Answered2 years ago

Are there travel restrictions for retirees holding a Thai retirement visa?

Retirement Visa Travel Restrictions Re-entry Permit Thailand Immigration Expat Travel Visa Rules

Jeff *********

asked Jan 28, 2025

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Hello. Hope my questions find you happy and healthy. My question is about the retirement visa for Thailand. I know what I need to do to qualify. My question is on restrictions after I qualify. Is there restrictions on travel out of Thailand visiting other countries in the region like Australia, Vietnam and Japan. Can I travel back and forth home to the US or are their limitations?  Having older parents makes me worry about this

Answer summary

Individuals with a retirement visa for Thailand can travel out of the country, but they must purchase a re-entry permit to avoid cancellation of their visa. A single re-entry permit costs 1000 baht, while a multiple re-entry permit costs 3800 baht, each valid for the duration of their visa. The only limitation is that retirees must return to Thailand in time to apply for their visa extension. Traveling outside Thailand, such as to Vietnam or the USA, is generally unrestricted as long as they adhere to these rules.

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Bill *********

Assuming you have the multiple entry stamp, no restrictions. I've visited Vietnam twice, Cambodia twice, Singapore and Philippines, and 4 trips to the USA with no issues.

2 years ago

Brandon ************

If you want to leave you need to purchase a re-entry permit so your visa or extension isn't cancelled by your leaving.

1000 baht for a single re-entry and 3800 baht for multiple. Only valid for as long as your permission to stay, so maximum of 1 year.

Other than that the only restriction is you need to be back in time to apply for your extension. You can get your extension and leave for 11.5 months and return to apply for the next one if you wanted to.

2 years ago

Jeff *********

@Brandon ***********

thank for that. I’ll save this for when I get closer to leaving. Selling house here phase

2 years ago

Kool *******

@Jeff ********

keep in mind that it is much better to apply for the type O visa before you come to Thailand, as once you get here you will need a Thai bank account to meet the financial needs for your one year extension, a d that is getting to be almost impossible on any tourist visa. By having the 90 day retirement visa when you get here makes it simply a question of what bank, or banks, you want to open an account at. Bangkok Bang, and Kasikorn bank are the most friendly to expats, with Bangkok Bank being the most popular. I personally have 3 accounts with Bangkok Bank, and one with Kasikorn bank. In the US the best is to have a brokerage account with Charles Schwab, and get the account that offers 4 free SWIFT international transfers a month, if you can afford it. That together with a FCD account, foreign currency deposit account, at Bangkok Bank, is the cheapest way to regularly transfer money into Thailand, with a maximum fee of just bt500 no matter how much you transfer. As an example you can transfer in US$1million and the fee is just bt500. Then you can change dollars in your FCD account into baht at your convenience, and at the TT exchange rate with no extra fees. These are just things to keep in mind if this will be your new home.

2 years ago