# visas



## terrytynski (Jan 25, 2014)

Hello again........looking for more info. I have checked online ref retirement visa when the time comes. Can any of you guys tell me if it's possible to open a thai bank account while I'm still in the UK? It would be handy to put a few pounds away regularly to build up over a period. I notice that any money you have in a Thai bank account must be there for a minimum of three months before it will count toward your visa requirement. :smokin:


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## Wayward Wind (Aug 28, 2011)

I don't think you can open an account from afar, but perhaps someone knows better.

As far as "seeding" the deposit, the requirement for the first renewal extension of an O visa (obtained here) is two months; it is only for subsequent renewals that three months is required. If you have *any* regular income from back home (i.e. pension, etc.) then there is no seeding requirement for the deposit. For example, if you have a pension of 300,000 THB annually, then you need a deposit of 500,000 THB in a Thai Bank, which can be deposited right up to the time you are ready to apply for your visa. You simply get a bank letter verifying the deposit on the day before you go to Immigration, and you are all set.


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## terrytynski (Jan 25, 2014)

Thanks, I have looked at all the possibilities and I will have no problem meeting the financial requirements for the visa. I am just looking for the easiest, stress reduced way to go about it and I will try to get as much as possible done before I leave the UK (if it still is the UK in 2017)


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## Wayward Wind (Aug 28, 2011)

It is actually pretty easy to do once you are here, and with far less trouble than trying to line it up ahead of time.

Have a look at this: Getting a retirement extension in Thailand

I followed it when I came here two years ago, and it worked like a charm. I had my long term extension in hand one month after I arrived here on a simple tourist visa.


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## terrytynski (Jan 25, 2014)

Having read so much on this subject recently, I'm sure you are absolutely correct in saying that it can all be sorted once I get there. It's just not in my nature to leave everything 'til the last minute, so I'm finding it difficult to understand that there's nothing I can do NOW.
There's also the worry that my head might not be in the right place when I arrive, and I revert to being a fun loving tourist instead of concentrating on the important issues.


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## Wayward Wind (Aug 28, 2011)

Heh...

Patience is something that you will need by the ton when you live here, so it is probably a good thing to start practicing now....


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