LawrenceW

Got it- thanks very much for the information!

Thanks for the reply and sorry for the delay: yes it is quite the Catch 22 at this point. Was thinking of applying for just the Tourist Visa extension at Vientiane to give some time to work this out- but if it's possible to apply for a Non-O at Vientiane then that would be preferable. However, would that require some special reason, such as a letter such as for an Ed. Visa? If the Non-O can be done at Vientiane without a Thai bank statement that would work, but the Chiang Mai IO seemed to think it could all be done at CM as long as I have the 800,000 baht bank statement showing it was deposited from abroad into a Thai bank, hence the Catch 22 because a Thai bank account can't be opened without the Non-O and we can't get the Non-O without the Thai bank account-- how did everyone else solve this situation? And what is this TM.86/87 application for? Is this required for the Non-O app and for the Thai bank? On the paper sheet the IO provided, it looks like this is the first step to changing the visa to Non-O, and if so then maybe the TM.86 or 87 would be sufficient to open a bank account in CM, and/or to apply for the Non-O in CM and/or Vientiane? And about the second question flag, I meant to say 800,000 baht, not 'k' as in dollars or pounds. Have saved up the required 800 thousand baht, and for this it seems there are also some different interpretations, with some saying it has to be deposited to a Thai bank 3 months in advance, but the IO said seven days. Well, if anyone has any further experience to add here to this very foggy situation it's most appreciated-

Thanks for all the great advice on this forum, it's been most helpful so many times- have a question today if anyone can answer please do: After many years of work visas and tourist visas am now over 50 and am seeking to change from the tourist visa when visiting to the Retirement visa on an annual basis. Have saved up the 800 thousand Baht and am ready to transfer the funds from the States if necessary and apply for the change of visa to a Non-O Retirement Visa. The IO in Chiang Mai said to first open a Thai bank account, transfer the funds, wait seven days, and then apply for the Non-O Retirement. Went to my old bank in Chiang Mai and they said my account was closed due to non-activity while I was visiting home in the States- wonderful. Tried to re-activate the Thai bank account and they said no way- citing Thai Central Bank law that requires--- a Non-O Visa Stamp to open a Thai bank account. Same with every other bank in Chiang Mai- they all say 'cannot' citing the same law. So, now I'm in a fix- can't get the Non-O stamp without the Thai bank statement, and can't open a Thai bank account without the Non-O stamp. Thus, if the bank statement has to be from a Thai bank, then how to open a Thai bank account without the Non-O stamp which seems to require showing 800k in funds transferred from abroad. Also: Is it possible that after filling out the application for the TM.87 or TM.86 that this would be acceptable for beginning the Non-O process and maybe be acceptable for the Thai bank to open an account? Or does all of this have to be done at the Thai consulate in the States showing funds from a local bank there? However, in that case it's still not clear as to how to open a Thai bank account from that location and transfer the funds to a Thai bank. Meanwhile I'm being directed in circles from the Immigration office to the Thai Banks to open an account, and then the Thai bank staff tell me to go back to Immigration for the Non-O stamp where the IO says go back to the Thai bank etc. Any advice would be most welcome- thanks