Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing Thai Retirement Visas, specifically those Retirement Visa Extensions which are issued here in Thailand. Now we are talking about financial criteria, financial evidence, financial requirements.

While there are some differences with respect to the O-A versus the O Retirement Visa especially with respect issues pertaining to things like insurance, with respect to financial requirements there is not a major difference in terms of the requirements. The nature of the discretion associated with Immigration Officers and Officers at Thai Embassies abroad, which I made another video contemporaneously with this one discussing O-A Visas issued by Thai Embassies outside of Thailand. In this video we are talking about extensions of O status here in Thailand and we are talking about Immigration; these are two different departments. An Embassy operates under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thai Immigration operates under the auspices of the Ministry of Interior here in Thailand, so they are different and they have very different qualities about how they process cases.

Also I think there is a qualitative difference in their discretion. Yes, Immigration Officers have some discretion, some leeway with respect to things like documentation pertaining to financial evidence, financial documentation, whereas in an Embassy context I have found that they have a lot more latitude with respect to what is presented to them whereas here in Thailand they basically just want to see "Look, pension documentation, lump sum documentation”. There are some limited circumstances I have seen were something may be waived with regard to that, some detail of that depending on the circumstances. There may be some document that is slightly off, a bank book that doesn't have certain attributes to it that they may say “okay we are going to go ahead and discretionarily approve this for this year but you need to make sure that this is corrected by next year”. But for the most part they don't nearly have the same latitude in my opinion regarding financial documentation as do the Officers at a Thai Embassy or Thai Consulate outside of Thailand.