What are the requirements and process for obtaining an O visa for retirees in Thailand if you don't meet financial criteria?

@Janin *****

Although the AIA one for over 70s has a low premium of slightly more than $2000 a year, the trade off is in the high excess which precludes insurance use for anything other than the most serious health incidents. And of course the problem has to be one that cannot be linked to a known condition.

@Paul *******

I understand your point, but the sort of people unable to afford to live in the states are going to be truly battling if a heart attack or stroke suddenly stikes in Thailand.

@Ed *******

Over 70s hardly have the insurance companies lining up for their patronage.

@Ed *******

many of the insurance companies won't touch you at your age. If you can find one that will it'll be expensive. Once you hit 75 I don't think any will as a new customer.

After many years residing in one spot, who knew? Looks like you have it figured out?

As for me I’m older than you. I have a large extended family in Isaan. Love it and my fiancé.

All the luck, one never knows what’s ahead. I never had any idea my heart would be in Thailand. The old saying goes, “nothing ventured nothing gained”. I’ll add one, good or bad, a life well lived.

@Phil *****

at 74 I think it will b very hard to find insurance in Thailand and if he can I doubt any insurance company will pay a claim at that age

Maybe get travel insurance for the first year there ??

@Phil *****

Yes use an agent, a lot of people go down this route

Ed ChildsI've got the 3rd stage Syphilis but I haven't told anyone yet.

@Ed *******

Because paying an agent 25-30k includes a bribe for Immigration so you get your Visa illegally

@Ed *******

Yeah, actually. Long-term expats tend to be passionate about their breakfasts. You can strike up a conversation in a restaurant that will yield a wealth of information from someone actually living here.

When I got here I spoke with a dozen or so bar and restaurant owners and learned how they do things. Some had geen here for decades. There info has served me well.

I suggested Pattaya before discovering you plan to live elsewhere. Of course you can do everything in a different city and there are advantages to getting your Visa from an immigration office near where you plan to live.

On the other hand Pattaya has a huge concentration of expats and established trustworthy businesses serving our needs, so it may be easy to start here.

I only mention an American bank because I assumed you would be collecting Soc security. While you can have it directly deposited in a Thai Bank and many do, I prefer the safety of having it in a US bank first.

But if you have a Brazilian bank that will work too. Just remember that lovely as Thailand is, it is a cruel and heartless place to have money issues.

ALWAYS HAVE A PLAN B. 🤗

@Ed *******

This forum is a southern baptist church. Agents are a Buddhist temple. Why are you expecting Baptists to help you be a Buddhist?

Because all good Baptists know for certain that Buddhists are destined to burn in hell for all eternity.

As an American passport holder, you are eligible for a visa exempt status on arrival.



Once here I recommend you go to Pattaya and yak with a handful of expats about the rewards, risks and prevelance of using a Visa Agent for people in your particular financial situation.

You will find that many use Maneerats agent to assist in setting up your “non-o” retirement visa and extension, found in Soi 13-2 just up from beach road. And there are others. Might as well use the agent to open your Thai bank account as well.

Keep a good solid US bank account, and open a Wise account and get it all set up before leaving the US.

Buy health insurance from a Thai company as soon as you can. Stuff happens here - 600,000baht hospital bills will ruin your whole day without insurance.

Finally if you let the baptists here scare you out of doing something that hundred of thousands do trouble-free on the regular, consider getting your retirement visa in Cambodia instead. Cheaper and easier than Thailand.

@Jeffrey ******

if, when you transfer the money via wise, you select the "funds for long -term stay in Thailand" in the drop-down menu that asks for the reason for the transfer, it should be ok.

@Edna ******

Yes it is, for a 12 month extension but not for the initial Non-O. It is only a couple of offices that use a seasoned rule for the Non-O as stated above.

@Ed *******

O visa is non-O, just like the OA is a non-OA. It means non immigrant visa.

You're talking about visa exempt which means no visa at all and gives you 30 days. You'd be better off getting a tourist visa to give you extra time to figure things out on the ground.

You can got both an O or an OA in your home country before you travel to Thailand. You can ONLY get an OA in your home country but you can get an O from your home country or from Thailand.

An OA requires you to show money in your home country bank account and will give you 1 year in Thailand, but also requires you to have $100,000 of insurance coverage.

An O will only give you 90 days in Thailand so will require you to apply for the 1 year extension which will have the 800,000 baht requirement.

If you get the O from your home country they will require you to show proof of funds from either Thailand or your home country, and may require you to have a small amount of insurance for the 90 days the visa is valid for.

@Ed *******

what you get when you arrive without a visa is an entry for 30 days visa exempt: that means "no visa".