okay, thanks for your help!

Not too long, considering. Thanks, that's a good trip report!

I have, but I appreciate that anyway. I almost posted more about the bank documents (5.1-5.3) but don't want to take too much advantage of a board that answers the same questions regularly. Those bank account documentation requirements in particular seem like a real headache, requiring (I think) 3-4 documents + copies of things and visiting different places (basement in the morning, possibly an HQ depending on bank the day/week before), and so on. It's all in older threads, I know.

That would be great, thanks for the information.

Is a walk-in feasible for that, and how long does it take? Arrive early and sit all day in the bleachers? I'm looking at online appointments too, but those are several weeks out and would leave me with < 15 days on an extension. With so little time I think I might not get past the document check and that's also a long time to wait only to potentially be rejected, so I'm thinking it might be better to go sooner and sit with the crowd (which I'm sure I'll be doing anyway).

As an experiment and to compare with CW I found the online appointment site for Chiang Mai, and it has IMO clearer options for appointment selection, and also doesn't require email validation as a preliminary step. So I selected "Retirement Purpose" to find a date. March is fully booked so I checked April, but it also had no available dates. Despite being greyed out I tried clicking on a day to confirm that's correct, and it displayed "There is no availability on this date" so that's in fact how it works. So I clicked forward to May...no dates. Finally June, and it has one day the entire month available. Beyond June, you may not pass. One day, in the next three months. So with 30 days and even a 30-day extension you'd be out of luck. I think there was a recent marriage visa thread about the appointment system, so online appointments and CM may not mix. Has anybody here done the initial Non-O there recently? Are they reasonable with walk-ins, or is it an all-day or even "All full today, come back tomorrow" affair?

Would a reset work? Hop out and back in, start over. Though all roads may lead to the Bad Desk, if not in Year 1 then in Year 2 (and they may notice anyway)? Is that desk only extensions? I don't know how/if it would all work, just an idea if you haven't considered it already.

Is it safe to say that if the process for obtaining a Non-O for retirement purposes includes entering with or without a tourist visa and "Present passbook and deposit certificate from banks in Thailand" along with "Copy of all entries of the applicant’s passbook showing that the applicant has a savings or fixed deposit account (etc.)," there is no official explanation of how to legitimately obtain this account? The non-official answer would seem to be: "Your problem."

"Sir that is not a urinal."

Coincidentally I was reading a helpful post on this in the (quiet) Laos forum: So apparently on Friday you'll encounter a minimum of bubs.

I don't think "despite" is the best interpretation.

I thought that might be particular to Penang/Malaysia, but Vientiane is the same: "Single-Entry Tourist Visa: 3-month financial statements with an average balance of 20,000 baht per person or 40,000 baht per family." It's crazy that this is for a tourist visa. Asking for a bank balance is intrusive enough, what are they going to do with 3 months' worth of your financial history? You've already demonstrated you can afford the bulk of the trip by purchasing airfare and hotel reservations.

I noticed a random consulate in Canada (Vancouver) shows the following: "A copy of a bank statement showing a deposit of the amount equal to no less than 200,000 (Baht) per person or 400,000 (Baht) per family." That's for an METV. But here's Penang's for a Tourist SETV: "The applicant’s bank statement or bank book showing the account’s name and number, balance and history of transactions for the last 3 months." Does that seem excessive to anybody else? They want 3 months' worth of your financial transaction history for only an SETV. Plus: "Proof of payment for accommodation for the whole period of stay in Thailand (the receipt must state the tax payer number of the relevant hotel/accommodation)" I think I'd just take an exempt entry and extend from there instead. (Too bad it's only 30 days and not 90.)

Yes, definitely a dedicated account with the balance untouched. ????

Thanks, I think that changes my understanding of the process, because I thought one needed to have the deposit in their account for 2 months prior to (first) applying, but I believe the above says no, it's for 2 months prior to the 12 month extension application, so one could apply, get the stamp, and then even wait for about a month into the 90-day period before funding the account. (Though I wouldn't wait until the last minute out of caution.)

You're not helping! (Well yes of course it does, having more points of reference, I just don't want to hear that. ????)

Thanks, I've read that requirement enough already too, but hadn't researched exactly how yet. Does the bank letter cover it? (Bank letter + passbook copy, right?) Actually, reading the form again makes it sound like it's a separate document, but then what form does that take? Like if people use Transferwise (Wise?) or whatever service, does a printout from there count (which doesn't sound very official)? This has probably been answered numerous times already, so I will go and read some more, too.

Thanks for the link, I see your responses there regarding timing and forms. I'd need to transfer money to the account soon to meet the 2-month requirement. (Correct? I've read that enough times, though curiously there doesn't appear to be a timeframe listed on the form.) I think a plan would be to try 15+ days prior to the expiration of my current/final extension, then assuming that doesn't work be prepared to exit and try again 15+ days out after returning on the 30-day visa exemption. Think they're okay with returning visa-exempt immediately after a year of study? I feel like that or some other issue would be the main risk, which is the concern about exiting and returning. So no Chaengwatthana and instead the IT mall, eh?

Thanks BritTim, after posting I realized they'd probably just turn me away if it isn't possible. Yes, I'd definitely want to allow some time, and am not sure what timing is best. And then it sounds like I would hop out and back in, as DrJack54 posted? I'm from a visa-exempt country, and it appears that would mean using form TM.87 if I'm reading correctly. (I've read the visa-exempt period was returned to 30 days from the temporary 45.) This would all be a first-time "learning experience." Maybe fine, maybe not fine. Maybe pay a fine.

Thanks for the replies. I'm not sure what would be the best course of action in this case. I could go to Chaengwattana and try when the time comes, knowing that I may be denied (and out ฿2k+) and then what? I'd need to be prepared to exit the country and return as a tourist? Go to Vientiane and return visa exempt, and try again, or something else? (The Non-O Retirement form mentions TM.87 when returning without visa, if I am reading correctly.) Getting an agent is the other path, but it sounds like that will cost ฿25-30k+, and I don't even need their help with a bank account.

I've read as many old posts as I could find and asked a couple of agents too, and have different answers on whether it's possible to convert from an ED visa to Non-O retirement or not without leaving the country and returning as a tourist or VE, etc. Does anybody have recent experience with this? The application form states: "for the foreigner, who has Tourist or Transit Visa and want to applies for a change of type of visa (from Tourist Visa or Transit Visa to Non-Immigrant Visa)." That doesn't mention other types. Thanks.