What are the requirements and steps to obtain a retirement visa in Thailand for UK citizens planning to move there?

Get an OA/OX from your home country.

Get a credible local agent to do it all for you. It will be quick and smooth.

I managed to apply for 1 year retirement visa through Thai embassy in Singapore with proof of THB 800k equivalent in my bank account in Singapore. I am a Singapore citizen. So you may to call Thai embassy in your country to check whether they will process your visa with THB800k equivalent in your home country.

Remember it can never ever go down below 800,000 2 months before and two months after. If it goes down to 799 you cannot use it edit: 3 months after

Jomtien office requires funds seasoned 2 months before applying for the non-o

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”

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 upon entering Thailand.

Within this period you have plenty of time to arrange for the application to the “1-year extended stay permit based on retirement” (which people wrongly refer to as a “retirement visa”. Actually, this thing is not a visa. It is an 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 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 proof by 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 a hefty sum (mostly in the range of 30-40,000 THB) to “arrange” the requirements

The downside is, you will get stuck with the agent for a while. You will need an agent to fix your 800k issue. You will be trapped in the agent’s hamster wheel.

To qualify you will need the 800k fronted by the agent the first year and simultaneously deposit 65k per month for 12 months without fail, to qualify the 2nd year for income method.

If you use an agent you will not qualify for the 2nd year as you did not have the money in the first year . . . . So will use an agent, again and again.

NOTE: It is income OR deposit. And 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 Extension inside Thailand):

On the day of application to the 1-year extension, the 800.000.- THB must have “seasoned” in your account for two months, and this has to be proven with the “bank letter of guarantee” (rab roong thanakan).

Immigration will only service you if you are properly registered in your accommodation by the TM30.

Every landlord or hotel needs to register you within 24 hours of your arrival in the premises. While hotels do this automatically online, many landlords are not aware of this or haven’t registered their house or rooms in the system. It is your responsibility to ensure that you get properly TM30 registered.

After been issued the “1-year Extension of Stay”, the 800,000 THB 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 your 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

When you get issued the “1-year extension of stay”, you should always 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 can exit and re-enter as many times as you wish during the whole 1-year stay permit period.

ATTN:

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.

On a tourist visa, it is very difficult to open a Thai bank account. You are advised to use an agent to help you with opening a bank account.

This must have either been organized during a previous holiday, or a bank account needs to be opened ASAP, and the money transferred from your abroad account onto you Thai bank account ASAP

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

You apply for the “change of visa type” from the touristic entry to a “90-days Non-Imm-O retirement visa”

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

They will issue the 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 financial requirements for this application are the same as explained above.

You can find the requirements 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

Technically your correct on the procedure but Thailand doesn't really have a national standard per day. They make up the rules as their mood is for the day. Some will change the 60 days to 90 days and will make you jump through a ring of fire. Some get lucky and others have to play their games of power trip. They will discourage you purposely to use an agency because they make a lot more money. I used an agency recently because my visa expired while on emergency trip back to the US. Everything was done in 4 hours. It's worth the no Hassel. But it is not cheap but money wasn't an issue for me. Wish you best luck because it is base on luck and nots what on paper for requirement

sounds good to me if you have a spare 400,000baht put it in my account so i can reapply for my retirement visa

Not as easy as that as it's your 1st one

Contact MOT Visa agents in Pattaya if you’re retiring in Pattaya and they will sort out your visa without hassle of red tape and queues

You don't need the 800k if you use an agent or find a 'tame/bent' immigration officer (there are plenty running scams to get round the 800k requirements) Thailand is very corrupt and a cash bung solves many 'difficulties' but I didn't tell you that 🤣🤣🤣

Do you already have the bank account? If you don't, then you should get the non-O visa from the Thai embassy in London via the e-visa system before you leave. That will make opening the bank account much easier.

If you already have the bank account, I would still recommend getting the visa before you travel, but you can also just apply to convert at your immigration office in Thailand with proof of the 800,000 in your Thai bank account received as an international transfer.

It's correct that you have to wait until you have about 30 days left on your 90 days of non-O visa before you can apply for the 1-year extension. You should go to your immigration office and ask them for the handout of requirements for the 1-year extension before you plan to apply, so you make sure you get everything you need. Each immigration office sets their own requirements so you need to get the list from your office.

This will help you, but depends on the thai immigration office you are going to use, I would recommend that you go to the immigration office to find out if they have any other requests