Should I apply for a retirement visa from the US or in Thailand?

Well, there are several roads leading to the 90-days Non-Imm-O retirement visa and to the subsequent 1-year extended stay permit based on retirement

We are talking about the most common and persisting misunderstandings regarding the rules that come with applying for the “retirement visa” and the subsequent “one-year extension of stay permit based on retirement”. Misunderstandings happen because a “retirement visa” can mean 7 different visas and stay permits

The best way is to show up in Thailand on a 90-days single entry Non-Imm-O Retirement/over 50 visa” as it will get you a 90-days stay permit stamped. Within this period you have plenty of time to arrange for the application to the “1-year extended stay permit”

In order to apply for the “90-days single entry Non-Imm-O retirement visa” through the online E-visa system at the Royal Thai Embassy of your home country, you can use the proof of income of a monthly minimum of 65.000.- THB, by using your original pension or other income documentation.

Or you can use a deposit of a minimum of 800.000.- THB or the equivalent in your home country currency, or on your home bank account, or on a Thai bank, or just anywhere in the World – as long as it is in your sole name

However, for the application inside Thailand, for the “1-year extension of stay permit” out of the 90-days Non-Imm-O retirement visa, if you are a citizen of a country whose embassy in Thailand does not issue the “income affidavit any more (these are the embassies of USA, UK and Australia)

you would need a “12 months bank statement”, showing that for the past 12 months, you have been transferring from abroad to your Thai bank account a minimum of 65,000 THB, consecutively month for month

If your embassy still issues an affidavit of income, you can use this method for the financial proof, which needs a monthly income or pension of a minimum of 65,000 THB

For British, Australian and U.S. citizens, in the first year there is no other way around, than depositing a minimum of 800,000 THB in your Thai bank account and use this deposit for the financial proof which is required for the application to the “one year extension of stay permit based on being over 50/retired”

The alternative would be, if you don’t have that kind of money or are not willing to deposit in a Thai Bank account is, paying an agent to “arrange” the requirements, which I, however, do not recommend

As soon as you have accumulated the 12 consecutive months of 65,000 THB transfers year all you need to do is apply for the next 1year extension of the stay permit, using the 12- months bank statement to prove 12 months of transfers from abroad.

This application to a 1Year Extension costs a 1900 THB fee and you can theoretically do it all by yourself, or accept the help of an agent for the simplified legal service.

NOTE: It is income OR deposit.

However, there is a third method, called the “combination method”:

A combination mix of income and deposit. Some immigrations don’t allow the combination method in the first year.

And some Immigration want the deposit part to exceed 400,000 THB.

The combination method means that the sum of the deposit AND the monthly income exceeds 800,000 THB in one year.

But let’s continue with the “normal method” (visa issued in your home country, followed by the application to the 1-year Extension inside Thailand):

On the day of application to the 1-year extension, the 800,000 THB need to have “seasoned” in your account for two months, and this has to be proven with the “bank letter of guarantee” (rab roong thanakan).

After been issued the “1-year Extension of the Stay Permit based on Retirement”, the 800K need to remain in the account for 3 more months. After these 3 months, the deposit shall never go under 400,000 THB. And before you’re the application for the next “1-year Extension of Stay”, a minimum of 800,000 THB must have seasoned in the account for two months, again

On the day you get issued the “1-year extension of stay permit”, you should buy a re-entry permit for it.

A re-entry permit will keep your stay permit alive in case you exit Thailand before the expiry of the 1-year stay permit.

A single re-entry permit is 1000 THB on Immigration. A multi re-entry is 3800 THB. With a multi re-entry permit, you could exit and re-enter as many times as you wish during the whole stay permit period.

The “CHANGE OF VISA TYPE” on Immigration inside Thailand:

There is another road to the “1-year ‘Extension of Stay based on retirement”

You can arrive visa-exempt or on a 60 days single-entry Tourist Visa, you will get stamped in for a 60-days stay permit.

You visit Immigration and show them a bankbook with proof you got 800.000.- THB in sitting in your Thai bank account, and a proof that this money came from abroad.

you either had this bank account already organized during a previous holiday, or the bank account needs to be opened ASAP, and the money transferred from your abroad account onto you Thai bank account ASAP. On a tourist visa or exempt-entry, you will most likely need an agent service to open the account for you

You apply for the “change of visa type” from the touristic entry to a “90-days Non-Imm-O retirement visa”. The fee is 2000 THB

To be allowed to apply you need a minimum of 15 workdays left on your entry stamp. And you need to show a rental contract, at least on most Immigrations

They will issue the Non-Imm-O visa for 14 days “under consideration”

After this period, you pick up the 90-days Non-Imm-O visa stay permit stamp

From up to 30 days (in some places 45 days) before the 90-days stay permit expires, you can apply to the “1-year extension of stay based on retirement”. The fee is 1900 THB

The financial requirements for this application are the same as explained above.

You can find the requirements for the “change” when you google for “change of visa type immigration Thailand” and click on the number 9 in the list

Good Luck and a great time in Thailand

I had an OA visa. These days I would avoid the OA because of the insurance requirement. If you can get an O visa in the US then that is what I would recommend. If you can’t get an O visa in the US then you can get it in Thailand while you are here on a tourist entry.

Visas are for traveling to countries. Apply for a visa before you travel