There are many forum discussions regarding this topic but each has their own flavour of questioning. So needless to say I am still confused regarding the process to get the retirement visa. I understand the requirements to get a retirement visa it’s just the procedure/process I am unsure of.

1. Do I apply for the Retirement visa whilst still in Australia or

2. do I apply for a 90 days (O visa (non-Immigrant?)? – but I am not visiting family in Thailand?) in Australia and then once in Thailand I go to a Thailand Immigration office and apply for a 1 year extension for a retirement visa?

3. If option 1 above, how do I prove 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account if I don’t have a Thai bank account or do I need to prove finance in an Australia Bank account? ( I am not going the 65,000 baht monthly income route)

4. If its option 2 above, I assume I open a Thai bank account when I get to Thailand and then transfer the 800,000 baht to that account and then after 2 months go to a Thai immigration to apply for the retirement extension?

5. Do I do the medicals and police clearance whilst still in Australia for option 1 and/or option 2?

Any URL links for my questions I can explore further?

You can apply for OA long stay visa for retirement at the embassy or consulate in Sydney. Requirements are here: http://canberra.thaiembassy.org/doc/form/Long%20stay%20Visa%20O-A%20(5)%20updated%20020114.pdf

You could apply for single entry non-o visa at one of the honorary consulates ( http://canberra.thaiembassy.org/consulate.html ) and then apply for an extension of stay (it is not a visa) here at immigration.

You will not need a medical or police certificate that is only needed for the OA visa.

You will need to have the 800k baht in a Thai bank in your name only for 60 days to apply for the extension.

If option 1, you are applying for the O-A visa and the entire process can only be done in your country of citizenship or permanent legal residence (Australia if you're Australian).

Provide an up to date statement and a letter of guarantee from your bank as proof you have the equivalent of ฿800,000 in an Australian bank account. You do not initially need a Thai bank account for this visa but you will need one later if you apply for an extension.

The medical certificate (download/print the form from a Thai consulate website) is signed by your Australian doctor.

The police clearance is obtained from the AFP (download the application form from their website and submit by mail).

Check out the Thai Consulate Sydney website for all the requirements.

Should point out that most seem to prefer your option 2 (O/extension) route because, although the O-A provides a twelve month initial entry and there is no requirement to initially show money in Thailand, it can be somewhat more tedious and expensive to obtain. To each their own.