oldcpu

Possibly some exaggeration in the article? When I applied for a 90-day Type-O visa in Phuket in late October last year, I was asked for a copy of pages out of the Chanote of the condo unit I own (which I passed to them) and I was also asked for copies out of pages of my Blue book for my condo (instead I gave them copies of pages out of my Yellow book - which they accepted). I was also asked to call them via Line social media app (they gave me a phone number for Line) at a specific time in the next couple of days, which I did. While on the video call they had me walk to my condo unit door so they could see the unit number, and then had me walk to the street so they could see the condo complex street sign. All easy and quick to do. There was no requirement to go to one of my condo's bedrooms. That's a bit bizarre ? Then in January this year when I went for a 1-year extension (at Phuket immigration) for reason of retirement on that Type-O Visa, I provided them again copies of my Chanote and Yellow book. This time they did NOT ask to do a video call. Of course that was January this year. This is May now so maybe requirements for extensions have changed?

I have found Phuket immigration (for a retirement extension) can ask for pictures of one by their condo , and a map of their condo, dependent on the IO, and dependent on the year in which one is going for the extension. One year I showed up for a one year extension based on retirement (underlying Visa was a type-OA) and the first IO who initially checked my documents, asked for a map to my condo and images as to myself being in front of my condo door, and in front of my condo complex sign. I made clear to him I was going for a retirement extension, and he made clear to me he understood. So fortunately, while I believed those ONLY needed for an extension based on marriage I never-the-less had those. A couple of hours later (after waiting for my queue number to come up) the next (different) IO I saw at the Phuket immigration office handed back both the hand drawn map and images of me by my condo. BUT I was told verbally that an IO may show up at my place/make an appointment to confirm I lived where my documents recorded me as living - so I gave the IO my wife's phone number for them to make an appointment. Two weeks later a Phuket IO phoned and asked if we were home so they could drop by. We were actually off island at the time (in Khao Lak) and told the IO we would be back in a few days. They said they would call back for another appointment in a few days - they never did call back (so I guess it not important). Roll forward in time some years, and after switching to a 1-year Marriage Extension (on my Type-OA) and then a year later switching to a Type-O visa, I went for an extension based on Retirement on the Type-O. The IO did not ask for a hand drawn map, nor (initially) ask for pictures of me by my condo. But I was asked for a copy of the deed of my condo and a copy of the blue book pages (I gave them my Yellow Book pages instead of the Blue book pages). Then they asked for my social media "Line" application contact info (which I had) and they asked I 'video' phone them from my condo at a specific time in 2 days time. This I did. While on a video chat they had me walk to my condo door, and do a selfie with the video, and then walk to my condo complex entrance, and do a selfie by the condo complex sign. They told me they were doing 'screen snapshots' of those 'live' images for their records. This was for a retirement extension on a Type-O visa ! My view ? It all depends on the IO in addition to depending on the Immigration office. This being Thailand, and me being a foreigner, I find it best to simply roll with the 'punches' and give them best as possible what they ask for, especially if it is easy to provide.

If you meet all the requirements then its NOT illegal to use an agent. All one is doing is paying the agent to have Power of Attorney in this Visa 'permission to stay extension' (or paying the agent to obtain on one's behalf other immigration documents) and its 100% perfectly legal. Only for those who do not meet the Thai visa requirements, who manage to find an agent who can 'wiggle around' the Thai requirements and still obtain the permission to stay extension (or obtain other non-Visa related documents/approvals when one does not meet the Thai requirements), is it (IMHO) illegal.

Well - I agree it should be that way. but it was not for me in Phuket with Phuket immigration. I suspect it depends on the immigration branch. I entered some years back on a type-OA visa. Prior to going for my 1st one year extension (for reason of retirement) the rules changed and one had to show Health Insurance from the Thai branch of a Health Insurance company (my superior in coverage and cheaper European insurance was not accepted). When I went for my 1st one year extension (for reason of retirement) I was advised I needed Health Insurance from a Thai branch of an insurance company - and unlike some in Phuket (with different entry dates/stamps on their Type-OA visas than what I had) I did have to show the Health insurance (from Thai branch of an insurance company) according to Phuket immigration. Well I thought no issue - so I immediately applied for my extension based on my being married to a Thai person. Phuket immigration said NO. I could not do that on my 1st (one year) extension on a Type-OA, but could only 'switch' to marriage on my 2nd (one year) extension on a Type-OA. I suspect this is a Phuket immigration unique rule - but there is no sense fighting city hall, so I purchased double health insurance that year and applied for the 1-year extension (for reason of retirement) on my Type-OA. Fortunately the Health Insurance requirements were less then so I was able to purchase almost worthless health insurance (with a MASSIVE deductible) that was accepted by Phuket immigration that did not cost much. ... I did NOT want to give up my superior European Health insurance ... Hence I obtained a one-year extension based on retirement on the Type-OA (again as noted I had to have health insurance from a Thai branch of an insurance company). Fortunately I had maintained the 800k THB in my bank account during that year. 12-months later, when I went for my 2nd 1-year extension on my type-OA visa, this time I stated for reason of marriage, and they accepted that, with no Health Insurance requirement proof required. However the amount of paperwork, to obtain an extension for reason of marriage, GREATLY exceeds that of for reason of retirement, and further in the case of Phuket immigration, the time to obtain an approval for the 1-year extension (for reason of marriage) also GREATLY exceeds that for reason of retirement. So I eventually (months later after obtaining my 1-year extension for reason of marriage) , I left Thailand, invalidated my Type-OA visa, and re-entered tourist visa exempt, applied for and obtained a 90-day Type-O Visa (from Phuket Immigration) and two months later applied for and obtained a one-year extension on my permission to stay on the Type-O Visa for reason of retirement (no health insurance requirement proof needed). My view is a Type-OA visa is no longer attractive if the Thai Health Insurance requirement is unsuitable to one's particular circumstance. Don't 'gamble' that a marriage extension will be accepted the 1st time one tries to get such. It was not for me in Phuket. So in Thailand one never knows for certain - I think each immigration office has a degree of latitude in how they interpret the 'rules' and one has to be a bit careful in their planning.

A caution on this. One can have absolutely fabulous health insurance, and not have it recognized/accepted by the Thai immigration - in particular when it comes time to obtain a 1-year extension (ie after the first couple of years) on a Type-OA visa. So my caution to anyone considering a Type-OA visa, who thinks they don't have to worry about the Health Insurance clause, because they already have health insurance, and because their original Health Insurance was originally accepted by an Embassy (when first getting the type-OA visa) - don't be so sure it will be accepted one or two years later by Thai immigration in Thailand when it comes time for an extension on one's "permission to stay" in Thailand. I have fabulous Health Insurance that comes with my pension from a European government organisation, that exceeds the Thai requirements. It covers both me and my Thai wife. But it is NOT accepted by Thai immigration. With my being faced with either (1) giving up my superior European Health insurance - replacing it with FAR less capable and more expensive Health insurance from the Thai branch of a Health Insurance company), or (2) keeping my superior European Health Insurance and ALSO buying 2nd health insurance from the Thai branch of a Health Insurance company (ie buying double insurance), or (3) keeping my superior European Health Insurance AND switching from a Type-OA to a Type-O visa, I went with the Type-O visa. To the best of my knowledge, Thai immigration does not nominally accept self insurance, unlike the relatively new LTR Wealth Pensioner visa where one can simply maintain $100,000 US$ in a foreign bank account, and that will be accepted as adequate Health Insurance. Of course they call it an "LTR Wealth Pensioner" visa for a reason (ie one needs to have the money), where not everyone has the $100,000 US to keep in a bank account. But given I do qualify, that self insurance (in my view) sure beats me having to buy double health insurance with a Tupe-OA Visa (if I don't want to give up my superior and cheaper European Health Insurance).

I have good friends who ALWAYS use an agent (cost ~ 10,000 baht/year) , and it goes smooth like you describe. Myself? I tend to suffer through immigration, but then later celebrate with the 10,000 Thai baht I saved each year. That can buy some fabulous dinners. My friends just laugh and prefer to spend the money. I figure we both have good points for our different views. I am now applying for an LTR (Wealthy Pensioner) Visa, where all the paperwork submission is from the comfort of my beach front condo, where I can sip some wine (or drink a beer) on the balcony, overlooking the sea, and submit to BoI the scanned PDF files of needed documents with my laptop. No agent needed, and (if LTR approved) the 50,000 Thai baht fee for the entire 10 years, will be 1/2 the summation equivalent of 10-years for an agent every year. My friends view? They are in their mid-to-late-70s and who is to say they will even live another 10 years to justify paying 50,000 THB up front for an LTR (Wealthy pensioner) ? So they pay 10,000 every year instead for an agent. That makes sense to me. Each approach has its advantages. I feel lucky just to have the choice. Best wishes for your approach - as i can fully appreciate its advantage (of not spending time in immigration, which dependent on date/time can amount to hours in a crowded place).

Dependent on what you ship - this can be a hassle to get through Thai customs. My Thai wife and I moved from Germany to Thailand about 4 years ago. We shipped many personal items (books, gifts given to us over the years (china wear and stuff), many winter clothes (which we wanted to keep for downhill skiing vacation on future travels), and some electronics (computers, old car GPS, etc ... ). We also came with fully packed suitcases, but one can't fit decades of personal belongings in the two suit cases we each took on the flight to Thailand. Getting our personal effects out of Germany was difficult, as it took a long time to get an export licence. A detailed list was needed with an estimate of the net worth of the items. If the net worth declared is too large, then it greatly complicates the paperwork to leave Germany. We went through a big run around here (I won't spam forum with the details) ... Of course the UK could (and likely is) entirely different. Then at customs in Thailand, our agent was given a rough time by Thai customs to bring the stuff in. Customs initially wanted to charge a high import tax on the computers. When we noted the newest computer was 5-years old, and the second computer 10 years old, the agent was told by customs that Thailand does not allow one to ship junk into the country of Thailand !! When customs saw the car GPS they claimed shipping such was a security risk for Thailand. ... Say what ?? Every modern phone has a GPS !! Anyway, .. to make a long story short, after appropriate tea money was paid to customs, the goods made it through customs also with some nominal additional customs fee. My view - If at all possible - try to discard most your UK things, and plan to buy new things in Thailand and don't ship much to the country. Of course this is easier said than done, especially when it comes to personal effects to which one has fond memories.

I recommend the OP apply for their 90-day Visa in Phuket as soon as practical. I recently (on 7-October-2022) arrived in Phuket on a 45-day Visa Exempt (ie 15 days less than a 60-day tourist Visa) with a permission to stay until 20-November-2022. Unfortunately I caught a mild case of COVID on the way to Thailand, so I had to isolate at my home in Phuket for over a week, before I could go to Immigration (on 18-October) to apply for my Visa. Still, I was able to apply for a 90-day Type-O Visa (for reason of retirement) at Phuket immigation on 18-October. Yet I did not obtain my 90-day Type-O visa until the 7-December. That meant from 20-November to 7-October, the only thing that I had for proof of my authorized stay in Thailand was a receipt for my Passport (as on 21-Nov immigration kept my passport). So in my case, it took 7 weeks for Phuket immigration to approve the 90-day type-O (for reason of retirement) Visa. (In contrast, in early January-2023, applying for a 1-year extension for reason of retirement, on my original 90-day type-O visa, only took one day at Phuket immigration). Ergo, as soon as you arrive, I recommend the OP open a bank account, and then as soon as the required money is in the account, go apply for the 90-Day-Type- visa (for reason of retirement).

I was asked a couple of days ago from BoI for my 2022 tax return (Canadian). I have worked in various places around the world (having pensions from some), and I won't get one of my European pension summaries until early April (their standard practice) which is quite late - hence nominally this is too soon for me to submit my 2022 tax return. My permission to stay in Thailand is good until February-2024, so obviously I am in no hurry to get the LTR. Still, I would like to have my application approved. I suspect BoI, knowing my permission to stay is until February next year, will be certain to ask for the best documentation from me that they can get. So I have pulled together my monthly pay slips for that and used it to calculate my yearly pension from that organizaiton. Today I finished up my 2022 tax return for Canada and I will likely submit it tomorrow to Canadian tax authorities ... and then forward a copy of that tax return also to BoI. However in PDF form its about 6-MBytes which might be too big for an upload ... and if that (too large for an upload) turns out to be the case, I might just try what you did, which in my case would be to upload my monthly pension summaries (altogether in one PDF).

I purchased 2 million THB in Thai government bonds, such that the bond purchase, and 50% of my Thai condo's value would meet the required amount. That plus 50% of my condo purchase, gave me an amount over the needed $250K US$ equivalent Thailand investment for a Wealthy Pensioner. For a Wealthy Pensioner, according the the LTR web site, one need not show $500K US$, but rather only show $250K US$ investment in Thailand plus an income of $40K US$ / year. For global 'wealthy citizens' I guess the $500K US equivalent investment in Thailand is needed (?) ... I am glad in this instance to be a pensioner (as a smaller amount is required for an investment in Thailand). I have submitted an LTR application (after the middle of January) and the process is ongoing. I have been asked for additional documents twice. Once for a copy of the income tax paperwork (relevant T1) that I submitted to Canadian government. I had previously provided to BOI the Canadian government official acknowledgement/assessment of my taxes for 2 recent taxation years, that stated my global yearly income ... but BOI wanted my 'less official' copy of the T1 tax return that I submitted to the Canadian government. So I provided that. More recent BOI asked for a Or.Chor-16 document as proof of the 'purchase of sale' of my condo (a land office document which lists my name and my wife name as buyers of the condo, and lists the purchase price). Previous I had provided the 'real estate' agent's signed purchase to buy/sell, but they didn't want that. BOI wanted the land office purchase/sale document. That document is 100% in Thai (the Or.Chor-16) and I confess I didn't even know it existed, but my Thai wife did, once I pointed out to her what the BOI requested, she pulled out the document. So I scanned it and I uploaded that today. Still, I expect to be requested more documents in the future. Edit: I was asked for either an Or.Chor-16 or an Or.Chor-23. I think (but I am not certain) that the land office issues an Or.Chor-16 if one is buying a foreign freehold condo off of a previous foreign owner, ... but if one is buying a foreign freehold condo off of a developer, then the document is an Or.Chor-23. I do NOT know if that is correct, but that is what my Thai wife suspects. She could be wrong on this. As near as i can tell, I don't have an Or.Chor-23 for my foreign freehold condo. Earlier in this thread is my account as to what I went through to buy 2-million THB in Thai government bonds via Bangkok Bank, The 'twist' Bangkok Bank thru at me was the branch manager wanted to see my "yellow book" and "pink ID" as proof of my residence in Thailand. I suspect that is NOT necessary, but since he asked for it, and since I had such, I simply provided such without any comment. For my 'pink Thai ID', Bangkok Bank used the # on my 'Pink ID' as my 'tax number' for their computer entry for the bond purchase. I have no idea if that was the correct number (as to the best of my knowledge I don't have a Thai tax number). Bangkok Bank claim one needs such a tax number to purchase a Thai government bond. I suspect such may not be necessary, but why "fight city hall" when I already had such documents? Please - no flames from the yellow book and pink ID haters. I simply was looking for the easiest path since I already had said documents. Buying another condo? I would avoid such if all possible. For me, if such was needed, I would not have applied for an LTR.

I recommend following Dr Jack54's advice. I previous had a Type-OA visa, and I left Thailand in August last year, to deliberately void my permission to stay on an OA-Visa. I re-entered Thailand in October last year on a 45-day Visa exempt. As soon as I was healthy to do so (on the 45-day Visa exempt permission to stay), I went to Thai immigration (in Phuket) and applied for a 90-day Type-O Visa (based on retirement), which I was given in early December last year, back dated to when my 45-day Visa exempt permission to stay expired. Then in January this year I applied for a one-year extension on my Type-O Visa permission to stay (based on retirement). I previous had the required 800K baht in my Thai bank account (same amount I used for my Type-OA visa the years prior). Currently the Type-O Visa has no requirements to have Health Insurance. I do have superior health insurance (exceeds even the latest Thai immigration requirements for Health Insurance) but it is not accepted by Thailand as its not from the Thai branch of a Health Insurance company which is a Type-OA Visa requirement.

Back in October last year, in Phuket, I applied for a 90 day Type-O Visa on 18 October. I didn't obtain the Visa until 7 December. All my paperwork was in order. It's just took time. Phuket immigration are very busy. I don't believe you will be successful in two weeks. I doubt even an agent can do such in that timeframe in Phuket.

As indirectly noted by others, you are not changing Visas, ... but rather just change the reason for your 1-year extensions on your Type-O visa. The key thing as already pointed out to you is to prove the increased financial requirements. For information, in my case, I did change Visas ( from a Type-OA to a Type-O visa ) so that I could obtain extensions on my permission to stay for reason of 'retirement' instead of 'marriage' - (but I had Health Insurance requirements at the back of my mind driving the change). I do have superb superior Health Insurance (heavily subsidized by my former employer as part of my pension) but unfortunately its not accepted by Thailand immigration. Thai immigration wants proof of the Health Insurance from a Thai branch of a Health Insurance company. My Type-OA had a permission to stay in Thailand until 03-February-2023. I had a planned 2 month visit to Europe and Canada, so I left Thailand on 10-August-2022 deliberately with no re-entry permit. In Bangkok, when leaving Thailand, the Immigration Officer was kind enough to point out to me that I had no re-entry permit and that I was about to invalidated my Type-OA by leaving. I thanked them, noted I was planning to return to Thailand on a Type-O, and they nodded (I would almost say nodded 'sagely' as if they understood why I was planing to return on a Type-O). * 10-Aug-2022 - Left Thailand for Europe/Canada trip [this departure deliberately invalidated my Type-OA visa] * 7-October-2022 - entered Thailand visa exempt (obtained 45-day permission to stay until 20-Nov) * 18-October-2022 - Applied for a 90-day Type-O Visa at immigration based on 'retirement'. I would have applied earlier, but I had a mild case of COVID from 6-to-18-Oct. They accepted all my paperwork. I was told to come back to Immigration on 21-Nov, 1-day after my permission to stay expired, and I was told not to worry about my permission to stay expiring the day prior (presumably as I was 'under consideration' although there was no such stamp in my passport). * 21-November-2022 - Showed up at immigration and was advised my 90-day type-O Visa not yet ready. They kept my passport this time. I was told they would phone me in about 1 week when my passport and Visa were ready to pickup. * 7-December-2022 - I still had received no phone call from immigration, I was mildly nervous (they had my passport), so I showed up at Immigration, and they had my Passport with the 90-day Type-O visa (for reason of retirement) stamped inside (back dated to 18-November-2022) with a permission to stay until 15-Feb-2023 stamped in the passport. So I had my passport back with a 90-day Visa. * 3-January-2023 - I showed up at immigration and applied for a 1-year extension on the Type-O visa, for reason of retirement. They kept my passport. * 4-January-2023 - I showed up the next day at immigration and picked up my passport, and it had the 1-year extension on my permission to stay stamped in the passport, giving me a permission to stay until 15-February-2024. * 31-Jan-2023 - I went to immigration and obtained a single re-entry permit so not to invalidate type-O visa when depart Thailand in Feb-2023 for a one week snow ski trip in North America. I only went for a single re-entry, as I am also now applying for an LTR visa and hopefully I will obtain such in the sprint of 2023. As noted above, I switched from Type-OA (marriage) to Type-O (retirement) because my superior heavily subsidized (by former employer) European Health Insurance (which covers both myself and my Thai wife) is not accepted by Phuket immigration as it is not from a Thai branch of a Health Insurance company. Hence I did not want to extend my permission to stay in Thailand on a Type-OA visa for reason of retirement. I found that the paper work involved for a marriage extension, and the time to obtain the approval for a marriage extension, massively exceeded that for an extension based on retirement. Hence I decided it best to switch Visas. Type-OA used to be the better Visa (than Type-O) but at present time I do not believe it to be so. I hope to obtain a 10-year LTR visa in the spring, which should hopefully reduce (eliminate ? ) my visits to Thai immigration. Again, note as others mentioned to you, that when switching from reason of 'marriage' to reason of 'retirement' you require more money in the bank. In my opinion is best to place that money in the bank in advance, and not try to time it to the 'exact date' when required (assuming the funds are not an issue).

Possibly this is Bangkok Bank branch specific. At the Bangkok bank branch that I use there are no such signs re: passport. The Bangkok Bank branch that I use in Phuket does not require my passport to update my Bank Book. Neither for that matter does the Krungsri Bank branch that I use in Phuket require my passport to update my bank book.

Its not totally uncommon that a permission to stay in Thailand stamp, can be different from a Visa validity / expiry date stamp. I assume that when you get close to the end of your permission to stay date, you need to then apply for the remaining 5 years. Possibly sometime during that time-frame you may also need to go through the hassle of changing passports and having stamps transferred to a new passport. Those who know more than I will hopefully chime in here and correct me, or confirm what I suspect.

Back in year 2016, when I opened a Bank Account at Bangkok Bank, I also had to obtain a proof of residency paperwork from Immigration. This was in Phuket and it was not difficult to do. I showed up at Phuket immigration with a passport sized photo, and my passport, filled in the form, waited in line, and received the one page piece of paper which was sufficient proof of residency for Bangkok Bank. I was on a 30-day visa Exempt tourist entry at the time. I used my Thai brother in-law's apartment address (which is where we were staying). I was also purchasing a condo, and planned to move the funds for buying the condo from Europe, via Bangkok Bank to the seller, so that may have helped a lot in Bangkok Bank opening an account for me. I've read that subsequent to my success, others have not succeeded. So I don't know the current story. I've also read some people claim getting an agent help to open a bank account can work. I also don't know as to how accurate that may be.

I just read now, you typed "your agent" ?? You are planning to use an agent? That seems inconsistent to me with your desire to save money. While I have friends who use agents (they are in their 70s) who swear by using agents (and they don't mind spending the money) as it saves them hassle (they go for extensions on Type-O visas for reason of "retirement"), ... agents cost money. Some agents are shady. Some are very good. Its highly possible any money you save by having only 400K in a Thai bank (and the other 400K used for a higher yielding investment) will be lost by your paying for the agent's fees. Its just my take on this - but I ask? Do you really need an agent ? or did you just ask an agent the question with no intent to follow through with an agent.

I have obtained 1-year extensions on my previous Type-OA visa for reasons of retirement and marriage (in a separate year) and I can say unequivocally that obtain the extension based on marriage required massively more leg work to setup, and then massively more paperwork to get approved than based on "retirement", and finally massively more time to have approved (than based on "retirement"). My Thai wife and I were married in Canada. So when back in Thailand, I had to have my passport and my marriage certificate translated to Thai language, have the translation certified by the Canadian embassy (if my memory serves me right) and then have the translated certificate certified by Thai Foreign affairs in Bangkok. Then back here in Phuket we had to register our marriage here at City Hall, AND had to have two Thai people who knew us go to Phuket city hall to witness the marriage certificate, so to get a Thai Kor-22 document. Every year that Kor-22 has to be updated (to indicate/prove we are still married). Further, there is MORE paper work when applying for the extension on the permission to stay (for reason of marriage, as opposed to retirement) and I suspect also likely true for the 1st application for the Visa. For example one needs copies of one's wife's ID in addition to all the other documents. It used to be in Phuket, only for 'marriage' would one have to draw a map to their place (for immigration) and expect a home visit, although recently Phuket immigration have expanded such extra proof (and paperwork) to include for 'retirement'. Marriage typically takes longer than Retirement for processing: While 1st getting the 90-day Type-O Visa for reason of "retirement" took 3+ weeks (for me in Phuket), it was still a bit less time than the time it took for me to get a 1-year extension (on a Type-OA Visa's permission to stay) for reason of "marriage" (which took 5 weeks). Further, for me to get a 1-year extension on a Type-O Visa for reason of "retirement" took ONLY 1 day, as opposed to taking 5-weeks for an extension based on "marriage". In my view, if money is not a big concern (and it appears for many on this forum it is a MAJOR concern), but if you don't mind having the extra money in the bank (800k THB vs 400k THB) or if you already easily have the proof (to Thai immigration satisfaction) of a higher monthly salary for permission to stay based on "retirement", then for a Type-O visa "retirement" is a FAR superior option. If on a Type-OA visa I have a different view, as Type-OA has a Health Insurance requirement which doesn't make sense for some of us (as our superior Health Insurance which we do not want to stop is not recognized by Thailand Immigration). Fortunately the Type-O visa does not at present have a Health Insurance requirement. Also it reads like money IS a concern for you, so maybe for you the extra hassle of the paperwork, extra visits to Thai government offices, and extra time waiting to get the Visa (or the extensions) approved, that goes with a "marriage" reason, might be worth your while as you want the few extra thousand baht you may get by freeing up 400K Thai baht. For me, that money difference is so small (between the two) there is no question that retirement is the way to go (as opposed to marriage).

A question on the Annual Reporting requirements of the Long Term Visa (LTR). I understanding that nominally LTR visa holders and followers (spouse and children) must report the status of their residence with the associated government agency (ie BoI in Bangkok), annually. Is this also true if one is in/out of Thailand a few times per year? ie. does the counter for one's 1-year annual report restart if one goes out/in of Thailand? My guess is (unlike Type-O/OA non-immigration Visas) , for the LTR one still must report after one year, even if one goes out/in Thailand, past Thai immigration a few times during that year, and those occasions passing immigration don't count to restart the 1-year counter. ie One must still report every year to BoI (?) in Bangkok ... but I wanted to be certain I understood that correctly.

When I went for my 90-day Type-O Visa (for reason of retirement) in Phuket Immigration I was asked for the Blue Book for my condo, copy of the ID of the Thai person's name on the Blue book, and for a copy of the deed ! I jointly own that foreign freehold condo with my Thai wife, where her name is on the "Blue Book". However she has subsequently transferred her 'official residence' to another property she owns, so according to her, having her name on the 'blue book' for our jointly owned condo is misleading as to it being her residence (for tax reasons). For reasons not fully understood by me (my wife says tax reasons), my wife dislikes having to provide a copy of the Blue book for our jointly owned condo, when her principle residence (according to official government records) is her other property. So I instead provided copies of my Yellow Book for the condo and a copy of the deed, and Immigration accepted that. Roll for forward almost 2 months later and I applied for a 1-year extension on my permission to stay on my Type-O Visa. Again I provided a copy of my Yellow book and a copy of the deed, and they again accepted that.

I think in many cases extensions via agents are perfectly legitimate. If one meets all the requirements for an extension, but does not want to go to immigration for what ever reason (one is sick, or has other issues) then one is in essence providing the agent 'power of attorney' to conduct the transaction on their behalf. Myself? I prefer to go to immigration myself, but as I have posted before, I have friends who think different from me, and they are more than happy to pay an agent to do (what they consider to be a hassle for) the leg work to obtain one's extension. Their age is in the late 70s, money is not an issue for them, and they would rather not sit around immigration for 1 second. .... Possibly it also depends on what immigration office one goes to ?? I have read some immigration offices are easier to deal with than others. Regardless - for certain some extensions via agents are 100% legal - but it does cost one more money (money I prefer to spend on meals and toys).

Some that I like: Khao Khad View Point - 7.71521, 98.38142 Khao Khad View Tower - 7.83471, 98.38366 Phuket View - 7.89174, 98.38192 Big Buddha - 7.82758, 98.31396

This is also my experience.

I don't know. I suspect it reduces the annual paperwork. That is a benefit for immigration having to do less. And I think some pensioners, like myself, had to invest more in Thailand to retire on the LTR, after using Type-OA and Type-O in the past. Who knows the actual numbers? .. and I believe the annual paperwork reduction is a big benefit for both sides regardless of the numbers. That is the main reason I am considering an LTR .. and when I see how late Thai immigration staff work processing the paperwork of annual extensions of foreigners permission to stay, I suspect they too consider it a benefit.

For the OP, in case curious about the experience of some others , ... this is what my timeline was for a One-Year extension on my Permission to Stay based on Retirement on a Type-O Visa: * 7-October-2022 - entered Thailand visa exempt (obtained 45-day permission to stay until 20-Nov) * 18-October-2022 - Applied for a 90-day Type-O Visa at immigration based on 'retirement'. They accepted all my paperwork. I was told to come back to Immigration on 21-Nov, 1-day after my permission to stay expired, and I was told not to worry about my permission to stay expiring the day prior (presumably as I was 'under consideration' although there was no such stamp in my passport). * 21-November-2022 - Showed up at immigration and was advised my 90-day type-O Visa not yet ready. They kept my passport this time. I was told they would phone me in about 1 week when my passport and Visa were ready to pickup. * 7-December-2022 - I still had received no phone call from immigration, I was mildly nervous (they had my passport), so I showed up at Immigration, and they had my Passport with the 90-day Type-O visa (for reason of retirement) stamped inside (back dated to 18-November-2022) with a permission to stay until 15-Feb-2023 stamped in the passport. So I had my passport back with a 90-day Visa. * 3-January-2023 - I showed up at immigration and applied for a 1-year extension on the Type-O visa, for reason of retirement. They kept my passport. * 4-January-2023 - I showed up the next day at immigration and picked up my passport, and it had the 1-year extension on my permission to stay stamped in the passport, giving me a permission to stay until 15-February-2024.