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Do you need to be a pensioner to live in Thailand if you are over 50?

Dec 1, 2023
2 years ago
Filip *******
ORIGINAL POSTER
Hello all ,

Thanks for all the information here , Thai rules are not easy for visa’s and this group helps to learn.

Still a question: when your 50+ , do you need to be pensioner?

I will only be officially a pensioner in 4 years and want to live in Thailand for 9 months a year traveling 4/5 times a year for 2/3 weeks .

The 800.000 in the bank will be ok and i will rent a home till i’m pensioned , then normally buy one.

Thanks for your time .

Filip
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TLDR : Answer Summary
The discussion revolves around the requirements for expats over 50 wishing to live in Thailand. It clarifies that one does not need to be officially retired to obtain a retirement visa (NON-O) and highlights that financial stability with sufficient income and savings is crucial. Additionally, an alternative option, the LTR visa, is mentioned for long-term residency.
LONG TERM RESIDENT (LTR) VISA RESOURCES / SERVICES
Filip *******
ORIGINAL POSTER
Thanks for the quick response
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Philip **********
If your income and wealth are sufficient, there is also the LTR which is quite straight forward and is a 5+5 year visa and solves for the difficulty of dealing with the immigration department. It was administered by the BOI but I don't seem to be able to locate it just now
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Tod *********
@Philip *********
that LTR is also limited to being over 50 for wealthy pensioners,

**********************
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William ******
@Tod ********
can you get a retirement visa without pension or monthly income ? What if you just have a lot of savings $ ? Thanks
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Tod *********
@William *****
you transfer 800K baht from abroad in to a thai bank account in your name only.
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William ******
@Tod ********
that’s good to know, thank you for the response! Does it have to come from abroad? Or can I deposit cash into my thai bank account that I already have set up ? Thanks again!
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Ellie *******
@William *****
, in most provinces, you must show proof that it comes from abroad for the initial in-country Non-O retirement visa. No requirement for international transfer for a yearly extension based on being over 50.
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Ellie *******
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Philip **********
The OP is clearly over 50 and the indications from his post are that he is not concerned too much about money. I have a 50+ LTR :)
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Philip **********
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Tod *********
Nope no need to be 'retired', that visa category is actually for people 50 or over and even though they put RETIREMENT in english on the visa/extension the real reason it's issued for is กรณีใช้ชีวิตบั้นปลาย <- in the instance of living out the end of your life 😮

Now you see why they stamp RETIREMENT on it 😛 😉
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Tod *********
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