Red Phoenix

It is not a Visa renewal that you will be doing, but an application for the 1-year extension of your original Non Imm O-A Visa. But when applying for the extension the new Permit to stay you will receive will not be for 12 months but will be capped to the expiry date of your passport. Don't forget to buy a Re-Entry Permit after having received your new Non Imm O-A based Permit to stay, to keep it alive when exiting the country. When you do not travel abroad frequently a Single-Entry Re-Entry Permit (1.000,- THB) suffices.

When using a 'fixer' Agent to get hold of the 1-year extension based on your original Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement, without having the required fund on your personal Thai bank-account, this means that the 1-year extension stamp the Agent manages to get for you, has been acquired by bribing the Imm Officer to overlook that you did not meet the financial requirements. So although the 1-year extension stamp in your passport is genuine, the way it has been acquired was illegal. It is actually quite easy for Immigration to determine whether you met and are still meeting the financial requirements by simply asking to show them your personal Thai bank-book with the required funds (which you would not be able to do).