When applying for a Retirement Visa (convert from Tourist Visa) – is there a residency requirement?

We’re in Thailand already, on a tourist visa – and want to convert over to a retirement visa. Can we do this while in a short term stay at a condotel (\~ 1 week), or do we have to meet some minimum rental agreement (of say 1 month or even more)? Also – do others here get into multi-month rental agreements that extend beyond their visa dates, and then just hope to use border runs to successfully extend their stays? We feel a bit antsy about getting a long term rental agreement given we’re on a temporary visa, and yet our bank and the immigration officials seem to assume that we would have already done this.

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