What are the current health insurance requirements for the Retirement O/A visa in Thailand?

@Mel ***********

. . . . .

@Chris *******

Anyways - WHAT is a "retirement visa" ??? It actually can mean SIX (6!) different visas and stay permits. . . . IF you say "retirement visa", you need to be absolutely CLEAR about which of the SIX (6!) different things you are talking about! . . . . . . . . . .

Once more, because people try to give advice based on what they think is a "Retirement Visa"

First of all, you DO not have to be retired to apply for this visa. You however need to be 50 years or older.

Well, some Thai embassies will insist that you already receive a pension, or they will tell you to apply for the Non-Imm-O/A Longstay Visa. What “your” embassy is doing, you need to check.

Second is that all options have DIFFERENT rules, regulations and requirements.

So please read and try not to give incorrect advice by using the requirements for a different type of visa or extension of stay.

What is a retirement visa?

It is a phrase used by foreigners and Immigration and it could be 6 different types of visa or stay permits, with different rules, regulations and requirements

OR

it could even be an 1 year Extension of Stay based on being over 50 years of age and willing to sit out the rest of their life inside Thailand.

It is easy to type “retirement visa”, but very difficult to understand which option the person refers to

Options are:

1. Single Entry Non Immigrant O visa based on being over 50 years of age

2. Multiple Entry Non Immigrant O visa based on being over 50 years of age (it got discontinued by October 2023 and is not available any more)

3. Non Immigrant O visa based on being over 50 years of age without entry by conversion at local immigration office

4. Non Immigrant O-A visa (Long Stay)

5. Non Immigrant O-X visa

6. Long Term Residency "wealthy pensioner" (LTR) visa

7. Extension of Stay based on being over 50 years of age and willing to sit out the rest of their life inside Thailand (stamp from Immigration, which is not a visa)

ONLY for options 3, 5 and 7 the applicant needs a bank account in Thailand or a Certificate of Income from their Embassy.

Option 2 cannot be applied for any more, since all Thai Embassies and Consulates took it out of the E-visa program.

Option 3 is applied for by conversion of your Visa Exempt Entry or Tourist Visa at your local Immigration Office inside Thailand.

Option 6 is applied for with support of BOI Thailand

Option 7 is applied for at your local Immigration Office AFTER you used a Non-Immigrant visa.

Other options are applied for at a Thai Consulate OR for those countries who are legit, on-line.

Thanks for reading this long explanation.

@Mel ***********

and pray tell me WHY does the Thai Embassy call it "LONGSTAY VISA" ?

@Chris *******

you don't have to be retired to apply for the Non-Imm-O/A Longstay Visa . . . actually, "retirement visa" can mean SEVEN (7!) different visas or stay permits. When people say "retirement visa" you never know WHICH ONE of the 7 possible visa-types or stay permits they are talking about . . . here, the official "Longstay-Visa O/A" (e-visa list of visa-types)