Depends where you are in Thailand.

If it’s Pattaya then send me a message and I’ll recommend a good agent. I won’t post in the group, sorry.

@Peter **********

That’s for the Non O based on Marriage. It’s 800k for the one based on Retirement.

@Steve ******

Depends on the office. Some do require it.

@Gary *******

In Chonburi they usually say to allow at least 15 working days as it is sent to Bangkok to process. I have no idea about Koh Phangan.

@Gary *******

There are a number of things they might need but it can vary. You will need to check. eg TM30 (your friend will need to register you are staying there, if he is the owner), Residence Certificate, copies of passport, copies of rental agreement, etc etc.

You don’t need insurance for a Non O visa.

Go to the local immigration office and ask for their requirements as they can vary between offices.

The money (800k) will have needed to have been in your Thai bank account for at least 2 months.

120 baht for a pint of Heineken in Pratumnak.

You can only get a Non O-A visa in your home country. You cannot get it in Thailand.

You can get a Non O visa ‘for Retirement’ in Thailand, which is probably better anyway as no compulsory Health Insurance is required for each Extension.

Both visas allow you to stay in Thailand permanently if you wish.

You need to specify the type of visa. A Non O for ‘Retirement’ or marriage etc is a 90 day visa which you can get inside Thailand. If you mean a Tourist Visa, which is 60 days but can be extended for another 30, then no you can’t get it in Thailand. You could apply online for future use, but you can’t just activate it inside Thailand. You’ll need to show a flight and it must be used at a border.

You can either get your initial Non O Visa in the USA or enter on a Tourist Visa, or even Visa Exempt, and get the Non O in Thailand.

That gives you 3 months before you need your first Annual Extension.

For your first Extension you will have to show the 800k in a Thai bank account for at least 2 months.

For future Extensions you could use income but you must send at least 65k from overseas to your Thai bank account every single month without fail all year.

You can combine income and bank balance but again must show it every single month for a year.

Some offices insist on proof the money sent is from a pension.

You are not allowed to work on a Retirement Visa so don’t tell them (or anyone) you are running an online business.

If you can’t do this the alternative is to pay an agent which will cost you about baht for the initial 15 months then about baht or so each year after that. It depends if you are comfortable doing this. Many people use them, others do not want to.

As for the new tax laws, no one knows yet how, or even if, they will be enforced and probably won’t know until 2025.

If they do enforce them as written then it could be an issue for lots of people, especially those sending money each month, but as I said NO ONE KNOWS YET.