All,

I have just arrived here and have a 30 day exemption - I intend to retire now as was made redundant, I have the money in the bank and own a condo to meet those requirements but was wondering if I can swap the exemtion to retirement visa within Thailand or do I need to go get a visa first?

thanks

KLT

You can do a conversion to a non immigrant visa entry at Bangkok immigration. You will need to show proof of the 800k baht in the bank and a letter from the bank confirming the funds came from abroad. You must do it within 15 days of your entry, But you can apply for a 30 day extension and then do it. It will require 2 trips to immigration 15 days apart to get the visa stamp.

Bangkok immigration has authorized some offices within the central region to accept the applications that are then sent to Bangkok for approval.

For many it is easier to make a trip out of the country for a single entry non-o visa.

After you have the 90 day entry from the conversion or non-o visa you can then apply for the extension of stay based upon retirement during the last 30 days of your entry.

thanks for the information, much appreciated