34 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:

Your understanding is fully correct. 

When not able to extend your stay you must exit Thailand.  The alternative being to remain here and be on overstay, which is not recommended (to use an understatement).

When exiting you might also not be able to return any time soon with the additional risk that the current already draconian entry-measures are even strengthened further.

When you are not able to meet the current requirements to stay in Thailand it is therefore recommended to contact an Agent to enquire about your options.  Their sometimes hefty fee will only be a fraction of what you will be confronted with when exiting Thailand and trying to return.

I was in the same exact boat and my first time using an agent. 5 minutes in his office to start and a few minutes inside immigration for pic and all done. So easy. 13,000 bht.

On 10/31/2020 at 7:56 PM, EVENKEEL said:

I am literally in the exact same place you are as far as time of visa and all that for my OA visa, I used an agent. Cost was 13,000bht for extension, 3,000bht for ins and 1,000 for single entry total was 17,000hbht..... I went to immigration to have pic taken for like 2 minutes. 

 

This was my first extension and using an agent was so stress free.

I do my own extension of Permission to Stay, have done for years. Just fill the forms, show proof of seasoned funds in the bank & insurance proof, come with forms filled/photos attached and it's a breeze.

 

Absolutely no advantage to paying a agent. I do my 90 day reports in person too. Now the agent recognizes me and we know each other by name and my Thai Lady is connected to her on LINE; Certainly can't hurt. The less parties involved in the process the less risk there is. 

 

Others will disagree. I disagree with them. ????

1 hour ago, RocketDog said:

I do my own extension of Permission to Stay, have done for years. Just fill the forms, show proof of seasoned funds in the bank & insurance proof, come with forms filled/photos attached and it's a breeze.

 

Absolutely no advantage to paying a agent. I do my 90 day reports in person too. Now the agent recognizes me and we know each other by name and my Thai Lady is connected to her on LINE; Certainly can't hurt. The less parties involved in the process the less risk there is. 

 

Others will disagree. I disagree with them. ????

When applying for a 'simple' 1-year extension of stay based on your Non Imm O (or O-A) Visa for reason of RETIREMENT, there is little or no need for an agent to help you with the application process.

But the matter is different if for one reason or another you are not able to meet the IO requirements, and in such cases a Fixer Agent will be very helpful.

1 minute ago, Peter Denis said:

When applying for a 'simple' 1-year extension of stay based on your Non Imm O (or O-A) Visa for reason of RETIREMENT, there is little or no need for an agent to help you with the application process.

But the matter is different if for one reason or another you are not able to meet the IO requirements, and in such cases a Fixer Agent will be very helpful.

Of course you are correct. It all comes down to how the agent 'fixes ' things and whether that exposes one to future risk of fraud accusations.

 

But as The Duke reminds us: "A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do".