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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. William says

    Hello,
    My husband is 52 so he is going to apply for the retirement visa. I am his spouse/dependent under 50 (I am 46). Can he apply for his retirement visa and include me as a dependent? If this is possible, will we have to both show $800,000 baht in two separate accounts?
    If this situation is not possible, what visa/process do I take to stay in Thailand until I am 50 so I can apply for my retirement visa?
    Many Thanks.
    Reply

  2. Andrew says

    Hi.

    I have a question regarding the new ETA, ( Electronic Travel Authorisation ), proposal by the Thai government, which will be mandatory to fill out I believe from December onwards prior to reentering Thailand for all citizens of those countries that are currently visa exempt for a period of 60 days. I currently hold a valid non-immigrant 'O' visa which does not expire until August 2025. My question is if I already have the non-Immigrant 'O' visa will I still be required to fill out the ETA prior to me returning to Thailand after a short stay in my home country? I understand I need a reentry permit before leaving Thailand, but I'm not sure if the ETA applies to valid holders of the non-immigrant O visa?
    Reply

  3. Lars G says

    I have two questions about renewal af retirement visa. Hope you can help.

    1. To renew your multi entry retirement visa, how many days must you stay inside Thailand as a minimum during a year?

    2. If you want to renew your retirement visa. Do you then need to stay for a given periode of time up till the renewal time or can you come back to thailand shortly before renewal?
    Reply

    • Max says

      A 90 days Non-immigrant multi entry Visa is not a retirement visa. You can only stay 89 days and then you must leave and re-enter as long as the visa is valid. You can't renew a multi entry visa in Thailand but you can apply for a 1 year extension at the local immigration office before the visa expires if you meet the financial requirements and are at least 50 years old. Does this answer your questions?
      Reply

  4. JamesE says

    Just a bit of an update for US citizens that are seeking a Non-Immigrant Type “O” Retirement visa. There is a new, much higher financial requirement for making your initial application of US$30,000. This is up from US$10,000 just a few months ago. The instructions say a "bank statement" must show the 30K as an ending balance but I'm trying to get clarification from the L.A. Consulate if that balance in an investment account would also qualify. The income method can also be used - US$2,500/month - if you can prove the source and show it hitting your bank statement.

    That $30K figure is awful close to the long-term average FX for a million Baht. I wonder if this is the start of a mega-baht deposited in a Thai bank requirement.
    Reply

    • JamesE says

      Per the Thai Consulate Los Angeles: "Checking or Saving account is fine. However, we do not accept financial evidence from stock or investment account."

      The new requirement for $30K seems like the sudden jump in visa prices seen in New Zealand (https://www.chiangraitimes.com/news/thailands-announces-visa-fee-increase-for-nz/, eg.). Almost sounds like they are throwing things agains the wall and seeing what sticks. Just different things at different walls.
      Reply

      • Max says

        The reason for the increase in visa fees in NZ is most like because of less visa applications and less income from thai citizens living there. Thai embassies incl consulates abroad have ("officially" since the mid 90's) to carry their own costs. How many tourists from NZ applies for a 60 days tourist visa? Imo,not that many. Most of them arrives most likely on 30 days visa exempts which are free. How many applies for Non-immigrant visas every year? I don't know how many thai citizens there are in NZ,again,not that many. So,passport renewals and some notarizations per year. That's all.
        Reply

      • JamesE says

        And then, as the saying goes, it gets interesting. The $30K requirement I linked is not what it says in the document upload portion of the eVisa system. There the requirement is: "4 . Financial evidence showing monthly income of no less than 65,000 THB or having the current balance of 800,000 THB, e.g. bank statements, proof of earnings." So, I sent off another question to the Consulate and got a response: "Please follow the requirement on the E-VISA website."

        The $30K is still a mystery but someone reading that may be put off (or completely dissuaded from applying) with having to show another $8K over what they were expecting.
        Reply

        • Max says

          James,those numbers makes no sense. If they are real,they are still not the same as for example most countries in Europe. They are the financial requirements for annual extensions based on retirement at the local immigration office or when changing from a 60 days tourist visa to a 90 days Non-immigrant O visa. Applying for a 90 days Non-immigrant O Visa based on retirement shouldn't require more than evidence of having like $10k in a US bank account the last three months.
          Reply

          • JamesE says

            Hi Max, Yeah, I realize that. That's why I started the thread and tried to get clarification from the Consulate. All my quotes came from the Thai Embassy/Consulate's websites (I checked both to confirm) or the Supporting Documents page on the Thai eVisa site explaining what financial information needs to be uploaded. I'd post screenshots if I could but the links show the details.

            Since nothing gets me going like a good old conspiracy theory, my take is that the Embassy/Consulate listed requirements are a heads-up for a new financial requirement for getting a "retirement" visa. I've thought they would raise the requirement to ฿1M at some point for O and O-A visa extensions. Maybe this is the first hint. (Or it could just be confirmation bias on my part...)

            BTW... Thanks for mentioning PCEC. Very useful site and newsletter.
            Reply

  5. James Stott says

    Peter, thank you for your detailed visa requirements information.
    My last visa was a NON-IMM O visa issued by the Thai consulate in Penang.
    That was on January 9th, 2023.
    With the issuance of this O category visa I got my extension of stay on April 10th which means that I have to renew on April 10th, 2024 which I plan to do. I notice in your commentary that you point out that with an O-A category visa health insurance is a requirement.
    I need for you to confirm if health insurance is a requirement for an O category visa?
    According to the details you provide I fail to see that is is in fact a requirement.
    I ask because at my age which in my country is not considered so old but here in Thailand it's even difficult to find an insurance company that will offer you a policy if you're above 71 years of age.
    There is one company (AXA) that offered me a policy last year but it was prohibitively expensive and that was with a deductible of THB 300,000.
    My point is that for me it would be a huge waste of money to have to be insured and would therefore would like to know if it is an absolute requirement?
    Also, do the Insurance companies have a direct link to Thai Immigration so that they (Immigration) can actually verify if your policy has been activated?
    Reply

  6. Tom says

    Just want to share a bit.

    Went in for my third Non-O extension of stay, the officer took a cursury look at the papers then focused on the bank book. She went back talked to the boss and they came back with the rule book, and made me read aloud the 800K financial section. I was then instructed to sign something about showing monthly balances via a bank letter. But then she added, updating my bank book each month would be acceptable.

    I asked to be clear I understood the issue. I guess leaving 800K in an account with no activity bothered them. They couldn`t see the monthly balance to know if it had changed every month. So, going forward I will need to do a passbook update each month, so they can verify the balance.

    What I wanted to explain to them but did not, was that if no activity except bank interest payments and taxes took place, the bank book reflected "all" the transactions and that the balance was therefore correct. Which is why the balance letter from the bank had the same balance as the bank book.

    For me this was a smile and nod moment. I just asked, help me understand what will make you happy, so next year you like what you see.

    Just an example of how an odd requirement might be added. And an fyi if your readers have an just for the deposit requirement. The prior officer had no issues with it.
    Reply

  7. Andrew says

    Hi Max / Everyone.

    I have another question regarding the 3 month Non Immigrant Retirement 'O' Visa.

    Once I obtain this and travel to Thailand I'll be applying for the 1 year extension of the visa before the three month initial visa expires. To do this I need proof of adequate funds in a Thai bank account and also proof of where I'm living in terms of accommodation. My aim is to reside full time with my long term girlfriend in the house she owns, and I'm wondering if it's possible to obtain what is called a 'Yellow book' from the local authorities showing that I'm permanently residing at this address as I don't want to have to rent somewhere for the purposes of proving where I live? I'm not sure if this is possible, but would welcome any feedback on this....Thanks.
    Reply

    • Max says

      You don't need a yellow house book as proof of permanent address to satisfy immigration, but it's totally possible to get one at the district office in the province where you will be living with your wife. But you can also just register a permanent address at the local immigration office via a so called TM30. This is something you need to do anyway within 24 hours after arriving. You just need copies of your wifes Thai ID-card and blue house book. Signed by her at the bottom in blue ink. You'll also need copies from your passport and fill out the TM30-form. (You can apply for a yellow house book later.) The most important thing for you is to obtain a thai bank account. You need either ฿400.000 in that account 2 months prior to the day you apply for the 1 year extension if it's based on marriage OR ฿800.000 if it's based on retirement. The 2 month requirement is non-negotiable at immigration. If you can afford ฿800k, the 1 year application is much easier than the application based on marriage,much less paperwork.
      Reply

  9. Andrew says

    Hi.

    I'm an Australian about to apply for a 3 month Non Immigrant Retirement 'O' Visa ( AUD $120 ), from the Royal Thai Embassy in Canberra and before the 3 months expires I will be extending the Visa to 1 year while still in Thailand.

    On the application form needed to obtain the 3 month Non Immigrant Retirement 'O' Visa there is a section requiring information of my return flight details.

    Question :

    Because I'm not sure when I'll be returning, can I book a return flight past the initial 3 month original visa? ( For example : I wish to fly from SYD > BKK on April 15th 2024 and my return ticket will be BKK > SYD on 15th September 2024 ).

    Is this OK in terms of my original application due to the fact I will be extending the original 3 month visa while in Thailand, or do I need a return date up to and within the initial 3 month visa?

    Appreciate if anyone could advise me on this if possible please?

    Many thanks.

    Regards,
    Andrew.
    Reply

      • Max says

        Hi Peter, This is something many Aussies have complained about since Australia got included in the Thai e-visa scheme. I have read about it on expat forums. Why would a return ticket be required in Australia when applying for a retirement visa when that requirement doesn't exist in for example Europe?
        Reply

    • Max says

      A return ticket is not normally needed when applying for the 90 days Non-immigrant O Visa based on retirement. Other Aussies have complained about this and even talked to the Thai Embassy in Canberra or consulates in Aus about this. It's like they don't understand the difference between a tourist visa and a retirement visa. I suggest you call them and ask them. This is clearly a misunderstanding. The whole idea with a retirement visa is to stay in Thailand and not return home after 90 days.
      Reply

  10. Anees says

    I heard that there was going to be a major change in 2024 in the Thai tax laws that would require retirees that reside in Thailand to pay taxes on income generated outside Thailand that is brought to Thailand. Did anyone else hear anything of the sort?
    Reply

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