Hoping someone can help, I cant seem to find any threads on it although I am sure I must have just missed them.

 

I am planning to apply for a retirement visa but am confused about the process.

 

I had thought the first step was a non immigrant O-A applied for at a consulate or embassy abroad which would then be converted once in Thailand after a local account had been opened and the required finds transferred into it from abroad.

 

But I see the non immigrant O-A visa application form seems to require me to already have proof of funds in a Thai bank account, which seems like a catch 22 because without a non tourist status it would not be possible to open a bank account in Thailand.

 

What is the actual first step to obtain a retirement visa?

 

Thanks

The O-A is a do in your home country option - financial proof can be in home country and medical certificate obtained there - you then can enter Thailand with a one year stay on any entry of that visa during the one year it is valid.  You can later extend in the normal one year at a time fashion with money in Thailand if you want.

There are a number of ways to stay in Thailand for 12 months based on retirement.

The best way is to arrive with a Non Imm Visa and extend for another 12 months at Immigration.

You can also arrive with a Tourist Visa or a Visa Exempt entry and extend, but this would take another step at Immigration.

Or you can arrive with a Non Imm O-A Visa as said above.

 

All options require 800,000 Baht in the bank.

OR

65,000 monthly income.

OR

A combination of the two.

Edited September 29, 20178 yr by Phuket Man

Getting the non-imm visa using retirement as a qualification is a matter of going to the relevant embassy's website and following thier prcedures. The embassy in London makes no mention of Thai funds so I wonder from where did you get the form which you quote? 

1 hour ago, uncleeagle said:

I had thought the first step was a non immigrant O-A applied for at a consulate or embassy abroad which would then be converted once in Thailand after a local account had been opened and the required finds transferred into it from abroad.

 

That would not be a non-oa visa. It sounds more like a single entry non-o visa and then you would apply for an extension of stay by showing 800k baht in a Thai bank.

1 hour ago, uncleeagle said:

But I see the non immigrant O-A visa application form seems to require me to already have proof of funds in a Thai bank account, which seems like a catch 22 because without a non tourist status it would not be possible to open a bank account in Thailand.

 

You can use funds in a bank in your home country to apply for the OA visa. See: http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/4908/15385-Non-Immigrant-Visa-"O-A"-(Long-Stay).html