What are the requirements for a Non-O retirement visa to permanently move to Thailand?

The easiest option is a Privilege Visa. These give you the most benefits but are expensive. Alternatively, to stay long term, a non O retirement visa is very suitable. You will need, in your UK bank, the equivalent of 800,000 Thai baht. You apply for the non O from the UK. Once you have the visa you have 3 months to enter Thailand before the visa expires. On entry, your passport is stamped for a 90 day stay. You must move quickly and get a Thai bank account. This can be tricky. You deposit 800,000 baht in the account and leave it there. Towards the end of your 90 days you go to immigration and apply for a one year extension of stay. Your money must have been in the bank at least 2 months for your application to be accepted. From then on it’s 90 day reporting to immigration. Towards the end of the year you apply for another annual extension. The 800,000 must still be in the account at least for the last 2 months. There are restrictions on use of the money and it must never dip below 400,000.

Thailand is not cheap anymore. You need money. You wont be able to work in the Kingdom. Immigration laws are a real pain. You will constantly have to file forms and pay fees.

It is quite simple. 50 yo, 800 k thb in Thai bank. Proof of residence in Thailand. Period.

From my personal experience. I did it.

Check out ChatGPT if you can excellent source of information 🙏

It’s fairly easy tbh .Where do you plan on staying?

How to get from the “single entry 90-days Non-Imm-O retirement visa” to the 1-year extension of the stay permit, which most people refer to as being the “retirement visa” (which actually is not a visa but a stay permit)

You apply to the “90 days single entry Non-Imm-O retirement visa” by the E-Visa online system of the Thai embassy /consulate in your home country. You will need to fulfill the requirements that are listed for this visa

The visa will be mailed to you as a .pdf document, which you need to print out, in order to show it to the Immigration officer when entering Thailand

When you enter Thailand on the 90-days Non-Imm-O Retirement Visa, you will receive a stamp that says “admitted stay until” and a date given in blue ink. This stamp is a 90-days stay permit.

Since November 1st, 2023, the financial proof for applying for a visa in the online e-visa system in most countries must either be evidence of a balance of the equivalent of 800,000 THB (approx. converted equivalent 21,500 in USD, Euros or GBP, or whichever currency applies) in your bank account,

OR

For the initial e-visa application in your home country, you can use your original income or pension documents.

For the application to the 1-year Extension of Stay Permit on Immigration, a certified by your embassy proof of income at least the equivalent of 65,000 THB (approx. 1760 Euros or equivalent in USD or GBP or whichever applies).

For the application to the initial 90-days Non-O retirement visa, it doesn’t matter where the account is located. The most important is that the documents you upload to the application show that the account is in your sole name.

You enter on the 90-day single entry Non-Imm-O Retirement Visa, and will receive a 90-days stay permit

As soon as 30 days (45 days in Bangkok and Chiang Mai) are left on the initial 90-days stay permit, you can apply for the “1-year extension of the stay permit based on retirement” (EOS)

Most people call the EOS a “retirement visa” and Immigration calls it a “visa extension”, although they do not extend any visa but just extend a stay permit. It can be a bit confusing for newcomers as it is a technically wrong terminology.

You will need to prove finances for this application on Immigration. The way to prove it on Immigration, differs a bit from what you needed to prove in the E-visa system in your home country

In case you seek to provide proof of finances for the application for the “1-year extension of stay” with a balance of at least THB 800,000 THB, you must open a Thai bank account in your sole name, ASAP (!!) after you have entered the country on a Non-Imm-O Visa

If you use a monthly income of at least 65,000 THB as financial proof, then you must have your income “legalized”, i.e. been issued an “affidavit of income” from your embassy in Bangkok

NOTE: British, Canadian, Norwegian, Australian and U.S. American embassies don’t issue income affidavits any more, this is why citizens of these countries will need to go by the 800,000 THB deposit method (at least in the first year)

You are free to use an agency for opening a Thai bank account for you, without much hassle. An agent can also assist you with your further application. Of course, you can also do this entirely on your own.

To apply for the 1-year extension of stay permit at immigration inside Thailand out of a former Non-Imm-O retirement/over 50-visa, you do NOT need to provide proof of a health insurance.

However, it is recommended in your own interest, to have a health insurance for the duration of your stay in Thailand.

The documents required to apply for the “1-year extension of stay permit based on retirement/over 50 years old” from a Non-Imm-O visa are:

(The exact documents may vary depending on the immigration office you are dealing with. Most immigration offices have a handout list of requirements and the documents you need to show. You need to visit them and ask for the handout before you apply)

Proof of meeting the financial requirements:

EITHER

by the “deposit method”:

A certificate from the bank that you got a balance of a minimum of 800,000 THB that have been in the account for at least 2 months on the day of application.

This must be proven with a same day (some immigrations accept up to 7 days) "bank letter of guarantee" (in Thai: "rab roong thanakan") as well as an updated bank book and a receipt for a withdrawal from the ATM on the same day.

The 800,000 THB must remain in the account for a further 3 months after the one-year Extension of Stay Permit has been issued, and there must not be less than 400,000 THB in the account for the rest of the year.

Then 2 months before the application for the next “1-year extension”, a minimum of 800,000 THB must be deposited again.

OR

by the “Income method”:

An income certificate (affidavit of income) from the embassy or a honorary consul of the country which’s passport you hold, of a monthly income of a minimum of 65,000 THB

And the following documents:

*** a filled out TM7 form (can be had on Immigration)

*** have at least 2 (better 4) passport size photos at hand

*** copies of the relevant pages in your passport:

*** the pages with personal details.

*** The page with the entry stamp.

*** The printout copy of your TDAC digital arrival card

***A rental agreement (if available), the blue house book and the Thai ID card of the owner of the place that you are staying

NOTE: you must sign every copy in BLUE INK !

On some Immigration offices you can also provide proof of finances using a THIRD method: the combination method

A mixture of income and deposit.

NOTE: Most Immigration offices require a minimum deposit of 400,000 THB deposited.

Combined with the monthly proof of income, the total must be ABOVE the required 800,000 THB per year.

You have to be careful with the income part, as a sudden change in the exchange rate can ruin the calculation - if you fall below the income level, you would immediately be in "overstay". So you need a "buffer"

If you are planning to use the combination method, you will need to visit your Immigration and ask whether they will allow you to use the combination method in the first year, and how much they require for the deposit, if all

For the registration of a foreigner at a place in Thailand, you should visit immigration together with the landlord, because a landlord is required to register you by TM30 within 24 hours of your arrival at the place of accommodation.

The landlord can also TM30 you online, in case he already has registered the accommodation in the TM30 system.

NOTE: without a TM30 residence registration, you will most probably not get serviced on Immigration!

***A completed TM7 application form for extension of the stay permit (the form is available at immigration, but you can also download it from the internet)

***a handful of passport photos (most immigration offices now take the photos digitally, but it doesn't hurt to have a few current passport photos on hand)

*** all copies of the documents must be signed by you in blue ink (!)

***The 1-year extension itself costs a 1900 Baht fee

As soon as you got issued the 1-year extension of stay permit, you should buy a “re-entry permit”, because in the event that you suddenly have to leave the country or if you generally want to leave the country for a holiday elsewhere, the “re -entry permit” keeps the “1-year extended stay permit” alive.

A single re-entry permit is 1000 THB, and a multi re-entry permit is 3800 THB. . . . a multi re-entry permit allows you unlimited exits and re-entries during the whole year of the "extension of stay permit" it was bought for

Get your non O in home country. Go to Thailand & go to an agent. Easy. No headaches

Contact this groups page

@THAI *****************************

From there you can breakdown how much you need up front

And understanding the correct process / steps in order to get it done ✔️

Some visas you will need a Thai bank account for extensions…

If you’re 50 or older, you can apply for a 90-day Non-O retirement visa in the UK using either three months of documented income of at least £1,500 per month or savings of £18,000. For the savings option, three months of bank statements are required, but only the closing balance needs to meet the £18,000 requirement. For your first annual extension in Thailand, you’ll normally need 800,000 baht in your Thai bank account for two months before applying. Subsequent extensions can instead be based on 12 consecutive monthly transfers of at least 65,000 baht from abroad.

The official Thai visa, select the visa you are interested in and view requirements, may vary slightly from what country you are from

😊

Richard Bouchard