I am an American aged 65 and wish to visit Thailand for at least 5 months. I am able to leave Thailand for a border crossing easily once I arrive, and can do so as many times as needed. What do I need to do to stay 5-6 months?

Before you arrive I suggest you apply for a 1 year retirement visa at a consular office in the US. It can be done via Fedex or the post office. The Boston Thai consular officer is very efficient and you should have no problems getting your 1 year visa.

Such a visa is not available from Boston anymore and is sure not needed, or cost effective, for a short stay.

A free tourist visa will cover up to 90 days and a 2 entry should cover all the time you require with one exit and one or two extensions of stay.

A 2 entry Tourist Visa will give you almost 6 months with extensions and a border run in the middle.

As said you can also apply for a Non Imm O-A Visa if you want . This would give 12 months.

This would need bank documents, medical report and a police report.

The Tourist Visa would be more cost affective. Up to you.

O-A Visa

hi,

go with a TR visit, after 2 months, get extension, then go to a neighbor country for another visa.

or just come to Thailand to get 1 month visa waiver, then go to embassy in Lao or whatever and get a TR visa 2x entry.

would be better for you to ask for a visa in the states and they should be free.

(if you come here, i doubt you will come back to the states where people are screwed all the way, so be ready to get married here and have a nice life ),

most people laugh when I say that, and at the end, they never leave Thailand.

I am planning a 4 month stay this winter -- doing it this way:

1. Get a 2 entry tourist visa, currently free for US passport holders, though you do have to pay round trip postage and supply photos. It is a far simpler (and cheaper) process than for the extended stay visas. See http://www.thai-la.n...-tourist-us.htm
2. Enter Thailand, verify your "until" date is 60 days ahead.
3. On your last legal day make a visa run, get 60 more days on re-entry. Here's where you have to be alert. While the immigration officers at BKK are knowledgeable, the ones at the land border crossings are not always so. Your 2 entry tourist visa is valid for a stay of 60 days on EACH entry. It might have to be explained -- bring a copy of http://www.thai-la.n...sa-validity.htm

Theoretically each 60 day stay can be extended (for a fee, 1900 baht, I think) for 30 days by visiting an immigration office. I've never tried it.