Retirement Visa in Thailand
Retirement Visa in Thailand
Non-Immigrant O “Retirement Visa in Thailand” is issued by Thai Immigration Office if you are over 50 years of age and intend to retire in Thailand, however, there are certain qualifications you need to pass first.
There are a lot of people who plan on where they would be spending their time when they reach the retirement age.
People prefer to spend their time on a tropical island just to unwind, have fun, and basically meet people.
If you are one of the people who wants to spend their retirement period just like many do, then Thailand is the place for you.
The application process for retirement visa in Thailand is somewhat straightforward.
There are some complications as well when it comes to applying for Retirement Visa, although some Royal Thai embassies from other countries issues Retirement Visa, when it comes to Immigration Offices in Thailand different cases and requirements occur that’s why it is advisable to hire a Visa service agency to assist you.
Obtaining a Thailand retirement visa is not a problem that you have to worry about.
There are many visa application agencies but none could match what Siam Attorney can do to help you make your retirement dreams come true.
Siam Attorney specializes in processing visa applications for people who need it.
Thai retirement visa is one of the things Siam Attorney excels at.
With countless number of satisfied clients, Siam Attorney guarantees an unparalleled service like no other.
If you are not qualified for Retirement visa, you can read more option of your visa from here: Immigration Service.
Ok, time to go for get the Retirement Visa to enjoy your stay in Thailand!
Table of Content:
1. Basis qualification for Retirement Visa in Thailand.
2. Understand where you are before obtaining for Thai Retirement Visa.
a. In case you don’t have Non-Immigrant Visa yet.
b. In case you already have Non-Immigrant Visa.
3. Conclusion.
1. Basic qualification for Retirement Visa in Thailand.
- Your age. Yes, you must be over 50 years of age.
- Your money. You must have money in a Thai Bank Account more than 800,000THB or have pension of more than 65,000THB per month and deposited 3 months prior to Visa application.
- Your residence place in Thailand either by own or by lease.
That’s it! You see, the Retirement Visa is very easy to apply.
2. Understand where you are before obtaining for Thai Retirement Visa.
Look at your passport, what visa are you holding now!
a. If you don’t have any visa or just holding 30days stamp, on arrival visa or Tourist Visa (TR), you must change the visa status to Non-Immigrant “O” Retirement visa first. (if you already hold Non-Immigrant Visa, you can skip to clause b.)
This means if you haven’t come to Thailand yet or you came to Thailand by “Visa On Arrival” or you hold the Tourist Visa (TR) only.
You have 2 options to change the status of visa by:
Option 1: You can apply for it at the Royal Thai Embassies in your respective country.
If you read this content while you are in your country, you can check at the Thai Embassy website that is located in your country.
For example, if you are in Australia, you can search for “Thai Embassy in Australia”. Then look for the requirement for Retirement or Non “O”. You can see what you need to bring for applying Retirement Visa in Thailand. Then you will get Non “O” Retirement visa within 1-3 working days. (depending on which country).
However, if you read this content while you are in Thailand already, you can fly to Royal Thai Embassy nearby Thailand like in Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam etc.
Most likely, we recommend you fly to Vientiane, Laos. Because it is nearby Thailand, cheap, fast and easy. You can see the requirement that you need to bring from this link: http://vientiane.thaiembassy.org/en/consular/visa.php
Please note that for the Non “O” Retirement Visa that you obtain from oversea, it will be validated for 90 days upon you enter to Thailand. The Immigration Officer will stamp on your passport as Non “O” or Non “O-A”, then you can have it renewed for 1 year after the 90 days initial entry validity is finished.
Here how it looks:
Option 2: You can convert the Visa to Non-Immigrant “O” Retirement Visa at Thai Immigration Office in Thailand.
Yes, this means you can already stay in Thailand and this is better than option 1 above. You can save time and money to fly out and apply the from Thai Embassy outside Thailand.
The requirement to convert the visa to Non-Immigrant “O” Retirement visa:
- Your visa even if it is 30 days stamp or tourist visa (TR) must still be valid equal or longer than 15 days.
- Your age must over 50 years old.
- You or the landlord already notified your address to Thai Immigration Office or we call TM.30 (new regulation since 2019). You can read more about TM 30 here: TM30 Thailand
- You must have money in Thai Bank Account more than THB800,000. (provided that you will transfer the money from overseas) or
You can provide the letter from your embassy in Thailand that you have pension above THB65,000 per month. (Most of Embassy like USA, UK, AUS no longer provide this letter anymore, that means you must use the bank account option)
- Evidence that you transferred money from overseas to your bank account in Thailand. Normally, you can ask the bank to issue the “credit advice”.
- Bank Letter to certify your money in bank.
- Copy of your bank passbook or bank statement for the last 3 months.
- Photo for Visa Application (passport size).
- Government fee THB2,000.
Then you just wait for 15 days, you can bring back the passport and then get the Non-Immigrant “O” Retirement visa.
You will get the visa valid for 90 days.
If you need to leaving Thailand within this period, don’t forget to do the “Re-Entry Permit” before you leaving.
If you use the money in the Bank for the visa, please maintain the money in bank for the Renewal of the visa (don’t spend it and the remaining money should not be less than THB800,000).
b. If you already have Non-Immigrant “O” visa by whatever reason, you can apply for Retirement Visa in Thailand straightforward.
This also includes if you already have Retirement Visa and would like to renew it.
The requirement for obtaining or renewing Non-Immigrant “O” Retirement visa:
- You must hold Non-Immigrant Visa.
- Your age must be over 50 years old.
- You or the landlord already notified your address to Thai Immigration Office or we call T.M.30 (new regulation since 2019). You can read more about TM 30 here: TM30 Thailand
- You must have money in Thai Bank Account more that THB800,000. It must stay in your bank for 3 months. (it can be 2 months for the first Retirement visa application) or
You can provide the letter from your embassy in Thailand that you have pension above THB65,000 per month.
- Bank Letter to certify your money in bank.
- Copy of your bank passbook or bank statement.
- Photo for Visa Application (passport size).
- Government fee THB1,900.
You will get One Year Non-Immigrant “O” Retirement visa in the same day.
Here’s how One Year Retirement Visa look like.
Again, don’t forget to obtain “Re-Entry Permit” before you leave Thailand to keep your visa status active.
If you stay in Thailand 90 days consecutive, don’t forget to do the 90 days reporting.
Conclusion:
The Retirement visa in Thailand is the easiest visa to apply, although there are qualifications and requirements it is straightforward. This visa allows you to stay in Thailand for a maximum of 1 year. However, you can renew it yearly as well.
In order to apply for the Thai Retirement Visa, it will not require you to apply for health check or any health insurance.
If you are over 50 years of age and can prove that you have sufficient funds as above mentioned, you can apply for this visa immediately.
At Siam Attorney International, we have significant experience and connection that can assure the approval of our Thai Visa Application clients. We are fully responsible in preparation and processing of the Thai Retirement Visa application for our clients. If you need any assistance or have more question, please do not hesitate to contact us.
