Does anyone know if it's possible to get a work permit on a retirement visa? If not, then is it possible to switch to a non b at the local immigration office or does one have to leave the country and go to a Thai embassy? The person in question is 59 years old, so she should be able to get the non b. Would she have problems getting one next year when she's 60?

Thanks for any information about this.

There have been the odd reports of getting a Work Permit with a Retirement Extension but they were a while back . Generally you cannot.

She would have to go to a neighbouring Thai Consulate and apply.

I had a WP and retirement visa for 4 years running. This was possible because there was nothing on the one year stamp that indicated it was retirement and so the labour department gave a one year WP to run concurrently. However that changed a couple of years ago when they added an extra stamp to the retirement visa saying "No employment" so the labour dept would spot it and you were screwed.

Edited July 11, 200916 yr by trd

My retirement extensions have never said I couldn't work. I think Immigration officer in CMai said he could change me over to a B work visa without leaving Thailand.

The B visa is not the issue. Anyone can get that and a WP if you have legitimate work. The great thing about a WP with a retirement visa is that you never have to do visa runs. That's the whole point.

The "no employment" is written only in Thai and in red ink on my passport.

What are you calling a retirement visa? The only such visa in the non immigrant OA valid for one year entry. The normal O visa only provides 90 day entry. Immigration extension of stay for retirement is not a visa but does not require exit.

Commonly called a retirement visa, but technically is as you say, a retirement extension. I started with a B visa, applied for a WP for my Thai company and initially did visa runs every 3 months and renewed my WP every 3 months. I then used a loophole at the time and applied for a retirement extension and when my WP came up for renewal I was granted a one year WP. I then never left Thailand for the next 4 years. I just renewed both my retirement extension and WP every year for a year at a time.

About 2 years ago my Thai accountant told me that Phuket immigration would now put in an extra stamp along with the the one year retirement extension stamp, stating no employment which put an end to that loophole. I have no idea what the situation is currently as I have stopped working now.

WP issued for 12 months now, but I still have to do border run every 90 days with Non B.