Thailand, with its warm temperatures, affordable cost of living, excellent healthcare and respectful culture is a prime retirement zone for foreigners. The Thai Immigration Bureau has an ideal visa type, Non Immigrant O - Retirement, for those people who meet the qualifications. You can apply for the Retirement Visa before coming to Thailand at the local Thai Embassy in your home country, or you can let our visa experts assist you when you are in Thailand. Whichever way you choose you can count on the support of our visa professionals.
What You Need To Know About The Retirement Visa
The Thailand retirement visa is a popular term for "Extension of Stay Based on Retirement”. It is an extension of a Non-Immigrant O Visa or Non-Immigrant OA Visa if you apply for it abroad. The visa can be valid either for a single entry or for multiple entries. It is a long term Thai visa that entitles the holder stay for 1 year periods in Thailand. The visa is renewable every year and the renewal process can be done inside Thailand. Yes, you need to re-apply every year.
Qualifications & Documentation
The application for the Thai retirement visa can be processed either in your country of residency or in Thailand. All necessary documents stated below must be submitted to the Thai embassy or consulate in your country. If you are doing this process in Thailand we can help you with everything you need.
- Applicant must be at least 50 years of age or over
- Applicant must have a valid passport with at least 6 months validity and 2 empty pages
- Must meet any of the following financial requirements:
- Security deposit of THB 800,000 in a Thai bank account for 2 months prior to the visa application and for 3 months after the approval of the 90 Day visa.
- Monthly Income from a foreign source of 65,000 THB
- Combination of security deposit and annual income with a total of 800,000 THB
- Supporting documents are as follows:
- In case of security deposit, you will provide an updated bank book or passbook together with a bank letter stating that the money had been deposited to the account from an overseas source for not less than 2 months.
- In case of income, a letter from your embassy in Thailand verifying your monthly income;
- In case, your embassy does not issue an income letter, you will provide a 12-month bank statement showing a regular deposit of at least 65,000 baht into a bank account.
- Other documents that may be required to be presented: (see Special Notes below)
- Police Clearance
- Medical Certificate
- Health Insurance
Special Note 1 - Police Clearance - not usually required
Special Note 2 - Medical Certificate - required
Special Note 3 - Health Insurance - required
This is a new rule and it specifies that the applicant or visa holder must have health insurance not be less than 40,000 baht for outpatient and 400,000 baht for inpatient medical fees. Policies can either be purchased from domestic or foreign insurers, but the sum of foreign policies must not be less than the amount stipulated.
Retirement Visa Application Process
Non OA Visa
If you are applying for the Retirement Visa in your home country you will need to present all the above mentioned documents and submit an application form to the Thai Embassy. You can obtain the application form at the Embassy or you can download one online. If everything is in order you will receive your Non Immigrant OA visa. Then you simply fly into Thailand. On arrival please pay attention to the visa stamp. If they stamp you for one year no further process is required (this is seldom the case). If they stamp you for 90 days you will need to contact a visa agent. We can then help you get the Visa extention for 1 year.
Any Visa Type
If you enter Thailand as a tourist or have any other Non Immigrant Visa and wish to apply for a Retirement Visa, we can certainly help you. As long as you have all the requirements mentioned above all you need to do is contact us and we will take care of everything else for you. We can change any visa type into a Non Immigrant O Retirement Visa in Thailand.
Important Reminders For Retirement Visa Holders
90-day Reporting
Retirement visa holders are required to notify the Immigration Office regarding their current residential address every 90 days. This can be done either by mail, by personal visit to the immigration office, or online. You may also enlist the services of our company to do this on your behalf with a Power of Attorney.
Re-entry Permit
If you plan to travel in and out of Thailand during the year of your visa validity, you will need a multiple re-entry permit. This will insure that your visa does not get cancelled. In case you find the need to leave the country for whatever reason, you can apply for a re-entry permit at the international airport before leaving the country. Or you can simply contact us and we can get you a re-entry permit in 1 day.
Bank Account
The retirement visa is valid for a year and can be renewed easily. You just have to present the same documents as in the initial application. Now please pay close attention; regarding your bank account, you must ensure that the security deposit required will be in the account at least 2 months before you apply to renew your visa. You must also ensure that the security deposit does not dip below 400,000 THB at anytime during the visa validity period.
Importing Your Personal Effects
According to the Bureau of Customs retirees are not permited to import their personal effects to Thailand duty free.
SUMMARY - Thailand is now open to travel. If you need help with any visa issue please consider contacting our knowledgable Visa staff. And remember the 1st consultation is totally FREE so don't hesitate to fill in the Contact Us form below! We will be happy to answser all your questions.
Contact PCS
Our Address
253 Sukhumvit 21 Road (Asoke), 25th Floor
Email Us
contact@pcsthai-1.com
Call Us
+66 2 109 5160