Can someone just set out the basics for me?

Minimum age,
any income proof required,
how many visa runs are required per year (if any)
visa cost,
minimum bank deposit,
mandatory health insurance
anything else?

Thanks in advance

Alex wrote: ↑Wed Jan 11, 2023 3:39 pm Minimum age 50 years, you need to show either 800,000 baht deposited in a Thai bank or a monthly "income" of 65,000 baht. Financials can be waived when using an agent, but the minimum age is a hard requirement.

Cost depends, officially it's 2,000 baht for the initial non-immigrant visa and 1,900 baht for each extension. Re-entry permits extra. Agent fees extra

No visa runs required, it's extendable in increments of 1 year.

As of now, no health insurance requirement unless you start with a Non-OA visa, which would be foolish.

How many free entries would be allowed then?

Alex wrote: ↑Wed Jan 11, 2023 4:50 pm

Kammekor wrote: ↑Wed Jan 11, 2023 3:44 pm

Alex wrote: ↑Wed Jan 11, 2023 3:39 pm Minimum age 50 years, you need to show either 800,000 baht deposited in a Thai bank or a monthly "income" of 65,000 baht. Financials can be waived when using an agent, but the minimum age is a hard requirement.

Cost depends, officially it's 2,000 baht for the initial non-immigrant visa and 1,900 baht for each extension. Re-entry permits extra. Agent fees extra

No visa runs required, it's extendable in increments of 1 year.

As of now, no health insurance requirement unless you start with a Non-OA visa, which would be foolish.

How many free entries would be allowed then?

Not sure what you mean. If you don't purchase a re-entry permit, your extension is TOAST once you exit Thailand, so I guess the answer is zero.

So it's a single entry one year visa?

phuketrichard wrote: ↑Wed Jan 11, 2023 5:10 pm

Alex wrote: ↑Wed Jan 11, 2023 3:39 pm Minimum age 50 years, you need to show either 800,000 baht deposited in a Thai bank or a monthly "income" of 65,000 baht. Financials can be waived when using an agent, but the minimum age is a hard requirement.

Cost depends, officially it's 2,000 baht for the initial non-immigrant visa and 1,900 baht for each extension. Re-entry permits extra. Agent fees extra

No visa runs required, it's extendable in increments of 1 year.

As of now, no health insurance requirement unless you start with a Non-OA visa, which would be foolish.

800,000 in the bank needs to be sent from outside Thailand or get a non o in Phnom Pehn at the Thai embassy, if you have the equivalent tof 80,000 in Any currency in any bank anywhere

OR
no money in Bank, Only need a bank account>
if ur in pattaya 27,000 baht for the initial convert from a visa exempt or tourist visa to non o than a 1 year extension ( so 15 months)
anywhere but Patttaya 36,000 baht
2nd year and onwards 12,500 ( if in Pattaya ) or 16,000 if anywhere in thailand
re entry permit single 1,000 baht, multiple 3,800 baht ( needed if you leave the country)

Richard, I am sorry, your explanation is not easy to understand. First you say you need to send 800,000 to a bank in Thailand, OR get a non O visa in Phnom Penh? So what's the point of sending 800,000 to a bank in Thailand before going, (or going out again after depositing it?) What is the advantage of getting a non O visa in Phnom Penh instead of a tourist visa on arrival -- saving on conversion fees? Also what does 800,000 baht deposited into a Thai bank accomplish? Does it save you the expensive conversion fees you mention once you arrive in Thailand and apply for residency? It's all baffling to me.

...Alex also says if you start with a non O visa you must enter the country with health insurance. So, what is a non O visa? And, what's the difference between converting from a tourist and a non O visa to retirement residency visas? If any? Just fee differences?

(Sorry, I know nothing about visa rules in Thailand. I only remember hearing lots of expats left nearly 6 or 7 years ago -- or maybe a decade ago -- because the government made it very hard/costly to obtain residency and stopped allowing visa runs to Myanmar for short-term visas, etc....... I have not researched this because I assumed it's impossible to get residency or a retirement visa in Thailand without mega-millions.)

Anyone know a good website explaining the current rules?

So what is the best Visa to start off with then. Can u apply from Uk ?