ALMAMASTER

Thanks lopburi3  That helps clear things up a bit.  What my mention of the 35k baht SS  meant was, that if my fixed income from SS is $1070   or 37,215 Baht at today's exchange rate, then a slight drop in the dollar against the Baht would made my $1070 worth less than the 35,000 Baht required. But now if I understand things correctly, I would just have to increase the amount I have in my bank account to compensate. I did not previously realize that that's how it worked. That's why I'm here.

  Hi Buick, Thank you, I took a look at that thread. Sometimes it seems like the more research I do the more confused I get. :=(  My original plan was to just have the 800,000 Baht in the bank. One other thing I'm not sure about is whether or not you have to show that you still have that amount in the bank, each year when you go to renew the retirement visa. If that's true, I guess they want to be sure that all of that money is in their bank when you die.

   Now I am considering the combined method, however the amount that I am scheduled to receive from Social Security does not exceed the 35,000 Baht by very much, so a change in the exchange rate might be a problem. 

Thanks to everyone for the help. I am originally from the U.S.A. and still hold a valid passport from there, however I am in and have resided in Costa Rica for the past 11 years and have legal residency here.  I am 60 years old. I am not going into all the details but I expect to have enough cash in the bank sometime in the future to meet the retirement visa requirements. I was hoping to live on about $800 a month for now, until I become eligible for Social Security, as well as earn some money working online, at which time that figure would go up.

Hi BritTim,  Thank you for your reply. My purpose for trying to obtain this visa, is to try and live in Thailand for the next year or two until such time as I am able to meet the requirements for a Retirement Visa. I have not spoken with any one from Siam Legal,  this is just information I located on their website. They only list one visa that they refer to as a " One year Multiple entry Visa "   

• 1-YEAR THAI VISA - Whether you want to visit and stay with a family, perform duties for the state enterprise or social welfare organizations, or for other purposes not fitted with other visa categories, you can apply for a 1-Year Thai Visa to travel inside the country all year.

  Hello I'm brand new here.  My first question is.   I would like to apply for this type of visa, so I went to the site Siam Legal and they say that the following is one of the requirements. Can any one explain to me what it means, and where I would get such a letter.    

• An invitation or confirmation letter to clarify the purpose of travel issued by the concerned organization.       They also say this, which I don't quite understand either.    Applicants for 1-Year Multiple-Entry visa must demonstrate that they are neither a public nor a security threat to the Thai government.      Any help will be greatly appreciated  cheers.