Can someone recommend a visa agent based in Chiang Mai who is "connected" (Non-O/retirement path)

[PadPrikKhing]

Please try to refrain from lecturing me if you find this distasteful, but by "connected" I mean I need an agent who has the connections to make the Non-O and subsequent one-year Non-O extension for retirement happen for me (nor use the income method). Before anyone yells at me that this is illegal and all that, I already know from lots of research that this is a very, very common thing to have done and that lots of agents can do it, so I'd say it's a bit of a gray area if it results in a valid visa.

 

My understanding is that this is a service that is widely available if one is willing to pay for it. And I am, as long as I can feel confident about the agent, which is why I'm asking for a recommendation rather than trying to pick one at semi-random.

 

If you prefer to PM me about it instead of posting publicly, please do, as that obviously would be the more discreet way to do this anyway.

 

I'm already aware of an agent in Pattaya who can do this, but I'm unsure about the complications inherent in using an agent to get a visa in one province and then proceeding to go live in another province far away.

My assumption is that if I make the deal in Pattaya, I would then end up having to travel periodically to Pattaya to do things (90 day reporting?) and that it's much more convenient to have the agent and immigration office be located in the province where I will be living (I've chosen CM). Please correct me if I'm wrong about this, or confirm that I'm right, if you would.

 

I also need the agent to be willing to answer a round or two of questions for my reassurance via email/LINE texts/LINE voice call/LINE video call first, months before I ever get to Thailand. The Pattaya agent I mentioned (who is a British guy) isn't willing to have such a pre-sale exchange with me, and expects me to just relocate to Thailand relying on his simple statement of "see me when you get here, I'll take care of everything for you." The problem with that is, I won't be able to confidently come there in the first place without some reassurances that his services are going to work smoothly, as they are the whole basis of my relocating there. 

 

Thank you.

[FritsSikkink]

It is not a grey area when you bribe somebody.

[sqwakvfr]

If you use an agent in another province they do the 90 Day report for you(online or you might have to send you passport to the agent?).  Based upon the people I have spoken to in CNX using this particular agent down south is common for for people who live in other parts of the country.  

 

Hit the streets and talk to people. There are agents in CNX that provide the same type of service.  

[Lemsta69]

ser, I can't help you with a connected CM agent because I'm Bangkok-based. However I used a Thai-run, very popular agent on Soi Post Office in Pattaya to facilitate my retirement visa and subsequent renewal of said visa back in December 2021. 

 

said agent offers free 90-day reporting which entails mailing one's passport to them or using that as an excuse to visit fabulous Pattaya for a few days.

 

after I moved from Pattaya to Bangkok I didn't really feel like doing either of the above so I decided to do my first ever 90-day report here in Bangkok. I asked here in this forum about the risks associated with that but didn't really get a straight answer. 

 

I asked my Pattaya agent about it and she said to be prepared for questions from CW immi. so in the end I decided to use a Bangkok-based agent to do the 90-day report for me and to ensure that my new Bangkok address was recorded as being my permanent address instead of whatever random address the Pattaya agent used. 1K for pickup and drop-off at my condo in Lumphini.

 

So whilst I'm totally in favour of using Pattaya agents the practice doesn't come without its challenges.

 

Perhaps another member with more extensive practical experience can point you in the right direction.

[Lemsta69]

23 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

It is not a grey area when you bribe somebody.

it's not a bribe, it's a contribution to the RTP Benevolent Fund. win-win situation. don't you ever get tired of spreading FUD, geezer?

[Jai Dee]

Sorry, but you should know better than to post topics like this on the open Forum, which is btw monitored by the Thai Government.

 

From the Forum Rules:

 

2) You will not use ASEANNOW.com to post any material which is knowingly or can be reasonably construed as false, inaccurate, invasive of a person's privacy, or otherwise in violation of any law.