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What are the financial requirements for a Retirement visa for a family moving to Thailand?
Retirement VisaFinancial RequirementsThai Visa RegulationsExpat FamiliesNon-O VisaLTR VisaDependent VisaUS Embassy Thailand
Jan 7, 2026
4 months ago
Latrice ********************
ORIGINAL POSTERMoving to Thailand in September. Husband is retired military and over 50, I am 45 and we have 2 young children. Does anyone know if the Retirement visa financial requirements are per person or per family? Also, when it comes to having the large savings vs proof of monthly income, is it an either or situation or do you need both saved money and proof of pension?
TLDR : Answer Summary
The poster inquires about the financial requirements for a Retirement visa in Thailand and whether these requirements are per individual or for the entire family. There is a mix of suggestions in the comments, advising that for a Retirement visa, typically only one spouse needs to meet the financial criteria, which entails having 800,000 THB in a Thai bank account. They also mention potential options for the husband (a retired military member) to apply for an LTR (Long-Term Resident) visa, which may better suit their financial situation, especially if he qualifies due to his military status. Family dynamics and education costs in Thailand are also highlighted by community members as factors to consider.
LONG TERM RESIDENT (LTR) VISA RESOURCES / SERVICES
- Take the basic LTR Qualification Test to see if you're eligible for the Long Term Resident (LTR) Visa.
- For immediate assistance, contact Thai Visa Centre directly via LINE at @ThaiVisaCentre or Email them.
- Explore recent discussions by using the Long Term Resident (LTR) Visa tag in the search box at the top of the page.
- Join the Thai Visa Advice Facebook Group to ask your questions, and get advice from others.
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Daniel *********
The food is unhealthy....
Kaz *******
Watch this.. will answer your questions
************************************************
UginTh******
You want the
@LTR **************************
Sheila ********
Unless you eat in bars or hotels you quality of meat is limited to bones and grissel in the tai food on the streets they still eat scorpion mealworms chicken feet and a whole lot more
Latrice ********************
ORIGINAL POSTERI was raised in Caribbean culture, so chopped up scraps with spices over rice and chicken feet are normal for me. But thanks for the heads upš
Gordon *******
šÆ correct
Graham ******
@Sheila *******
The Thai street food vendors are catering for the locals so what do you expect? There are plenty of choices apart from the bars and hotels as you stated, many restaurants to cater for all budgets and tastes.Reply to
Graham ******
Reply
Brook ********
OA visa is perhaps the worst choice. LTR or Non-O visa are better choices.
Your childrenās education will suffer here. Even in an international school. Air pollution is another way you will fail your children.
Your childrenās education will suffer here. Even in an international school. Air pollution is another way you will fail your children.
Thom **********
@Brook *******
but the food is healthier in Thailand than in the USABrook ********
@Thom *********
except for the msg and sugar they put in everything.Thom **********
@Brook *******
Thais do like sugar. I rarely buy anything cooked in oil. As for MSG, Japan invented MSG. They live a long life, so MSG is not too bad. I think Chinese restaurants used too much giving MSG a bad reputation. You cannot find Japanese food without MSG. I owned a Japanese restaurant. The sushi chefs even add MSG to the sushi.Reply to
Thom **********
Reply
Latrice ********************
ORIGINAL POSTER@Thom *********
Im not even sure if you can call what they have us eating in the US as food anymore. My husband's gut is damn near destroyed from the additives and chemicals. It's almost impossible to find any food that isnt sourced from the same garbage and even the seeds are all GMO'dThom **********
@Latrice *******************
yes, the bread in Bangkok turns moldy in 5 days. looks like no preservatives in the bread.Latrice ********************
ORIGINAL POSTER@Thom *********
my husband will be extatic!! He grew up in an Italian American home where bread is life. It's supposed to have holes and crust and get moldy after a few days. The bread they are selling in the US now is made with plastic. š„²Reply to
Latrice ********************
Reply
Latrice ********************
ORIGINAL POSTER@Brook *******
while we don't deal with air quality issues where i live per se, the quality of the food is horrific in the US, so it will be a trade off. the public schools where I currently live are terrible. 2 or ****
. I could rant all day about issues with the current education situation. Even a mediocre international school will likely be better than our local schools, and probably with less fighting and bullies, not to mentionthe risk of school shootings!! We found bullets in the parking lot of my son's pre-k!!. Idk why people assume that life in the US is great. There is a long list of pros and cons and the benefits of moving outweigh any of the negatives.Brook ********
@Latrice *******************
I hear what you are saying. However, there are aspects to Thailand that Iām not permitted to explain.
You really should live here for a while before condemning your childrensā future.
Latrice ********************
ORIGINAL POSTER@Brook *******
if we dont like it, we can always move somewhere else. It's not that deep.Reply to
Latrice ********************
Reply
Chang ******
I highly recommend , if tight on the budget stays in US work.
For living in Thailand š¹š family with 4 normally spend
Im Single I spend
For living in Thailand š¹š family with 4 normally spend
*****
thb a month , about *****
0 thb a years Im Single I spend
*****
thb a month *****
0 a year without traveling another country . Just share my experience that's allLatrice ********************
ORIGINAL POSTER@Chang *****
my husband is retired military with a good sized pension and other benefits. We will also have 3 rental properties in the US, once we add our current home. I was just wondering how much cash we needed to show to start the visa process. Our plan is to do a 1 year retirement visa, and if we decide to stay long term, switch to the LTR.Reply to
Latrice ********************
Reply
Gordon *******
Have you been to Thailand before?
Von ***********
@Gordon ******
exactly my thoughts, the numbers of people that see a social media post or a blog or saw the White Lotus series and get the notion that Thailand š¹š is for them and have yet to set foot in the country let alone spent many months here and decide that āYEPā looks amazing gonna sell up, up root my kids and family and move to the other side of the world to a culture I donāt know and I canāt speak their tonal language is mind boggling š¤¦š½āāļøMore power to them, but man there is a lot of culture shock š® for them when the postcard doesnāt match the reality. Life isnāt all pad khao gai and mango sticky rice.
Gordon *******
@Von **********
šÆ% correctReply to
Gordon *******
Reply
Robert *********
Have you looked at the cost of education ?
It's not cheap
It's not cheap
Latrice ********************
ORIGINAL POSTER@Robert ********
yes. We have selected an international school that is taught in English and is reasonably priced. Our local school system is terrible, so the bar isn't very high. My son is very excited to be getting more than 20 minutes of recess each day.Reply to
Latrice ********************
Reply
Steve **********
If your husband is retired military and has VA disability as well I would do the LTR. He will meet the financial requirements and can use Tricare as the insurance requirement. I recommend checking that out. Plus itās 10 years.
Myself and most of my retired military friends are on the LTR.
Myself and most of my retired military friends are on the LTR.
Steve **********
SPOUSE AND CHILDREN UNDER 20 YEARS OLD OF LTR VISA HOLDERS
(MAXIMUM 4 DEPENDENTS IN TOTAL PER ONE LTR VISA HOLDER)
Insured under a health insurance covering a minimum of USD 50,000 OR currently receiving social security benefits in Thailand OR deposit and maintain at least USD 25,000 per one dependent in bank account balance under the applicant or the dependentās name for no less than 12 months.
Dependents must be legal spouse or children of one LTR visa holder. (Note that same-sex marriage and partnerships are currently not recognized by law in the kingdom of Thailand)
Consent form for sponsorship of a dependent to confirm the relationship as the family unit with the main LTR applicant.
Children will be granted dependentsā visa until 20 years of age.
(MAXIMUM 4 DEPENDENTS IN TOTAL PER ONE LTR VISA HOLDER)
Insured under a health insurance covering a minimum of USD 50,000 OR currently receiving social security benefits in Thailand OR deposit and maintain at least USD 25,000 per one dependent in bank account balance under the applicant or the dependentās name for no less than 12 months.
Dependents must be legal spouse or children of one LTR visa holder. (Note that same-sex marriage and partnerships are currently not recognized by law in the kingdom of Thailand)
Consent form for sponsorship of a dependent to confirm the relationship as the family unit with the main LTR applicant.
Children will be granted dependentsā visa until 20 years of age.
Reply to
Steve **********
Reply
Brandon ************
From your profile, it appears you are American. The US embassy in Thailand does not do income certification, so you cannot use monthly income for the first 1-year extension. The only option you have is proof of 800,000 in a Thai bank account.
That's not the main problem though. No embassy in the world issues a trailing spouse visa anymore. So you will not be able to get a visa based on your spouse's visa, if they get the 90-day non-O which is what most people get.
SOME embassies will allow you to apply for the trailing spouse visa if your husband gets the 1 year non-OA visa, but you would need to clarify that with the embassy first, to see if they allow it.
In that case, only your husband would need proof of funds for his visa, and then you apply based on his visa, as a trailing spouse non-O does not generally have a funds requirement. I assume the children can also apply for dependent non-O visas based on his retirement visa.
That's not the main problem though. No embassy in the world issues a trailing spouse visa anymore. So you will not be able to get a visa based on your spouse's visa, if they get the 90-day non-O which is what most people get.
SOME embassies will allow you to apply for the trailing spouse visa if your husband gets the 1 year non-OA visa, but you would need to clarify that with the embassy first, to see if they allow it.
In that case, only your husband would need proof of funds for his visa, and then you apply based on his visa, as a trailing spouse non-O does not generally have a funds requirement. I assume the children can also apply for dependent non-O visas based on his retirement visa.
Latrice ********************
ORIGINAL POSTER@Brandon ***********
what is the difference between a non-OA Retirement Visa and an LTR Visa? I believe we may qualify for both and, while they seem to be roughly the same price, but with one paying $1500 up front and one paying $150 per year, are there benefits to choosing one over the other?Kirsten *********
@Latrice *******************
if your hubby has passive income of at least USD 80,000 per year he can qualify for the LTR which is 10 years. Otherwise anything less than that it will be either the non immigrant OA for a year (applied outside of Thailand) or the non immigrant O for 3 months and then the retirement extension which needs 800,000 in a Thai bank account but on the 2nd year you can transition to *****
per month arriving regularly into a Thai bank account. With the LTR your hubby can bring dependents. With the Non immigrant O or OA you would have to come in yourself and then apply as a dependent inside the country which is risky. Or you could apply for education visas for your children and a guardian permit. Or you could get yourself a DTVBrandon ************
@Kirsten ********
There is no immigration office in Thailand that issues non-o based on being a trailing spouseReply to
Brandon ************
Reply
Olav *********
@Latrice *******************
contact this company.@https://www.facebook.*********************
Brandon ************
@Latrice *******************
LTR is the best visa available. It comes with many benefits. The OA visa just allows you to live in Thailand.
Reply to
Brandon ************
Reply
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