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What are the visa requirements and medical insurance options for retiring in Thailand?

Retirement Visa Non-O Visa Non-OA Visa DTV Visa Visa Requirements Medical Insurance Health Insurance Sponsor Letter Bank Account Requirements Financial Requirements for Visa Living in Thailand as an Expat

Aug 13, 2025

9 months ago

Alice ********

ORIGINAL POSTER

My husband and I are considering moving to Thailand I will be there in the next couple months to scout out homes.

In the interim have a couple of questions for visas and medical insurance. 

For a retirement Visa is Tricare for life acceptable.

Also just to clarify. Is it either or to put the money required for the Visa and a bank account or is 65,000 baht proving a Year's worth of deposits sufficient enough? 

I am also a realtor with 40 years of experience and work through a referral company where all my transactions are online. Would this be something the DTV Visa would allow? 

The other question I have is with a sponsor letter. How does this work and is it acceptable. This would be for funds if the 65,000 baht monthly income is not acceptable. 

My remote location would be something new and as such I can show just a little bit of activity. Would this be frowned upon?

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TLDR : Answer Summary

The conversation discusses the requirements and considerations for moving to Thailand, focusing on visa types (specifically retirement visas like Non-O and Non-OA) and medical insurance options (including Tricare and local insurance). Key points include the necessity of having proof of income or funds in a Thai bank account for visa extensions, the role of sponsor letters for certain visas, and the advice on renting versus buying property in Thailand to better understand local laws and living conditions.

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Kevin *********

@Randy *******

do you have health insurance in your home country? If you do, most insurers will pay for overseas emergency claims. Some will even pay for planned* treatments - but you'll have to read your clauses very thoroughly. You are advised to buy something cheap in Thailand to cover the unexpected and unforeseen health issues.

Alternatively, you can also decide if you'd wanna buy health insurance in Thailand to replace the one in your home country but you'll have to jump through hoops if you have existing medical conditions.

Hope this helps. Nothing is easy but it's kinda fun exploring and manoeuvering through all the possibilities.

9 months ago

John **********

First to do is work out the type of retirement visa to look at, there are 4 or 5 different ones with the standard one being the Non-O based on being over 50, depending on the consulate you apply at you may need one for each of you. If you apply for the Non-OA its much more likely that the consulate will allow your spouse to apply for a Non-O based on being your dependant with no financial requirements, but the Non-OA does come with insurance requirement etc. For me the dtv doesn't fit with retirement, for a start you have to leave the country every 6 months and must either have a remote job or sign up to a qualifying course of over 6 months

9 months ago

Alice ********

ORIGINAL POSTER

@John *********

thank you ❣️

9 months ago

Alice ********

ORIGINAL POSTER

@John *********

thank you ❣️

9 months ago

Reply to

Alice ********

Robert *********

DO NOT

Buy anything for at least a year .

You don't understand anything yet .

You value things compared to home

You have no idea of Thai laws etc .

What you want when you go will be dramatically different than after a year .

Rent for two years at least

9 months ago

Alice ********

ORIGINAL POSTER

@Robert ********

absolutely, the real estate market is not doing the best I've seen so purchasing right now is not an option. We will rent until we feel the warm and fuzzy that this is our place our last stop ❣️

9 months ago

Reply to

Alice ********

Brandon ************

Sponsor letter is only a factor for DTV, and it's only for the spouse or parent of someone filing for a dependent DTV based on the other person's.

There are 2 main retirement visas, the non-O and the non-OA. The non-O visa that most people use does not require insurance.

The embassy might accept proof of 65,000 monthly income but once you get to Thailand and want to apply for an extension you'll either need embassy verified income (many embassies don't do this anymore) or a Thai bank account with 800,000 baht.

9 months ago

Alice ********

ORIGINAL POSTER

@Brandon ***********

thank you so much for taking the time to respond ❣️

9 months ago

Alice ********

ORIGINAL POSTER

@Brandon ***********

thank you for the clarification ❣️

9 months ago

Randy ********

@Brandon ***********

this is good information to know. I thought you had to have health insurance when living in Thailand. I'll just save my money in the bank, and pay out a pocket for my health care needs. Thanks ✌️

9 months ago

Gerg **********

@Randy *******

For minor injuries and sicknesses on an outpatient basis, your plan works. Get into a serious car or motobike accident, or have a stroke or heart attack that keeps you in the hospital for weeks or months, and it could bankrupt you. Up to you.

9 months ago

Brandon ************

@Randy *******

there are only 2 visa types that require it. The non-OA and the LTR.

9 months ago

Reply to

Brandon ************

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