I'm a single 55 year old American male.  I want to live in Thailand for the next 10 years.  Assuming I can meet all the income/bank account requirements, what is the best Visa I should apply for?   (Not really interested in getting married at this time).  Thanks.

Start with a 3 month non imm visa

One month before it expires go to your nearest Immigration Office and apply for a one year extension on the grounds that you wish to retire here.  You will need a letter from the US embassy confirming this.

You can then apply for a one year extension every year until you are fed up with it here and want to go home again.  Using this method you will NOT have to do regular visa runs.

The income/bank requirement is 800k (baht) or 65k per month.  You can apply at a local Royal Thai Consulate in the USA as the money does not have to be in a Thai bank for application.

Thank you Thetyim and Lopburi for your responses.    Thetyim, is it really that easy to get the 1 year extension?  I will have no problem having the $800,000 Baht in the bank and also proof of my pension greater that $60,000 a month.   I just read all these posts about marriage certificates and multiple re-entry visas.  Thank you for anyones reply and experience.  

One year retirement extension is very easy if you have the funds and all papers in order. Takes a couple of hours at the Immigration Bureau.

But you need a Non-Immigrant "O" visa from abroad first.

I have been on one year extensions for the past eight years.

No problem.

I am not on a retirement visa (yet) I use the thai wife and child as my excuse for staying here but the retirement ticket should be no different.

Make sure you act quietly and politely when you apply and a present for the interviewing officer helps things along.

The interview is now done online and at this years application the officer typed in the questions and the answers and then informed me of what I had said.  Yeah, no problem .

Thanks a lot Thetyim.  That is really helpful.  George (or anyone) will the Thai Embassy in Washington, D.C. give me the non-Imm type 0 visa if I can show the funds?  (I live in D.C.)   Thanks again.  

Royal Thai Embassy Wash DC

Under Consular Services select Visa, then requirements for persons 50 years or older at bottom of list, then download extra visa form at bottom of the list.  Under visa/applications you can download the regular visa form.  Take all forms and required documents to the Consular section of the Embassy and they should be able to help you.

PattayaSteve,

In my experience, you will be given

an initial 9 month extension to your

3 month NonImm O Visa.

This means that your subsequent Annual

Renewals will expire on the day prior to your

original arrival and you will be required to be in

Thailand to process the Annual renewal

at least a few days prior to that date each year.

I personally would not wait until your 3rd month

of your initial 3 month visa - better to process the

extension asap - to discover if any problems exist.

I have not experienced any problems during my 4 years.

Roger

I personally would not wait until your 3rd month

of your initial 3 month visa - better to process the

extension asap - to discover if any problems exist.

This advise sounds logical but they do not want to see you if you have more than 30 days remaining on your entry.  If there are problems they use the extension process to give you time to correct it.  I do agree the last day would not be my choice but a week or two is fine.  Even in the worst case you would still have time to exit country.