1 year visa no flight back retirement

Hi all, need a year visa none imagrant but it says i need a flight back? I am using the visa once in Thailand I'm planning to apply for retirement visa as a friend in Thailand is helpimg me (putting funds in bank lol) and stay after maybe 6 months then stay on retirement visa how can this be done? Thanks in advance

You should be asking Thai immigration if you're in Thailand now, but you can also go to the internet, check out Thailand's website and look under visa requisites there. They are strict now. Plus they have a 90 day reporting rule, EVEN  under a retirement visa!
Expats have knowledge only of their own personal situation which is most probably diffetent than yours - plus immigration and visa rules have evolved over the years.
They require many things for a retirement visa, starting with age and the PROVEN income of a certain amount EACH month.   (It's not JUST  having a large sum of money in the bank, which they also require.)  They also want a Letter of Clearance from the police station where you last resided.
So, best to inform yourself at the source - the Thai government or their consulates overseas.

Below is copied from Thailand's Immigration page.  Not complicated at all.


In the case of retirement:

Criteria for Consideration
The alien:
(1) Must have been granted a non-immigrant visa (NON-IM).
(2) Must be 50 years of age or over.
(3) Must have evidence of having income of no less than Baht 65,000 per month; or
(4) On the filing date, the applicant must have account  deposited  (saving / fixed account) in a bank in Thailand of no less than
Baht 800,000 for the past three months. For the first year only, the applicant must have proof of a
deposit account in which said amount of funds has been maintained for no less than 60 days prior to
the filing date; or
(5) Must have an annual earning and funds deposited with a bank totaling no less than Baht
800,000 as of the filing date.
(6) An alien who entered the Kingdom before October 21, 1998 and has been consecutively
permitted to stay in the Kingdom for retirement shall be subject to the following criteria:

(a) Must be 60 years of age or over and have an annual fixed income with funds maintained in
a bank account for the past three months of no less than Baht 200,000 or have a monthly income of
no less than Baht 20,000.

(b) If less than 60 years of age but not less than 55 years of age, must have an annual fixed
income with funds maintained in a bank account for the past three months of no less than Baht
500,000 or have a monthly income of no less than Baht 50,000.

Documents to be submitted
1. Application form
2. Copy of applicant's passport
3. Evidence of income such as a retirement pension, interest or dividends; and/or
4. Account  deposited  (saving / fixed account) certificate issued by a bank in Thailand and a copy of a bankbook
5. Only in the case of Criterion (6), the applicant must submit documents equivalent to Clauses 1-4
stated above.

miss understood, Im in the UK now but need to obtain visa to go Thailand non resident to sort out retirement but on none resident it asks for proof off return flight? I wont be returning to the UK? I meet all the criteria for retiring 800,000 and income over 75000 baht month, I wanted use none imigrant visa to give me time sort out retirement visa? thanks

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If you meet all the requirements for retirement visa why don't you apply for Non-Immigrant O-A visa at Thai embassy/consulate in your home country.  It's a long stay visa for people that wish to retire in Thailand.  Upon arrival in Thailand you get a permission to stay for one year.

Couple of things that I recently checked with the Thai Consulate in Vancouver, Canada.  I will be applying for retirement visa here.  One way ticket is fine.  The 800,000 baht does not have to be in a Thai bank, evidence of those funds in a Canadian bank is sufficient.  Following is from the Thai Consulate site:
Retirement/Long Stay Visa (O-A) 1 Year


1. Requirements for Obtaining a One-year “O-A” Visa
The applicant must be 50 years of age or older by the date of application
Applicants cannot be prohibited from entering the Kingdom
Applicants must having no criminal record against the security of Thailand or the country of his/her nationality, or the country of his/her residence.
Applicants must be of the nationality or resident in the country where his/her application is submitted.
Applicants must not have prohibitive diseases as indicated in Ministerial Regulation No. 14 (B.E. 2535).
Applicants can not be allowed to work in Thailand
The Consulate will be issue multiple entry visa only
2. Documents Required to Apply for a One-Year “O-A” Visa

A passport valid for no less than one year and a half at the time of application
Three passport-sized photos of the applicant taken within the past six months
Three original of “Visa Application Forms”. Applicant's signature must be notarized either by a lawyer or notary public.
One original personal data form entitled “Additional Visa Application Form for O-A Long Stay”  Applicant's signature must be notarized either by a lawyer or notary public.
A Medical Certificate issued from the country in which the application is submitted, showing no prohibitive diseases as indicated in the Ministerial Regulation No. 14 (B.E. 2535) (this certificate shall be valid for no more than 3 months). This must be stamped by a medical doctor.
A bank statement showing a deposit of the amount equal to no less than 800,000 Baht or an income certificate (original copy) indicating a monthly income of no less than 65,000 Baht. Alternatively, applicants can make a deposit and provide an income certificate indicating a total income of no less than 800,000 Baht a year. All financial statement must have the signature of the bank officer and stamped. Any bank statements require a letter of guarantee from the bank (original copy) as well.
A criminal record check indicating that the applicant has no criminal record in the country of his/her nationality or residence (this document must be valid for no more than 3 months).
In the case that the applicant wishes to be accompanied by his/her spouse but the spouse does not meet the requirements for the O-A Visa, a marriage certificate shall also be included in the application package (The spouse will be considered for the Visa for Temporary Residents under the ‘O' Code).
3. Recommendations for foreigners with Non-Immigrant Visa “O-A” (Long Stay) while staying in the Kingdom (very important)

Upon arrival, holder of this type of visa will be permitted to stay in Thailand for 1 year from the date of first entry. During the one-year period, if he or she wishes to leave and re-enter the country, he or she is required to apply at the Immigration office for re-entry permit (single or multiple) before departure. In the case of leaving the country without a re-entry permit, the permit to stay for 1 year shall be considered void.
The alien shall report to the competent authority after 90 days in the Kingdom, and report every 90 days thereafter with the immigration officer in the alien's residence area, or report to the police station in the alien's residence area if there is no immigration control there. (In order to report to the competent authority by mail, the alien shall do as follows: Forward the Report Form (To Mo 47) together with a copy of the passport pages showing the alien's photo, personal details, and the latest arrival visa stamp and include a self addressed envelop with sufficient postage affixed. This must be forwarded 7 days before the due date. This package should be mailed to the Immigration Bureau, 507 Soi SuanPlu, Sathon Tai Road, Sathon District, Bangkok 10120.
At the end of the one-year stay, a visitor who wishes to extend his/her stay must submit a request to extend the period at the Immigration Bureau with documented evidence of money transfer, or a deposit account in the Kingdom, or an income certificate, of the amount of no less than 800,000 Baht, or an income certificate plus a deposit account indicating a total amount of no less than 800,000 Baht a year. In the case of conducting any following reports, the Reply Form for the previous report shall be enclosed as well.) Copies of any previous such Reports should also be included.
If the visitor's spouse wishes to extend his/her stay as well, the marriage certificate must be produced.

You really need to go to the Thai consulate in London and "sort out" your visa there.
They can explain everything to you, in person, which is always better.  Prepare as much paperwork as you can and make an appointment. They will tell you what you still might need and may even be able to tell you your chances of getting any particular type of visa.
There is some conflicting info on this thread (one says retirement age 50, the other info says age 60.....) plus Thailand often updates/modifies its requirements.
They are strict and they do follow up things like medical, bank and criminal records.

The 50 and 60 age references are not in conflict.  They are just different conditions to qualify for the same retirement extension.  They are both applicable depending on your age and one does not negate the other.  You are correct, however, that it is usually best to go to the source to get you information firsthand.

you are wrong, see villefarang which is correct

FYI... just filed 1-year retirement extension today and this is what was required... a TM7 extension form filled out, 1 passport photo, copies of passport id page, visa page, multiple entry stamp page, last entry stamp page, a copy of lease agreement, income affidavit notarized by US embassy... and all pages had to be signed by me. I gave them a copy of my pension statement and asked if I could just use pension statement next time, but officer said no, that I needed income affidavit from US embassy.

Man in front of me had Thai bank book with enough monies, but it was not signed & stamped by bank so they turned him away to go do.

Next year will do bank account if exchange rate improves. Would have moved money earlier this year for condo purchase and visa requirements but wasn't sure I was staying. We were hoping wife (was fiancee) would get US fiancee visa but that didn't work out so we were married here and will stay in Thailand.

I to was told I needed flight back   Ticket here from Houston cost around 1200 US.  Then here I was told the extra monies for return portion of ticket were non refundable. If I was to do it again Id just buy a 1 way. if it turns out you have to have a return., I'd but it here  as  a ticket here back will be almost half the price... round trip to here and back was nearly 1300 and round trip from here cost me 850...   Go figure. Once here let the immigration know you are retiring and they gave me a visa for 30 more days. at the end of that I was given another 30 days which all told allows me to deposit funds in a thai bank that needed to be there for 60..... no I think 90 days in my case. This will save ya. so pay attention and maybe check it out to make sure... I didn't have much to bring with me and shipped things here a few days before I left. They arrived about 2 months after I got here. I picked them up with no trouble and payed about 200 US import fees.  A bit later I found out that if at time of pick up I had had a retirement visa there would have been no import fees. A 1 time only privileged.... Applies to a car to I was told, but one time only....  if I had  has things shipped say 5 weeks after I left id have saves a couple of hundred but if I has had a car would have been thousands......    an FYI

Can't you get a ticket that is refundable?

Well after all is said and done, 1. next time you might see an immigration agent who might see things differently then what you think, 2. considering immigration for the past year every three months they might change the rules (maybe it's to keep everybody on their toes). I had once case where my sponsor had to file for me a reentry permit when I was already out of the country and couldn't complete the paper work, because I was out of the country. Like Harry Belllafonte used to sing - it's as clear as mud but it covers the ground.

It is my understand that the Thai government realizes that their immigration regulations are antiquated and ultimately costing the government wasted money because of lost man hours on all these "decisions". So Thailand does have ambitions to fix the system, they just have to do it in the "Thai Way".

I was in a meeting last year that was hosted by Immigration. Early in the meeting Farangs were correcting the Thai's by telling them that Retirement Visa's were not long term tourist visa's. With some of the more conservative Thai's some 5 hours before they understood the distinction between the two. Not a whole lot different then the V.A.

Enjoy

I think I has an asian that simply didn't want to take the time, or maybe there was somekind of ristriction. ask the people you end up buying ticket from.....

All cars get charged a 100% duty on them so I cant imagine anyone but a diplomat bringing a car in with them. Retirees or not.

Maybe for Brits the follow up. I had my criminal records ready and med records and they never asked about it... That was in 2013....

Proof of income.
Every year I (within 30 days of the day i intend to go  ie  once a year) get a statement from my Thai bank of how much is in my savings account. And as an American citizen I go to the embassy in Bangkok or consultant in Chaing Mai and fill out a form stating the amount of my yearly income. Don't sign yet and get a number when they call me I'm asked to raise my right hand and swear that the information is accurate, I say yes then they tell me to sign the form. Next they sign and stamp it and The two must equal 800,000 baht and I'm good for another year.....   Ta Daa.

Hello ,

In short they call it an Extension Of Stay Visa but it will get stamped as so and stamped Retirement as well.
The easiest way is to show proof of a monthly income of 65,000 Baht per month , You can use a bank account if you choose.
Example I'm a U.S. Citizen so I went to The U.S. Embassy in Bangkok you can use your Embassy here or at home as for me I choose here filled the form out had it notarized went to Immigration here and in about 30 minutes I was done , Then you will  be required to check in at Immigration every three months just to inform them if your address is the same or changed and your alive :)

As for needing a flight you just use the Immigration card provided when you land in Thailand , One part is filled out when you arrive the other section is when you leave just keep that safe you'll need it during  the Visa process.

If you need any more info I can dig into my paperwork and feel free to reach out if need be.

Best Wishes and Regards
Bob U.S. Citizen
Nakhon Ratchasima Thailand Resident :)