Answereda year ago
What are the yearly costs for retirement visas in Thailand compared to Vietnam?
Hi All. I’m hoping to retire early to Thailand. I’ve got a lot of info from other members posts, but just recently I read a comment from someone comparing the cost of a retirement visa for Thailand with Vietnam. He stated 65k for Thailand and $25 for Vietnam. Could someone please give me an idea of the yearly costs for retirement visas, so I can factor this into my monthly outgoings before I make a decision on how early I can retire.
TIA Steve 👍
TIA Steve 👍
Answer summary
The yearly cost for a retirement visa in Thailand is approximately 1,900 baht (around $60), with an initial application fee of 2,000 baht. Applicants must also meet financial requirements, such as having 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account or a monthly income of 65,000 baht, which can complicate the process, especially for first-time applicants. In contrast, Vietnam does not offer a retirement visa, and a $25 fee only provides a short-term visa for three months. Potential expats should carefully consider living costs and experiences in both countries before making a decision.
63 repliesnewest first
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Donald ******
Look online and get the real truth!
Robert *****
Visa Agents charge more, because they avoid the money in the bank, criminal background check, Thai health insurance and all those other things. You pay 14,000 baht and 3 days later you have a 1 year non immigrant OA visa. Pay and extra couple thousand and you can add multiple entries. And they also do the stupid 90 day TM30 reporting for you. It's worth it.
Pamela *******
@Robert ****
can you recommend any agents? Retiring from AustraliaTodd *********
@Pamela ******
@THAI *****************************
owns this page and group. Excellent
James ******
@Pamela ******
tik tok
Dwain *******
@Pamela ******
how are the politics in Australia these days? Just listening to Marie Zee
Marty *********
@Robert ****
Visa agents will get you an O visa and the first 1 year extension. The O and OA are different visas. You can only get an OA in your home country. An agent in Thailand cannot get an OA for you. The O visa has no insurance or criminal background check requirements.
Martyn ***********
@Robert ****
.. 14k is very.. very cheap of the actual first visa application? That sounds more like the extension price? If correct...? Where?Robert *****
@Martyn **********
yes, extension of a 90 day O issued by the Thai embassy in your home country, which for me only costs $80 (B2600), so total for 15 months is B*****
, plus 4000 for multiple entry....20,600.
David ********
What is embassy verified income?
John **********
@David *******
as you're an Australian it won't apply to you as your embassy no longer provides that option. It's where you get a certificate from your embassy confirming your annual income but many embassies are stopping itDavid ********
@John *********
cheers bro
Pedro ********
Go live in both places before you decide.
Mark *********
You have to think about what you want to do with the remainder of your life. If you are happy hanging around with farangs in Pattaya and enjoying what is on offer then that part of Thailand is probably a good choice. You have to figure in the huge expat population of Russians as well. Vietnam offers a different scene though. I found dealing with authorities there to be a good experience regardless of the language barrier. In tourist areas of Thailand you are an ALIEN and responsible for any accidents and incidents you are involved in. This can be expensive.
Stuart ***********
@Mark ********
very strange negative post, as if the whole of Thailand is Pattaya. If you are happy in Vietnam stay there. I am certain the person asking the questions is capable of evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of each country themselves. They are asking about the retirement visa and it's very easy to get in Thailand.Mark *********
@Stuart **********
Yes. And it's a ripoff. There are alternatives. My comments are based on fact. If you think that is negative well that is your perception. I don't fool myself that everything is rosy.Stuart ***********
@Mark ********
1,900 Baht a year is a rip off?!! If you think so that's okay.Marty *********
@Mark ********
I get it. You like Vietnam. Vietnam doesn’t have a retirement visa. As for Thailand . . . Pattaya is your reference point? Really? You need to get out more before commenting on Thailand.Mark *********
@Marty ********
Retirement visas are a ripoff. There are many alternatives which farangs have been doing for decades.Todd *********
@Mark ********
a O-visa retirement extension costs 1900 per year. 365 days. Every single border bounce from a place like Samui cost 4500 baht. for 60 days. Plus 1900 baht for a 30 days extension. Break out your calculator and let us know which one is most cost effective?Marty *********
@Mark ********
Congratulations. You are going to outsmart us all by doing border runs. 😂I never thought of that 🤔
Mark *********
@Marty ********
Who cares about retirement visas?James ******
@Mark ********
sounds like you are doing the scam that’s why they stopped so many bank accountsTodd *********
@Mark ********
😂😂😂 are you sober? It’s 1900 baht per year lolMark *********
@Todd ********
The retirement visa in Thailand is a scam. There are many alternatives.Todd *********
@Mark ********
anyone who wants to stay in a country long term.Marty *********
@Mark ********
The original poster asked about retirement visas. You should read the post you are commenting on.Mark *********
@Marty ********
I have been to every province. What about you?Mark *********
@Marty ********
I don't have a preference. I know Thailand and speak the language. Unfortunately Vietnamese is a lot more difficult.
Jyrki *********
@Brandon ***********
If I get embassy verified income is it possible to get first year extension?
Brandon ************
@Jyrki ********
yes. If your embassy in Thailand still offers that service and the monthly income amount meets the requirement, you can use it immediately.Jyrki *********
@Brandon ***********
thanks!
Frankie *******
Go to Da nang n pho quoc in vietnam before u decide where to retire.its cheaper to live in Vietnam however u will come across issues with transport food currency n language barriers in Vietnam compared to thailand.Both r great places to retire.
Dave *********
@Frankie ******
Issues with food and language in Vietnam? Always have a more positive experience of both in Vietnam.Todd *********
@Dave ********
said no one everDave *********
@Todd ********
Really. Everyone I know who's been there loves it...
Nongnuch ********
@Dave ********
and you get along with the Vietnamese mentality? They are very different from Thai people, culture-wise. Against us foreigners, they use their ELBOWS more often, if you know what I am sayingStephen *********
OP@Frankie ******
Vietnam isn’t an option. I was just using someone’s comment as an example of the cost. Turns out the 65k he quoted was false, but thank you 🙏Todd *********
Vietnam does not have a retirement visa. The cost for a retirement visa in Thailand is 1900 baht annually. $60 USD.
Daniel ***********
@Todd ********
how do I apply for it?Todd *********
@Daniel **********
any Thai consulate abroad. Any immigration within Thailand. Or consult and agent like @THAI *****************************
Kieran *******
There is no retirement visa for Vietnam. 25$ will get you 3 months 🤷♂️
Joseph ****
@Kieran ******
Yep. Three months with no banking priviledges or ability to get a bike or auto license.Brandon ************
The "cost" of a retirement visa in Thailand is 2000 baht. Annual extensions cost 1900 baht.
But there you must also be able to meet financial requirements. One of those requirements is 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account or 65,000 baht monthly income. Most people are not able to use the monthly income at least for the first year, as immigration will only recognize embassy verified income. Many embassies stopped providing this a few years ago.
But there you must also be able to meet financial requirements. One of those requirements is 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account or 65,000 baht monthly income. Most people are not able to use the monthly income at least for the first year, as immigration will only recognize embassy verified income. Many embassies stopped providing this a few years ago.
Wayne *******
@Brandon ***********
I haven't really looked deep into the retirement visa, but, I was under the impression that it was 1900 baht every 90 days and annually it was around 30,000 baht? A friend of mine (now deceased) told me he paid those kind of figures although he did use an agent and I may be mixed up with the 90 day reporting and 1900 every 90 days
I understand that one applies from outside Thailand for the initial Non-O then convert once inside Thailand for 12 months (so 15 months covered although Im happy to be corrected on this)
The thing that put me off the retirement option was the cost and having to have £20k in an account, and is that required to stay in the account constantly?
Cheers
Robert *****
@Wayne ******
Agents charge more, because they avoid the money in the bank, criminal background check, Thai health insurance and all those other things. You pay 14,000 baht and 3 days later you have a 1 year non immigrant OA visa. Pay and extra couple thousand and you can add multiple entries. And they also do the stupid 90 day TM30 reporting for you. It's worth it.Robert *****
@Nongnuch *******
right I really don't quite understand why they have both O and O-A. There must be a reason but it's beyond me to figure out.Nongnuch ********
@Robert ****
Holy Cow - it is a BIG difference between an extension out of a former Non-O/A Visa and the Extension out of a former Non-O visa. Just to say. If youstarted out of a Non-O/A, you are forced to contract a tgia-listed Thai private health insurance, AND also keep 800,000 THB in a Thai bank account (unless you have gathered up 12 months of consecutive transfers from abroad, yet, of a minimum of 65,000 THB, month for month) On an extension out of a Non-O visa, you are not forced to a mandatory health insurance - you keep your freedom of choice insteadRobert *****
@Brandon ***********
yes, sorry it's a 1 year extension of a 90 day Non Immigrant O visa....it can be renewed annually...grants 1 time duty free import of your possessions and avoids all those other requirements, even the 800,000 in the bank for 3 or 4 months. To me it's not much different than the O-A from the home country embassy, with a lot less hassle.Brandon ************
@Robert ****
Agents don't avoid any of those things, because the agents are not getting non-OA visas. Those are only available from Thai embassies in your home country.Agents are getting non-O visas that only have a financial requirement.
Nongnuch ********
@Wayne ******
you are mixing up so much manure, you should kick your knowlegde into the bin and start to be willing to learn from Brandon, Tod Daniels, Graham Seal and all the other "visa gurus" . .Never listen to the "old buddies from the barstool experience"
Damo ***********
@Wayne ******
that was a bit harsh! Especially coming from someone who hi-jacked Stephen's original post and made it his own!
Robert *********
@Wayne ******
probably used an agent. He educated my friend by reading official websites not tiktok or Facebook or a YouTube video. Even then verify and then trust. Make sure there is confluence of multiple independent strands of evidenceWayne *******
@Nongnuch *******
If your comprehension skills were working you would realise there was absolutely no need for you to waste your time commenting. But so you're not left clueless twice on one discussion, I will elaborate . . . My dead friend told me what I already explained in my 1st comment. Thats all I knew becaue I wasnt interested . . . . until now. So now that I am interested, I am actually taking advice from Brandon which you advised me to do, even though I was already doing that!!
Maybe lay off the sam song and as for the "bar stool" 'gag', try stepping into the 21st century
Brandon ************
@Wayne ******
There is no ongoing 90 day cost. Maybe your friend was using the agent to do his 90 day reports, which would cost additional. Officially it is 2000 baht for the 90-day non-O visa. And then after that it's 1900 baht per year for the extension.
If you use the bank deposit method, the balance must remain at 800,000 baht for 2 months before your extension, and 3 months after. It can never drop below 400,000 the rest of the year. So that's 5 months per year at 800k and 7 months at 400k. Most people just leave it at 800k so they don't time it wrong and ruin their ability to get an extension.
But many people also start sending 65,000 baht per month to their Thai bank account from overseas during the first year. This allows them to switch to the income method for year 2 and onwards, meaning they don't have to keep any money in a Thai bank account. Each year they just have to be able to show they receive 12 months of 65,000 baht from outside of Thailand to satisfy the income requirement.
Wayne *******
@Brandon ***********
Yeah my concern about the *****
baht was if they wanted documentation like UK state pension would show on the transfer from the UK to the Thai account. I asked because I know someone here who benefits from £200 a year from about 4 or 5 different banks becaue he "pays in" £1000 a month to each bank but uses the same £1000 just transferred from 1 account to the next!
Would be handy to be able to do that then you're just tying the same
*****
up instead of the 800,000 if that makes sense.....Brandon ************
@Wayne ******
the extra cost is when people use an agent and don't want to show any money. The agent takes your money and greases the wheels at immigration so they look the other way about the fact you aren't showing your money in the bank. You could use the same 65k each month but it doesn't make much sense. You need money in Thailand to live anyways. Just use it for your daily expenses.
There are some immigration offices that require you to also show "where the money came from" as in they want to see documentation of a pension or retirement account as well. But that's rare.
Wayne *******
@Brandon ***********
OK so 3900 for the 1st 15 months? Would I be right in guessing that the extras I was explaining would be agents fees? Like 2000 compared to the 30k is a huge jump, is that what agents charge for the retirement visa? *****
? Thanks for the explanation on the 800k/400k best to just leave it there, but 1 last question . . .
Can you use the same
*****
per month on a loop? As in transfer it to Thai bank, then transfer it back n forth just using the same *****
in effect, or does it need to be shown coming from a source such as a govt or private pension? Thanks again
Stephen *********
OP@Brandon ***********
thank you. This info will allow me to retire as planned. Assuming that the Thais don’t move the goalposts again 😜
Lynnette *******
@Stephen ********
the retirement goalposts have been the same for years as far as I know. Have you other info?Marty *********
@Stephen ********
There are several different visa that retirees can use to live in Thailand. They have different financial requirements and different structures and benefits. The O visa, described by Brandon, is the most popular retirement visa and has not changed in many years. Some of the other visas are targeted towards wealthier expats.Lynnette *******
@Stephen ********
Not heard of that. It's been 800,000 tb for a long time. You said move them "again" as if it's happened more than once.Stephen *********
OP@Lynnette ******
I did here that they were thinking of upping the monthly requirement and the amount to have in the bank. I can’t remember the figures but it was well over what I can afford. It mentioned that they wanted to attract a higher class of retiree with a lot more income by increasing the amountsActivity
26 joined26
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