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The Thailand Retirement Visa Guide

This post will provide you with all the information you need to obtain your retirement visa, and answer all the nagging questions to which you have seen conflicting answers for all over the Internet.

Let's get started.

What is a Retirement Visa?

In truth, there is no such thing as a retirement visa, per se. However, when we talk about a retirement visa, we refer to it as such because people applying are generally retirees intending to spend their retirement in Thailand.

Moreover, you can't work on this type of visa, so it's generally for those who've stopped work and entered the sunny side of life.

What most refer to as a retirement visa is officially known as an extension of stay based on retirement.

The way the extension of stay based on retirement is obtained is by entering Thailand on a Non Immigrant O Visa, which we will discuss a little later, and then by obtaining the retirement extension from an immigration office – provided you meet the requirements.

thailand-retirement-visa

Retire in Thailand, enjoy the good life.

What If I Don't Meet the Financial Requirements?

Perhaps you don't have an ฿800,000 lump sum of money to put in a Thai bank account, or a monthly income of 65,000 THB. In this case you can still meet the financial requirements by combining the two. 

For example, let's say that you earn 50,000 a month. That would equal 600,000 THB a year.

In this case you would only need to deposit 200,000 THB in your Thai bank account to make up the required 800,000 THB. However, you would need to provide both the letter from the bank and the proof of income letter from your embassy

(British and US nationals are currently unable to obtain this income letter). 

What Documents Do I Need for a Retirement Visa?

To obtain the extension based on retirement, you will need to attend an immigration office, such as the office located at the Ministry of Foreign affairs in Bangkok. On the day you will need 5 things, as follows:

  1. Passport with Non Immigrant O Visa inside. Photocopies of: photo page of passport, page showing visa, page showing last entry date into Thailand.
  2. TM.7 (extension of stay form completed and signed). Attach a passport photo and include phone number by your signature.
  3. Departure Card (TM.6) (make a photocopy)
  4. 2 passport size photos
  5. Proof of funds and or proof of income (letter from bank/embassy). Bank letter cannot be more than 3 days old. If using the lump sum application route, you'll need an updated photocopy of your bank book page that shows the balance. Obviously take your bank book along too.
  6. Proof of address (copies of rental agreement, and utility bills (if you have them))
  7. Application fee of ฿1,900 THB

*Sign all photocopies. 

90-Day Reporting

Once you have your retirement visa,  there are two important rules that you must follow to ensure that you do not overstay your visa or invalidate your visa.

  1. You must conduct 90 day reporting. This means you must report to an immigration office in Thailand every 90 days.  This is because Thailand has a law that states that a foreign national must produce his/her address if staying in the kingdom for 89 or more days. The address is reported on a TM48 form.
  2. Perhaps the most common mistake foreign nationals make when living in Thailand on a retirement visa is leaving the country without getting a re-entry permit. A re-entry permit can be obtained from an immigration office or the airport before leaving the country.

This permit will be stamped in your passport and protects your visa from  expiring while you are outside of the country. If you do not get a re-entry permit, then your visa will be invalidated and when you re-enter Thailand you will get a standard 30 day exemption stamp.

As noted, you can obtain a re-entry permit as you are leaving the country. However, if you are able to plan in advance, it may be better to get one a few days before you leave to ensure that you get it done in time and don't miss your flight if you are in a rush to the airport. The re-entry permit form is known as TM13.

I have written extensively about the re-entry permit in this post here.

How to Renew Your Retirement Visa

Your retirement visa (extension of stay based on retirement) will last for one year. But don't wait until that year is almost up before you start planning to renew it. In fact, you can renew your visa up to 45 days before it expires.

Remember that you need to ensure that your Thai bank account balance does not fall below the 800,000 THB threshold three months prior to renewing your visa. 

Also consider that if you need a proof of income letter from your embassy, you should plan this at least a few weeks before you apply for your visa.

Some embassies require you to make an appointment and they may be busy at the time you apply. Don't worry though, the letter from your embassy will be valid for six months, so is perfectly fine to obtain the letter up to a couple of months before you need to renew your visa.

Rules for Those Retiring with a Spouse (Dependent)

It may be the case that you're a foreign couple who want to retire to Thailand. In this situation, there are two possibilities for obtaining a visa:

  1. Each partner obtains a retirement visa by following the financial requirements laid out above: that is 800,000 THB in a Thai bank account two months prior to applying; or proof of 65,000 THB income per month, as verified by your embassy; or a combination of the two.
  2. One of you obtains a retirement visa and the other receives a visa as his/her dependent.  The visa holder is generally the male party.

The easiest route is for you to both independently get visas. One reason for this is that if the main visa holder were to pass away then the dependent's visa would be immediately void.

This could be problematic because it would  present you with a visa issue to overcome at a time when you would be going through a lot of grief and having to sort out a lot of other things in your life.

In this situation, you could essentially leave the country and come back in on a 30-day exemption stamp, or get a tourist visa from a Thai embassy in a neighbouring country. But this still might not give you the time you need to get all your affairs in order and take care of probate.

It sounds quite morbid, but it is worth considering – because at a time like this you would not want the hassle of sorting out visa issues.

I have a comprehensive article on eligibility and requirements for a dependent visa here.

Spouse Under 50 or Ineligible for a Retirement Visa

If your spouse is under 50 or doesn’t meet the qualifications for a Retirement Visa, they can still accompany you by applying for a Thai Dependent Visa.

Key details to know:

  • The visa is renewable annually.
  • It will be revoked if you and your spouse file for divorce.

Requirements include:

  • A passport with at least 6 months' validity.
  • Proof of relationship (such as a marriage certificate).
  • Financial documentation showing the spouse can support the dependent.

The applicant can apply for a Non-Immigrant O visa based on spousal dependency either at the Thai embassy or consulate in their home country. Alternatively, if already in Thailand on a Tourist Visa, the Non-Immigrant O visa can be processed locally, provided all requirements are fulfilled and the current Tourist Visa has at least 21 days of validity remaining. To extend the Non-Immigrant O visa for one year, the application must be submitted to the immigration office within 21 days before the 90-day stay period expires.

Note that as a dependent, immigration requires the financial aspect of the extension to be provided by the retirement visa holder (not the dependent), and not through a joint bank account.

Similarly, if you are using a letter from your embassy to prove your income to extend your visa, this must solely be in the retirement visa holder's name and not in joint names. 

Getting Your Non Immigrant O Visa

The most common pathway to getting the extension based on retirement is to obtain a Non Immigrant O Visa (90 day validity) from your home country before you arrive Thailand. You can do this via the E-Visa system.

You can obtain this visa in Thailand, but then that's an extra step that you will have to go through with immigration before applying for your extension of stay based on retirement. It really isn't difficult to get from your home country either, so it is advisable that you do this.

Here are the requirements for the UK Thai Embassy. Please note that requirements may differ slightly from country to country.

  • Passport or travel document with validity not less than 6 months and at least 2 blank pages, as well as the photocopy of passport. The actual passport must be submitted with visa application form.
  • Two (2) recent photos (taken within the past 6 months)
  • Supporting documents for the purpose of visit to Thailand. (Please see details for each type.)
  • Financial evidence showing monthly income of no less than 65,000 THB (£1,500), or a current balance of 800,000 THB (£18,000). Applicant’s bank statement must show name and address (screenshots are not accepted). 
  • Health insurance policy for the 90-day period that covers 400,000 inpatient and 40,000 outpatient treatment.

Once you have your Non Immigrant O Visa,  you can enter Thailand and stay for 90 days. You will have to wait 60 days before you can file your retirement visa application at the immigration office and follow the steps laid out in this post.

Getting a Retirement Visa (O-A) Instead

You should also know that you can obtain a long-stay visa (generally known as a retirement visa) inside your home country. It's known as an O-A visa.

Rather than include all the details in this post and confuse the two options, I wrote a separate post on this. 

In a nutshell, there's more paperwork involved and it requires you to have a specific insurance policy. Though it does have some benefits that the extension we have discussed here doesn't have.

+ Read more on the O-A visa here

Have I missed anything? Still got a question? Leave it in the comments below.

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Comments Sort by : newest | oldest

  1. Joe says

    A simple question if I may. I will be arriving soon on an e-visa printout (Non-O). Do I go directly to the immigration counter as usual, or do I need to locate a special counter for some sort of conformation/activation, etc. Thanks
    Reply

  2. Jerry says

    OK, I arrived on the Non-O for Retirement, long stay. I was given an eVISA from Los Angeles consulate a pdf file I print out. I get the next step is do the extension of stay for the Annual Renewal. I also get the 90 day check-in, money in the bank (i have a bank account already), insurance requirement.

    Here's where I'm stuck ... where do I get the forms, TM7, TM47 etc...
    The other thing I want to know, can I get a "Sticker" visa is my passport Non-O now rather than carry the paper around, or am I stuck with the pdf file forever?

    When I do the 1 year extension of stay, is that where I get the "Single Entry", or "Mult. Entry" visa. For now I put a copy of the pdf file on my phone, no printout.

    According to the consulate site, the 90 day Non-O is single entry, but I want to travel in Asia as it opens and think the multiple entry streamlines the process and removes the "re-entry" paperwork you warn about doing before trips.

    One more question, If I stay in hotels what paperwork should I use to prove my address? In. theory, they (the hotel) report my stay (TM30) directly already .... at least in theory.

    I wanted to thank you for your site, it is my go to site for trying to sort this stuff out as I do my first round of renewals, 90 days check-ins and such.

    After the first complete loop through I think it will make more sense ... 555, if that is possible.

    Thanks Peter
    Reply

    • Max says

      An O-visa is not a long stay,that's the O-A. The Non-immigrant O is just a 90 days visa which after 60 days can be extended another year. So, which visa do you have? The forms you need, you can google and download and fill in using a computer and then print out or go to your local immigration office and get them. The TM47 is the form for your first 90 days report,the TM7 for the 1 year extension and the TM30 for reporting your permanent address in Thailand. There are no single or multi-entry visas when applying for the 1 year extension. If leaving the country you must get a single re-entry permit or a multiple re-entry permit. Otherwise your visa will be void. When you get your 1 year extension you'll get a stamp in your passport. If immigration will replace your current pdf-visa (if it's a 90 days visa) with a stamp is a good question because the eVisa is a quite new thing. You don't need to do anything when it comes to your address when travelling in Thailand, but you need to report your permanent address in Thailand at your local immigration office before the first extension (if your current visa is a 90 days Non-immigrant) using the TM30 form. That's the address you're verifying when you're doing your 90 days report. You can only belong to one immigration office unless you're moving to another province. Then you have to report your new address to the new local immigration office to be able to do the 90 days report and next 1 year extension. Good luck.
      Reply

      • Jerry says

        I have the Non-O visa, an eVisa. I think I confused the visa and the re-entry permit for single or multiple re-entry, thanks for clearing that up. I found the forms online yesterday. Using the quarantine time to find them … 55. Very helpful reply, thanks so much.
        Couple questions, can my permanent address be a hotel until I decide where to live. Not sure of the city yet.
        My eVisa was issued 27 Dec 2021, visa must be used by 26 Mar 2022 are the dates on it. My passport was stamped at BKK… Admitted 26 Jan 2022, Until 25 Apr 2022. Does that mean I file for the 1yr extension in April?

        Somehow I thought the used by date was the date I needed to work to for filing my extension of stay application.

        Sorry about the questions, came here a few times pre covid and did some logistics, setting up a bank acct, doctor, dentist, tried to get a driver license but ran out of time. So this is my first loop through the living here process.

        Again thanks, your reply was extremely helpful.
        Reply

        • Max says

          You can stay in a hotel but you still need to submit the TM30 report before the extension. You need the hotel to give you something official showing you're staying there. It's not about the city, it's about the province. Apply for the extension 55-60 days into your 90 days visa,don't do it later,and your papers need to be in order. Check with immigration you've got what's needed. There will normally be a lot to copy. Are you using the money in the bank method = 800k in your Thai bank account or a monthly deposit of 65k? The 800k must be in the account 2 months prior to the day of application. This is NOT negotiable at immigration, hence very important. No money, no 1 year extension. You also need a bank letter from your bank showing the 800k in the account. It's best if you get the bank letter or bank guarantee as they also call it the same day you apply for the extension. Your bank book must be updated same day. Some immigration offices wants you to do a transaction the same day. Just withdraw 2,000 baht from an ATM before entering the bank. The bank letter cost 100 baht and the extension 1,900 = 2,000 baht.
          Reply

          • Jerry says

            Thanks Max.
            The money part I understand, and the health insurance.

            You said start about roughly 60 days into the 90 days. I’m unsure which date to work to on this.

            My eVisa was issued 27 Dec 2021, visa must be used by 26 Mar 2022 are the dates on it. My passport was stamped at BKK… Admitted 26 Jan 2022, Until 25 Apr 2022. Does that mean I file for the 1yr extension in April?

            Refer to paragragh above. Would my 90 days end on the March 26, 2022, or on the April 25, 2022.

            March is the eVisa date, April is the entry + 90 days stamped at BKK upon arrival.

            When I got the eVisa I thought my 90 days ended in March, but now that I see the stamp from Immigration upon Arrival I’m not so sure I understood the process.

            Did I must need to initiate my first 90 days by March 26, 2022?

            Thanks again,

            J
            Reply

            • Max says

              You start counting from the day of arrival,see the entry stamp. About insurance, there's no mandatory insurance when applying for the 1 year extension on an initial 90 days Non-immigrant O Visa. Immigration won't mention it. But you can of course get one when in Thailand if you want.
              Reply

              • Jerry says

                Thanks Max.
                I think my confusion was that i was interpreting the eVisa use by date as the end date. And having what i thought was a visa end date that ended sooner than the entry stamp end date, seemed to give me confusion. Also i woukd hat to show in April if I should have wormed to the March date.

                Not a great way to start off.

                Thanks for your patience with me.
                Reply

                • Max says

                  eVisa or a normal Visa doesn't matter. Your 90 days started when you arrived at the Suvarnabhumi Airport. Now you're on a so called "permission of stay",it means your visa is used. The same when you extend your stay for another year. It's your permission of stay that's extended, not your Visa. This is a very common misunderstanding among tourists or expats in Thailand.
                  Reply

      • Robert meredith says

        Hi I am looking at moving to thailand in June with an o visa based other fact my wife is thai and my daughter half thai we all live in the UK at the moment..
        I am concerned I don't have enough initially to qualify.
        I have 620000 in kasikorn bank and about £10k to take with me ,
        I will have sold my house when I move and will put £100K into my private pension and after I have move I will have £90k in uk bank I will also have £240 in my private pension but don't want to start using that for about 8 mths I also have barclays bank health insurance which covers covid up to £10 million can you see Any issues
        Thanks robert m
        Reply

        • Max says

          If you're thinking about using the money in the bank method,you do need 800k in your Thai bank account 60 days prior to your application for your 1 year extension. That's not negotiable at immigration. No money no extension. That gives you until one month after your arrival in June to top up your account to 800k.
          Reply

    • Jerry says

      Just thought I would share. That when I did my Extension of Stay on my Non-O Visa, which was an eVisa (pdf file). I did not get a Visa sticker in my passport, just and Extension of Stay stamp saying I can stay one more year. I did my Ext of Stay at Wattana in BKK.
      Reply

  3. Thomas says

    What If I Don't Meet the Financial Requirements?
    Perhaps you don't have an ฿800,000 lump sum of money to put in a Thai bank account, or a monthly income of ฿65,000. In this case you can still meet the financial requirements by combining the two.

    For example, let's say that you earn 50,000 a month. That would equal ฿600,000 a year.

    In this case you would only need to deposit ฿200,000 in your Thai bank account to make up the required ฿800,000. However, you would need to provide both the letter from the bank and the proof of income letter from your embassy

    (British and US nationals are
    Reply

    • Max says

      Yes, the combination method is accepted. And as you said, you need both the bank letter and the income letter from your embassy/consulate. If you can't get an income letter, then you need a 12 months bank statement from your Thai bank showing 12 foreign deposits + the bank letter. (Some immigration offices also wants to know the source of the deposits.) The bank letter just verifies you as the account holder and the balance.
      Reply

    • Max says

      No minimum amount of time as long as the Visa is valid. But why would you go for an O-A Long Stay Visa or an expensive O-X Visa with all the hassle with a mandatory health insurance? If you come to Thailand on a regular basis, the still existing Non-immigrant O is in my opinion the best choice.
      Reply

      • Angus says

        Thanks for that Max , I have an elderly mother who I will most likely need to spend indeterminate amounts of time with over the next few years . If I want to spend the majority of my time in Thailand but have the flexibility to come and go as required I was thinking the retirement visa would be best as tourist visas seem to be capped at 60 to 90 days and I want to live in Thailand ? If there are other options I would be interested to know them ?
        Reply

  5. Jerry says

    If I come in on a 90 Day Non-Immigrant “O” Visa, and stay in hotels until I get a one year extension of stay granted. Do you think that will cause any issues for the “Proof of Address” requirement (Non-O)? My understanding, and “logic” (not always the same in Thailand .. 555) is that the hotels submit the TM 30 (I think is the form) to the immigration department already.
    Reply

  6. Ben says

    Is there a limit on how long you can leave Thailand for in a year (or within a set period of time) and still be eligible for the re-entry stamp/visa, a retirement visa the following year and residency after 3 years ?

    For example, could you leave Thailand for 2 months after every four months in Thailand and still qualify for the re-entry stamp/visa, a retirement visa the following year and residency after 3 years ?

    Cheers
    Reply

    • Max says

      You can officially come and go as you please on 30 days visa exempts,but immigration might not like it if it happens frequency without an explanation. A re-entry permit expires if your, for example 1 year extension expires. You must come back before the extension expires. If leaving the country several times a year while on a "permission of stay", you can apply for a multiple re- entry permit. It cost 3,800 baht. Several entries during a year on 30 days visa exempts won't affect an application for a "permission of stay" (not a visa) based on retirement in the future.
      Reply

  7. Louise says

    Hi, can you tell me if a retirement visa with dependent spouse is possible if you are long term partners not married?
    Also is is possible to start with a visa with a dependent and change to two individual retirement visas when more finance becomes available?
    Thank you for any help
    Reply

  8. Peter says

    Great article thanks
    10-6 years ago an agent did the retirement visa for me each year, I prefer that route so no £25K has to be left in the bank. Is that option still open? And could it be done with just coming in on a tourist visa do you think?
    Reply

    • Max says

      If coming in on a 60 days tourist visa,you can change the visa to a 90 days Non-immigrant O Visa based on retirement at the local immigration office. Then extend it 1 year based on retirement. If using an agent (if possible), you have to pay for two applications. Having 400-800k in the bank for immigration issues is quite ok when living here full term. It's not a lot of money and you get interest on the money twice a year. Back home several saving accounts are without any interest what so ever since many years.
      Reply

  9. Earle Gaetz says

    I have a O A retirement visa and have lived here for 16 years. I plan to go back to visit family in Canada for Christmas and return on January 21. My retirement renewal date is February 2. Is there a problem if my re-entry into Thailand is too close to the visa renewal date. I have a valid multi re-entry permit stamp in my passport. Thank you.
    Reply

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