Retirement Visa
All you need to know
What is a Retirement Visa?
Last updated on October 8th, 2025 at 04:47 am
A Thai Retirement Visa is a long term stay permit, that allows Foreigners to stay in Thailand infinitely, if it is renewed annual. You can travel outside of Thailand during the year, but it is not a requirement.
The allure of living abroad can promise a better climate, a lower cost of living and a higher quality of life, if you find the right place to move to in your golden years. One document that can help you turn that retirement goal into a reality is a retirement visa. Below is all you need to know about retirement Visas.
Obtaining a Retirement Visa
Subcategories of information on this page are:;
- Requirements to be granted a retirement Visa.
- Types of Retirement Visas
- Initial Retirement Visa process
- Renewing your retirement Visa
- 90-day check-in process
- Financial Audit process
- Recent News for Americans, UK and Aussies holding a Retirement VISAs – 800K baht in bank not needed if you need these requirements!
Requirements to get a Retirement VISA
Requirements to obtain an “O” Retirement Visa;
- Age 50 or older
- Valid Foreign Passport with more than 1 year before expiration
- Certificate of Residency (if you live with a Thai, you may be able to substitute a copy of their blue book for this)
- You Must have a Thai Bank account, with a balance of at least 800,000 Baht for a duration of at least 3 months prior to applying. Bangkok Bank is the easiest bank to get an account at as an Expat.
This account must have a minimum of 800,00 baht balance. (see note 2 below) - Passport, plus copies of appropriate passport pages
- Bank Account Passbook, plus copies of bank passbook pages
- (2) Passport Photos
Thai Health Insurance Policy. (for “O-A” Visa only, see Note 1 below)
Important Notes:
1 – It is not recommended to get an “O-A” Retirement Visa due to the requirement to maintain a high level of Thai healthcare coverage for the duration of your Visa. The O-A Visa is typically the type of Visa you get when applying at an Embassy from Outside of Thailand.
2- Some countries will allow you to use a pension or other monthly income over 66,000 Baht per month as proof of income with a letter from your home country’s embassy, thereby omitting the requirements for 800,000 baht in the bank. However, the USA, U.K. and Australia WILL NOT comply with the request. Please check with your embassy, wish to attempt to use a letter from an Embassy before applying for this Visa.
3- The “O” Retirement VISA is the most popular retirement Visa. It is a 1-year Visa that can easily be renewed annually for a cost of 1,900 Baht.
Types of Retirement Visas - "O" vs. "O-A" vs "O-X"
There are (3) types of Retirement Visas;
- “O-A” VISA, which us usually received when applying for a retirement Visa from Outside of Thailand, online or at an Embassy.
- “O” Visa, which you get at an immigration office when applying in person. But you still must specifically request an “O” visa
The main difference between the two is that an O-A Visa requires the holder to maintain a high level of healthcare coverage while holding this Visa, while the “O” does not have a Proof of Thai healthcare requirement.
It is possible to “convert” an “O-A” to an “O” Visa, however this process is costly and essentially cancels the initial Visa and creates a new “O” Visa.
NOTE: There are quality Thai healthcare Insurance policies that offer excellent insurance coverage and rates, less expensive than the policies required under the “O-A” Visa. We recommend all Expats consider getting good healthcare coverage. Be aware, not having any healthcare Insurance is risky.
“O-X” Visas are a group of “Elite” or VIP Thai visas which apply to a limited group of “wealthy” foreigners, which is outside the scope of intended viewers of this website. These are briefly discussed on the “Top 10 visas page”.
“O” Retirement Visa – No Healthcare Requirement
“O-A” Retirement VISA – Requires premium In-care and out-care Healthcare coverage for the duration of your VISA.
Initial Retirement Visa process
The Initial Retirement Visa Process is more detailed than follow-up renewals. This process to get a retirement VISA may vary slightly depending on the citizenship of the applicant and if you are applying from within Thailand in-person at immigration at an Embassy or from outside of Thailand. Be sure to read the specific requirements from your Country.
In general, it is easier to apply for a “O” VISA from within Thailand. However, the requirement to have a Thai bank account with proper funds at least 60 days Prior to applying for the VISA make it challenging to do this before your some Visas expire.
Your choices how to address this (3 options)
1. I recommend starting a bank account as one of your first steps to applying for a retirement VISA. For example, if you are on a 60-day tourist VISA, this can be extended to 90 days, which gives you enough time to get the required funds in your bank account if completed in the first 3 weeks of your arrival.
2. Open a bank account with a minimal funds, say 2,000 baht on your first trip to Thailand. And prior to returning, you can simply transfer funds to your account 60 days prior to your arrival. Meaning you have to make multiple trips into Thailand to have a different Visa while preparing the requirements to get your initial Retirement VISA.
3. Pay a VISA service handsomely to address this issue for you. For some, this maybe an appealing option. For others, paying a service up to 30 times more than the VISA costs is unnecessary.
Requirements;
Must Be over 50 Years old
Original Passport (valid for not less than 12 months) with TM6 slip inside
2 copies of passport (4) pages;
Front Photo page
VISA Stamp page
Initial Entry into Thailand Page
TM6 Page
TM7 filled out with Photos added (2 copies)
Original Bank Passbook (updated in the last 2 days)
(2) Passbook Copies with these pages;
Front page
All pages showing transactions for the last 4 months
Certificate of Residency (Updated within the last 3 days by your Juristic office)
1,900 Baht Fee in cash
There is no guarantee the immigration officer will not ask for additional paperwork. It’s common, since they are not all trained to look for the same paperwork…. Getting upset will never help…be polite and get what they ask for… They will usually allow you to jump back into the same window without waiting in line again when you have it ready. If you still have problems, remember everything can be fixed with money. But you may need help to know how to do this. NEVER try to make them look bad… that is sure to make matters worse. Just say thank you and call someone who can help.
Reminder-Be Careful… If you have an “O-A” retirement VISA. This is commonly the one given to those who applying for a Retirement Visa from OUTSIDE of Thailand at an Embassy. This is a burdensome retirement Visa because of the requirement to have an expensive private healthcare coverage via a Thai insurance company.
Be sure to request an “O” Visa once you arrive in Thailand. If you mistakenly get a “O-A” it can be converted into an “O” Vvisa, but it costs money and will take time. Essentially, it is cancelling your original O-A Visa and starting the entire process over again with an “O” Visa
Renewing your Retirement Visa
Renewing your retirement Visa is much easier and faster than your initial Visa, the paperwork requirements are similar, so make sure you keep all your initial paperwork and provide similar documents the neat year for your renewal.
One caveat, make sure you have a savings account balance of 800,000 baht or more in your bank account at least 4 months prior to your renewal date and do not let it down under this minimal limit.
If you prefer to submit verification of monthly retirement income of 65,000 baht or more, be prepared to show 12 months of Thai bank statements, SMS fund verification messages, and a letter of verification of benefits.
It may be possible to substitute the requirement for a certificate of residences, when renewing your visa if you have a Thai citizen living with you, and they have a blue book at the same address. You will need to show proof of residence, which must match your Thai citizens address.
90-Day Immigration Check-in Process
Thai Immigration requires a Check-in to confirm your Thai contact information has not changed or is updated. This is for the duration of your VISA.
You can do this in-person, at the immigration office or an easier way is to check in online.
It is very important you do not forget to check in every 90 days. There are severe penalties for being late. You can check in up to 15 days prior to your check-in date and not less than 7 days prior to the check-in date. It is easiest to check online. See online check-in here.
https://tm47.immigration.go.th/tm47/#/login
It is a very easy process. Once you have entered the required information, a confirmation email will be sent to you within 3 days, confirming Immigration has accepted your check-in and a new 90-day check-in date will be included. Keep a printed copy of the next 90-day check-in in the last page of our passport.
It is very easy process. Once you have entered the required information on the check-in process. A Conformation email will be sent to you within 3 days, you will receive an additional email confirming Immigration has accepted your check-in and a new 90-day check-in will be included in a TM-47 form, which should be printed out and put in the back of your Passport.
Again, make sure you remember to check in prior to the new check-in date.
M-47 form, which should be printed out and put in the back of your Passport.
Again, make sure you remember to check in prior to the new check-in date.
Forgetting or postponing your 90-day report might have negative implications. If you fail to report within the deadline, you will be fined 2,000 THB for being late. However, if you are caught by police without filing your report and are pulled over for an unrelated cause, the punishment may be increased to 5,000 THB.
In addition, frequent or blatant breaches of the 90-day reporting requirement may raise red flags with immigration, potentially affecting future visa renewals or extensions. Thai immigration takes this obligation very seriously, therefore keep reminders when this is due.
NOTE: The 90-day check-in and other immigration appointments date are independent of each other, such as renewal of your VISA or a financial Audit are not the same! Renewing your Visa will not impact your 90-day check time frame. Don’t make the mistake of thinking when you renew your Visa or complete a Financial Audit appointment that your next check-in date is in 90 days.
What is a Financial Audit of your Retirement Visa
Randomly Immigration will require some Expats to complete a Financial Audit, this will be done at the time of renewing your VISA, A Financial audit is an in-person Retirement VISA audit of the 800,000 Baht bank account balance your are required to keep while holding a retirement VISA (unless are using the certificate of income for your Embassy method for your Retirement VISA)
The requirements state you need to keep a minimum of 800,000 Baht in your account for 3 months prior to your Visa renewal, and 4 months after. Then the account balance can fall to 400,000 baht for the rest of the year. This is a difficult to track, and letting the funds drops to 799,000 baht will likely lead to your expulsion from Thailand.
Americans, Aussies and UK citizens on Retirement Visas can now comply with financial requirements without keeping 800,000 Baht in Thai bank !
As many of you are aware, in 2019 the U.S., UK, and Australian embassies stopped providing income verification letters to their citizens, making it impossible to meet the Thai Immigration income verification process for the last 5+ years. At some point, a little know, but very important change to Thai Immigration policies was quietly made to the following…
I have confirmed the Immigration office will now accept the documents below instead of the income verification letter the US embassy will no longer provide.
As of October 2025, the Immigration requirements to renew your retirement Visa using any of (3) ways to meet the financial requirements:
- Proving you have 800,000.00 Baht in a Thai bank.(this is simplest and immigration preferred way, but for most, not a good use the 800,000 Baht)
- Proving you have on average 66,667 Baht in “legal” income coming into your Thai bank per month, (shown as FTT or BTN transactions in your Thai account) totaling no less than 800,000 Baht for the last 12 months.
- A combination of the 2 methods above, totaling 800,000 Baht.
More requirement details on this “combination” process is below;
Two letters from your Thai bank. These two letters must show you have a total of over 800,000 baht as the sun of both letters combined to qualify for the renewal of the retirement visa.
- A letter from your Thai bank, verifying you have maintained a minimal account balance for the last 12 months of XXXXX baht
- A 2nd letter from your Thai bank, stating you have received internation income for the last 12 months totaling XXXXX baht.
(I am confirmed the Bangkok bank will provide the letters above)
Example of the combination method:
- You can show you have 100,000 baht in the bank for the entire 12 months,
- plus 700,000 baht in income sent to your Thai bank in the last 12 months.
A Thai bank passbook showing your monthly income deposits (FTT or BTN) transfer types for the previous 12 months, which verifies the benefits in the Thai bank letter(s).
Additional helpful information to take with you when renewing your retirement visa:
An official benefits verification letter from the U.S. Social Security office which states the benefits amount you are receiving meeting the requirement of 65,000 Baht per month may help, but is not a requirement. This is known as a “Benefits Verification Letter”. It is available online when you log in to your SSA account.
For Americans, an official benefits verification letter from the U.S. Social Security office which states the benefits amount you are receiving that meets the requirement of 65,000 Baht per month may help confirm this income is “legal”, but is not a requirement yet. This is known as a “Benefits Verification Letter” on the SSA website. It is available online when you log in to your SSA account at no charge.
Note: If you use a non-Thai bank to receive your foreign income and then transfer it to your Thai bank yourself, this can make it more challenging to prove this is “legal retirement income”, but at the moment, it is acceptable. You can contact us for more details on how to set up a USA SSA account and at Bangkok Bank for direct Social Security transfers.
Important Note:
There is a discrepancy in the math the Thai immigration uses to define the financial requirements. While the financial requirements state “800,000 baht in an account or 65,000 baht in come per month income”, if you so the math. 65,000 baht x 12 months equals 780,000 Baht, but the legal requirement that is enforced is 800,000.00 baht … so it’s better to error on the side of safety and assume your financial requirement is 66,667 per month. I have personally seen people denied a renewal of their retirement visa for being 500 short of the 800,000 baht requirement. Don’t let this be you.