39 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

No

Dont know what you are thinking of.

Perhaps a multi Non O visa. Validity one year.

No longer available.

Currently Non O retirement eVisa would give 90 day stamp.

Funds would need to be transferred from abroad and seasoned in Thai bank account for 2 months.

They could then obtain 12 month extension.

OK, thanks.

All they'd lose is ROI for a few months as money is seasoned. A lot cheaper than years of agent fees. Going from agent use to DIY seems a bit dodgy to me, IMHO

And why start your retirement, doing something illegal. Still can't wrap my head around how that is even endorsed on AN.

Edited June 3Jun 3 by KhunLA

I don't know if things have changed since I came seven years ago but UK citizen then living in Dubai I got a 1 year O-A from Thai consulate in Dubai before I came to Thailand.

I know it came with additional requirements for health insurance but I was going to get that any way.

Gave me twelve months peace of mind to sort everything out when in Thailand - bank account etc.

I am also married so not sure if this help and apologies if my advice is out of date.

🍻

17 hours ago, cjinchiangrai said:

The main problem with agents is that you have to pay their fees every year and to get out from that, you have to leave and start over. They will be processing your extensions from somewhere other than Hua Hin using accounts that you have no record of.

I used an agent the first few years in Bangkok 15 years ago. Then I decided to go DIY. I will admit, there was a very long uncomfortable silence when the CW Immigration person looked at my passport, looked at me, and asked "Where do you go to get your extensions?" I just stood there. They pointed at the stamps, (written in Thai obviously), and asked again "You live in Bangkok, why do you get your extensions 300 kilometers from here?" I honestly can not remember if they demanded a "fee" ... all I remember is a huge sense of relief I finally had official stamps, and have kept it that way ever since. Just go DIY, since 90 day reports are easy online, and you only need to go to immigration once a year to "renew" Also, expect the focus / crackdown on Expat paperwork to get worse in the future.

8 minutes ago, MarkT63 said:

I don't know if things have changed since I came seven years ago but UK citizen then living in Dubai I got a 1 year O-A from Thai consulate in Dubai before I came to Thailand.

The Non O-A is certainty an option.

However for ongoing extensions will require compulsory insurance.

Some find this unappealing.

1 minute ago, DrJack54 said:

The Non O-A is certainty an option.

However for ongoing extensions will require compulsory insurance.

Some find this unappealing.

Hi Dr Jack. Agree that insurance is expensive but I, personally, would not be without it.

11 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

I used the word "Extension"

For extension the money would have to be in Thai bank for Non O and Non O-A

I understand, and I understand the rules for the various visas as well. I also understand the pitfalls of incomplete or misleading instructions. What we might dismiss as common knowledge might be exactly what someone that does not read well and plan well might pick up on. I deal with it daily, in fact I have a friend that is going to run out of time because he is not organizing his documents correctly.

14 minutes ago, MarkT63 said:

Agree that insurance is expensive but I, personally, would not be without it.

For some (me) insurance is not possible due to age and pre existing conditions.

Self insured is my option.

You might be surprised how many in that boat.

18 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Not a given

Nobody said it was. The OP asked a question and I answered it directly.

Not sure why you felt the need to respond to something so obvious. Talk about a useless post.
Doesn't that response actually go against the rules ? lol

7 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

For some (me) insurance is not possible due to age and pre existing conditions.

Self insured is my option.

You might be surprised how many in that boat.

Not sure of your age but I got a couple quotes recently that i thought were reasonable.
5mill coverage, no deductible, 50K baht life, 300K in accident coverage ( excluded motorcyles) and all the rest, 59Kbaht a year.
I'm 63.

Thats a lot cheaper than it was 2 yrs ago.

14 minutes ago, Slowhand225 said:

Nobody said it was. The OP asked a question and I answered it directly.

You stated in regards to using an agent...

"Use an agent where you'll live"

Fact is for some there are no agents where they live that provide anything other than "hand holding"

Hence for some the stamps are obtained in different province.

21 hours ago, Smudgy said:

My partner and I plan to apply for non O retirement visas so that we can relocate to Hua Hin but I have a few queries that hopefully you good people on here can help with.

Firstly, when applying for the visa here in the UK, based on having the GBP equivalent of 800k baht in our savings accounts, how long does it have to be there prior to the application? Is one bank statement sufficient or do we need to show 3 months statements?

We're also now considering using an agent to obtain the 12 month extension for us, including the depositing of necessary funds. I don't wish to spark a debate on the legalities of this but just want to know what actually happens if we choose to go down this route.

Would it be wise to use an agent based in Hua Hin where we intend to live?

In addition to the 90 day visa we'd obtain here in the UK what else would we need to provide for the agent to obtain our 12 month extensions?

Would we be ok to stay temporarily in an apartment whilst we looked for something more long term?

Also, assuming the agent would set up bank accounts to show funds, would we then be able to use these accounts ourselves as normal?

Finally, is there a better time of year to be doing all this? We were thinking either this autumn or late next spring

Advice on all of this much appreciated

Might I suggest PM thaivisa entre or @DrJack54 not sure but seems you are getting information without people knowing the whole story.

4 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

I used the word "Extension"

For extension the money would have to be in Thai bank for Non O and Non O-A

Hi, I have send you a message.

I've never used an agent for anything and never will.

If you apply yourself, read carefully, it all falls into place with excellent and well-written, easy to follow assistance on numerous websites. The British Embassy Website is very helpful.

I have done B business visas, Immigrant O visas, DTV visas, retirement extensions, driving licences, pink cards, yellow books, and now just doing all the documentation for a marriage visa by myself.

It's a bit of additional running around, but I am not that busy, and it isn't that difficult.

Edited June 5Jun 5 by Scouse123

11 minutes ago, Scouse123 said:

If you apply yourself, read carefully, it all falls into place with excellent and well-written, easy to follow assistance on numerous websites

Don't think the OP is asking about agent because the process (particularly for extensions retirement) is complex.

Far from it.

As he points out 1.6 million baht is significant amount to park into a Thai bank account given how much that money can accrue in home country investment

19 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Don't think the OP is asking about agent because the process (particularly for extensions retirement) is complex.

Far from it.

As he points out 1.6 million baht is significant amount to park into a Thai bank account given how much that money can accrue in home country investment

Yep, Chase UK are currently paying 4.5% each year for new customers, no lock in of funds, and interest calculated daily and paid monthly.

Apply for a one-year, multiple-entry retirement visa at the Thai embassy in the UK. This will give you ample time in Thailand to handle everything yourself, stress-free. All problems related to money, time, stress, etc., will be resolved for the next year.

But you have todo the 90-days report in Thailand.

Edited June 5Jun 5 by snowgard

On 6/3/2026 at 2:06 AM, Smudgy said:

Financials aren't a problem but I think we've started considering using an agent after reading about others having problems opening bank accounts and long waits/issues with immigration. If the agent provided funding as well it would limit our need to draw down from our pension investments which would be a bonus.

We're really just looking to get our visas sorted as painlessly as possible.

Even using an agent it's difficult to open a Bank Account without having your Non-IMM O already so I would recommend...

1. Get the Non-IMM O in the UK before you arrive (I believe you need to show the past 3 months bank statements).

2. Once you get to Thailand immediately open a Bank Account (you still might need to use an Agent to help with this as a lot of Bank's want to see a 12 month lease nowadays) - If you plan on living in Hua Hin then it will be easier for you going forward to open a Bank Account there as somethings can only be done in the Branch where you opened your account.

3. Once the Bank accounts are opened, seed the 800K or use the Income Method or go down the "Agent Assisted Finance" route depending on your preference (I maintain the 800K but still use an Agent for convenience - Up to me).

If you do decide to use an Agent to do everything for you then you'll have more options in the Pattaya area than Hua Hin or use somebody like TVC who may be able to assist you remotely, as I said my recommendation would be to at least do the Non-IMM O yourself before getting here.

11 minutes ago, snowgard said:

Apply for a one-year, multiple-entry retirement visa at the Thai embassy in the UK

You are referring to Non O-A

That has been discussed..

Yes an option however requires insurance and more other items such as medical police check etc

And what's the problem with that? In the UK, it's incredibly easy.

Or do they already have a GoFundMe account?😉

12 minutes ago, JamesPhuket10 said:

I am not sure why people use an agent, it is all so very simple to do.

I applied for and received a 90 day visa online in the UK.

I think I had to show I had had at least £10k in my British bank account for at least six months to get the 90 day visa.

I came to Thailand with it and put 800k into a Thai bank account.

Before my 90 day visa expired I filled in the immigration forms, showed them bank statements for the two months, gave them the simple paperwork they needed, half an hour at the immigration office in Phuket

Picked up the one year visa extension the next day.

Followed the rules, the next year and subsequent years I did the visa extensions in person, half an hour each time in the immigration office.

I followed the rules from four years ago, they are probably the same now?

With this non-0 visa I am not required to show any health insurance when the visa is extended each year.

Congratulations, you're very clever.

For the umpteenth time in this thread they were not asking because they found it difficult but because they do not want to tie up 1.6m baht in a Thai bank.

2 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

Congratulations, you're very clever.

For the umpteenth time in this thread they were not asking because they found it difficult but because they do not want to tie up 1.6m baht in a Thai bank.

Spot on.

OP should ignore Mr @JamesPhuket10

The OP has expressed concerns tying up 1.6 million baht. Understandable.

25 minutes ago, JamesPhuket10 said:

I followed the rules from four years ago when getting the 90 day visa online in the UK, they are probably the same now?

Yes it is the same now.

Your posts are self so self centic it's embarrassing

Some off topic posts re legality of agents and trolling posts removed.

@JamesPhuket10

the thai embassy gave me a year non-O when i wrote to them

telling i was on medical retirement at age 34

so from my experience embassy is less fussy than immigration office

6 minutes ago, mordothailand said:

the thai embassy gave me a year non-O when i wrote to them

telling i was on medical retirement at age 34

so from my experience embassy is less fussy than immigration office

Difficult to understand what you are referring to.

There is no one year Non O.

Multi entry Non O retirement valid for one year was ended some time ago.

While we refer to Non O Retirement that visa has nothing to do with retirement.

The visa is based on being 50+

Outside of Thailand all visas and obtained on eVisa platform

With a British Thai OA visa for retirees, you can easily enter Thailand, open a bank account, transfer 800,000 THB, buy an apartment or rent a house, get a driver's license, etc. After eleven months, you leave Thailand without needing a re-entry stamp. The old OA visa is then no longer valid! After two to four weeks, you return on a tourist visa and apply for another Retirement-O visa for retirees. It's that simple.

But why do Brits try to avoid health insurance?

Travel health insurance is cheaper in most home countries than in Thailand and does not exclude pre-existing conditions. However, you can only purchase this insurance in your home country with a valid address. You must be able to prove that you were in your home country at the time of application. Furthermore, coverage may only apply to motorcyclists with engine displacements between 50 and 110 cc! Read the fine print.

Edited June 5Jun 5 by snowgard

4 hours ago, snowgard said:

With a British Thai OA visa for retirees, you can easily enter Thailand, open a bank account, transfer 800,000 THB, buy an apartment or rent a house, get a driver's license, etc. After eleven months, you leave Thailand without needing a re-entry stamp. The old OA visa is then no longer valid! After two to four weeks, you return on a tourist visa and apply for another Retirement-O visa for retirees. It's that simple.

A Non O-A visa is valid for 12 months.

Each entry you are stamped in for 12 months.

The idea of exit Thailand just prior to expiry and reenter with visa still valus is to obtain another 12 months.

Note you would require health insurance.

Also for travel out of Thailand and back in this second year you require reentry permit.

After that you would require insurance for extensiins.

Yes you could kill off the Non O-A and obtai a Non O however not best option.

Regards travel insurance... For expats living ongoing in Thailand think you will find that travel insurance is not an option.

What is needed is health insurance that is annual policy.

Many threads on that topic

As noted by one of the resident experts on here:

There are some immigration offices that don't even bother with agents. If you don't meet the requirements they just say "go to this room/counter" and you work it out right there and then for a fee. So yes, you're exactly right.

So maybe you can see if the IMM folks in your desired residence will fit the bill especially as 2 cover-the-funds are needed.

15 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Difficult to understand what you are referring to.

There is no one year Non O.

Multi entry Non O retirement valid for one year was ended some time ago.

While we refer to Non O Retirement that visa has nothing to do with retirement.

The visa is based on being 50+

Outside of Thailand all visas and obtained on eVisa platform

ah, ok this was back in 2002 when i mailed thai embassy explaining my situation that i had difficulties walking