gregvc OP:
a number of members mention that you can satisfy the retirement requirements by obtaining a letter from their embassy rather than showing 800,000 baht in a THai bank. What does such a letter say? Are 60 day visas still operating with a 30 day extension done at Chaeng Wattana govt office and can a trip (once only) outside to say Laos or Cambodia be used for a 30 day stay, meaning 60 + 30 +30 days with only one trip outside.
1. Re embassy income letter - Yes, in lieu of having 800k baht in a Thai bank, you can get a letter from your Embassy stating your income. As mentioned by others, each Embassy has their own form of the letter and requirements for issuing it, so best to contact your Embassy to find out what you need to obtain the letter - as mentioned, some require you show some form of documentation to support the amount; whereas others such as US Embassy, requires you to "swear" as to the accuracy of the income information being reported. The required amount if using only the income letter is at least 65,000 baht per month (Order of the Royal Thai Police Headquarters No. 777/2551, Paragraph 2.22(3)
http://www.pattayacityexpatsclub.com...ion%202008.pdf)
If you are using a combination of funds in bank and income, the annualized total of the income plus the funds on deposit must be equal or greater than 800,000 baht [the income in the income letter will most likely be your home currency, Immigration will apply the current exchange rate to convert it to baht].

2. Extension of stay on a Tourist Visa - upon arrival you get a 60 day permission to stay and yes, you can extend it for another 30 days at Thai Immigration.

3. Making a border run -if doing by air, no problem at this time (crackdown to be implemented at airports in August according to news article interview with ranking Immigration General) - you should get a 30 day stay with no problem. Right now, using a land border might be problematic as each border location uses their own interpretations. It has always been a requirement for those entering on Visa Exempt (30 day stay) to have an onward ticket and a certain amount of funds - 10,000 individual and 20,000 family. However it has never really been enforced, until now. These new restrictions are still being sorted, so as Travlerjim mentions, be prepared to show you are in fact a tourist even if you have a Tourist Visa (but maybe not quite to the extent he mentioned, but then belt and suspenders never hurts) - if you have several back to back Visa Exempt entries or combinations of Visa and Visa Exempt showing you are living in Thailand for an extended period, you are at high risk of being denied entry.

As mentioned, you can apply for a Non-Immigrant O Visa at some Immigration Offices in Thailand (Bangkok and Pattaya will do) by providing all the paperwork you would need to qualify for a retirement extension of stay. The Visa fee is 2,000 baht. You get a 90 day permission stay which you then apply to extend for a full year. The extension fee is 1,900 baht - two sets of the same documents will be needed, one for Visa and the other for extension.

If doing in Bangkok, it appears you get the Visa and then go back 60 days later for the extension. In Pattaya, it is all done on the same day and they accept one original and one photocopy of the Embassy letter. Once you have your extension of stay, you can then get a Re-Entry permit (1,000 baht for single entry or 3,800 baht for multiple entry) so that you can leave and return to Thailand with your retirement extension still in force. If you are using the full 800k baht in a Thai bank, it will need to be on deposit 60 days before your application for extension (90 days when doing annual renewals). If not on deposit the full 60 days and you are applying in Pattaya, they will do like Bangkok, issue the Visa and tell you to come back in 60 days to do the extension.

If you go for the retirement extension, you will need to be in Thailand for your annual renewal (up to 30 days beforehand). Pattaya Immigration used to do it up to 60 days if you were not going to be in Thailand or as in the case mentioned, 90 days because of medical reasons. However, I have talked to two different individuals who recently tried to do it more than 30 days beforehand and were refused.

The Pattaya City Expats Club has a lot of information on Immigration requirements for entry into Thailand and extending your stay that you might find helpful - http://www.pattayacityexpatsclub.com/expats/visa.html

They also have a checklist for retirement extensions showing documents needed including the two step process of Non-Immigrant O Visa + extension of stay at http://www.pattayacityexpatsclub.com...achecklist.pdf The checklist primarily is for Chonburi (Pattaya) Immigration requirements, but other offices should be similar.