Thailand's Visas and Residency for Retirees, Expats and Digital Nomads

Visas and Residency in Thailand 

In order to retire in Thailand, you must secure a Non Immigrant O-A (long-stay) Visa. To do so, applicants need to meet the following qualifications:

• Be 50 years or older.
• Pass your police record checks.
• Obtain a medical exam and certificate of health from an approved doctor in Thailand.
• Deposit 800,000 Thai baht (approximately US$22,000) into a Thai bank account at least two months before applying – ideally six months prior to application submission!
• Prove that you receive a pension of a minimum of 65,000 Thai baht per month

This visa requires reapplication each year, but with periodic border crossings, you can submit your application every third year instead – eliminating the need to visit Thai Immigration annually. Obtaining and maintaining a retirement visa involves several steps; however, it’s well worth the effort in light of its long-term benefits.

For instance, when you open a bank account in Thailand, it is necessary to deposit 800,000 Baht and maintain at least 400,000 in the account. If not done so, your visa renewal could be affected. Therefore it is important to always keep yourself updated with the laws of visas and follow them diligently for smooth processing.

Those belonging from U.S., U.K., Canada are eligible for 10-Year Non-Immigrant Visa which can be renewed every five years upon completion of its first term duration period.

When applying for this visa, the main distinction lies in income requirements. You have two options:

• you can deposit 3 million Baht (roughly US$84,000) into a Thai bank account or
• make a 1.8 million Baht deposit and demonstrate an annual income of at least 1.2 million Baht which is approximately US$33,000).

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