What is the best visa option for retired Australians wanting to stay in Thailand for extended periods while minimizing taxes?

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Honestly, the LTR is the best one if you have a good income stream. You need US$80,000 passive income if you have that, that person can sponsor the other. You just need insurance in Thailand, but you can get very cheap insurance if you don’t care about it covering anything. It’s actually pretty straightforward and easy if you qualify. You only have to check in once a year if you don’t leave the country for a whole year., You’re tax exempt in Thailand, it includes reentry, which the retirement visa does not. And you don’t have to do anything for five years at which point you just prove you still qualify and you get another five.

Look for a DTV visa allow you to work, can stay 180day's 2x , its a 5yeaer visa

You could apply for a non o-a visa as this doesn't require you to have a thai bank account, just need health certicate, police checks and health insurance. This visa gives you 12 months unlimited access to thailand and if timed correctly can give you nearly 2 years (second year you would buy a multi entry pass that is not required for the first year).

I do and have done something similar. I've had a house here in Rawai for 20 years now and I have a house in Santa Cruz California. I currently have a non-immigrant O based on retirement with permission to stay extended for one year. If you live in Thailand now more than 180 days a year, you are supposed to file taxes here. The law changed about two years ago. So take that into consideration. Thailand has a tax treaty with most countries so you should not have to pay much if anything I would think but I haven't stay 180 days since the law changed. My Thai wife has US residency and if she is out of the US more than 179 days, she has to be interviewed as to why for admission. Nothing is easy about living in two countries now, but I manage to take care of all the paperwork to do what we do. Good luck with your plan. Mine works for us. Cheers!

If you want to do volunteer work you would need a volunteer visa with documentation from wherever it is you want to volunteer for. I'd ignore that as a visa option. I don't understand why you would look at a Thai privilege visa which would cost 2 x 650k baht sunk cost yet have a problem with putting 800k baht each, which remains yours, in a Thai bank. If you seriously don't want to put money in a Thai bank then take a look at the Non-OA visa which is a 12 month visa you apply for in your home country using funds in your home country. It does require insurance, police checks etc but you can get almost 2 years out of it as long as you have insurance by bouncing out and back just before the validity expires. You may also be able to just get the visa for one of you and the other get a Non-O dependant visa with no additional funds although that would be a 90 day visa so would need extended in Thailand

Todd Capron yes retirement visa is the easiest You both are great to be able to speak Thai👍🏻

Get OA or OX visa from Australia but neither allows you to volunteer officially.

Look on website for more details a few pros and cons. Need insurance, silly medical but no need to have Thai Bank account. Just leave your money in Oz and withdraw what you need to live on

Be aware that staying the whole year in 2028 or even 180 days in 2027 that you need to do tax return in Thailand and use Australia Tax as Foreign Tax Credits so you don’t pay tax twice. The one on super income stream may need to pay tax unless you only remit existing savings into Thailand and not the super pension payments.

Forget thai citizenship….wouldnt happen anyhow. Get retirement visas for both of you. Plenty Old enough . 🤨

Suggest non o retirement but this eliminates any work including any voluntary work. It’s getting much harder with the current government to become non tax citizens! Not sure if the law passed that makes you wait 4 years even if you have left permanently!

Make life easy get a 6 month tourist visa or a METV

Have you considered a LTR visa? It provides an option ,depending on which option, to get a work permit

Would be easiest for sure but you're in age to get a retirement visa too. One Elite visa is not extendable to the other,unfortunately, even if married. You need two Elite

You could also both get a non o retirement visa.