Transcript of the above video: 

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing the Retirement Visa and possible changes to some of the rules associated with Retirement Visa Extension. For those who are unaware, it is possible to extend one's Retirement Visa in Thailand either in O or O-A status. There are different protocols associated with both the standard O and the O-A. I've gotten into that in many other videos, but this seems to pertain to all Retirement Visa Extensions. 

Quoting directly from a recent email received from a viewer, and tip of the hat to that person, quoting directly: "Ben, I just saw a Facebook post that indicates new requirements for Retirement Visa renewals. It requires photos of you inside and outside your home, map coordinates of your dwelling - including longitude and latitude - a copy is attached for you. Ben, were you aware of these changes? I look forward to your sharing your research into this to us all in a podcast soon." So we had become somewhat aware of this. We oftentimes deal direct with the Immigration Authorities, so sometimes when this stuff comes down, the folks that are doing it themselves have to deal with a lot sooner than we oftentimes do. That said, we have had to deal with documentation pertaining to domicile in the context of the Retirement Visa for years. I mean that has been sort of a standard thing. 

Real quick before I get into further analysis. As I have discussed in other videos, my better half and I set up a restaurant here in downtown Bangkok. It's kind of in the spirit of the expat mood - that was kind of our thinking - it's American Diner style food, including breakfast anytime; as the name implies it's Pancake Palace. We also have an English style breakfast on the menu; we also have American Diner style food. It's not just for breakfast; it is an any time place. We've got hamburgers, cheeseburgers, buffalo wings, chilli bowls, grilled cheese sandwiches. If you are interested, please feel free to check us out, come on down, links are in the description below; Pancake Palace. 

That said, let's get back into this here. I am going to go ahead and throw this up on screen. This is actually from Immigration themselves. So, List of Documents for Extension of Stay: Retirement (Criterion 2.22) and then under 10, 11 and 12 is where these changes that the person who sent this in - again tip of the half of that person - gets into it. 

Financial Statement: Bank statements for at least 12 months (issued within the last 7 days). Quoting directly, and I've gotten into this in other videos. That in and of itself is kind of a logistical nightmare for some people because the timing of getting the stuff from the bank and then getting it over to Immigration; again it's almost like planned obsolescence. Everything is being made intentionally more obtuse; I really don't see the purpose of it. That said, quoting further: 

Coordinates Map: Including Latitude and Longitude of one's home; and then quoting further: "Photographs: 2 photos of the applicant (one in front of the house and one inside the house). 

So yeah, changes with regard to the criteria associated with Retirement Visa Extension. It remains to be seen how stringently this is going to be applied moving forward; if this is going to be something that's going to cause consternation or if it's just one of those things that's a change that people just kind of adapt to. Either way, we will certainly be keeping folks updated on this channel as the situation evolves.