What is the easiest visa option for Canadian retirees wanting to live in Chiang Mai, Thailand?

Canadian here

Do nothing permanent for at least a year .

Your wants will change

Biggest mistake is valuing things compared to home .

You think it's so cheap ,the person who will buy from you thinks it's 40 percent overpriced .

Rent is so much better,you have control as you can move .

Just do multiple entry visa ,you can get 9 months out of it while you learn the ropes .

Living is so much different than holidaying .

Maybe do a month in 4 different places .

Hua hin ,Samui,Chang and pick one .either way enjoy paradise

What are you waiting for?!? Today is always the best day to move here from Canada.

The best visa by a wide margin is the new LTR visa. Apply online and it’s done.

If you don’t qualify, as Canadians you can use the 65k baht monthly income method. (CAD equivalent). You don’t need to bring any money to Thailand. Just apply at Royal Thai consulate in Toronto

Have you done a smog season yet ?

3 months of heavy pollution

Non O Visa based on retirement for you and Non O visa based on trailing spouse for your wife. First both of you apply for 90 day Non O retirement visas from Canada showing your banks statements to get them. In Thailand near the end of the 90 days, take your Canadian marriage license and rev Canada statement of income to your local Canada consul/embassy and get an affidavit of income/proof of marriage (1250 THB) and take it to immigration when you apply for your Non O visa extensions. Then only you need to prove > 800K THB income and your wife slides in with you. 🙂 Repeat the Thai steps every year. You'll also need to do 1 in person 90 day report and the rest take 30 seconds online, every 90 days. This is what my Canadian wife and I do in Chiang Mai. Got all the details off the Thai Visa Advice FB group. Just search for my name in there for all the posts about it. You 100% do not need an agent.

Non Imm O

If you have the funds, Elite Visa is probably the least hassle long term, as it is basically a high end 5 to 20 year tourist visa. You don't have to worry about check ins, as I believe any that are needed (might be a yearly one) are arranged for you, and they give you some privileges at various levels. It is especially good if you travel out of the country often.

Maybe buy an Elite Visa…?

If you can afford it, purchase a 10 year visa with all kinds of privileges. It will save you in tremendous amount of headaches over the next 10 years, and make your life very easy and enjoyable and delightful.

The easiest and most cost effective route for a Canadian is to apply for a 90 day non-o based on retirement for one of you.

The other applies for 90day non-o based on "visiting family" also known as a dependant visa.

Once you both have visas, come to Thailand and using the income method, a required proof from the Canadian embassy and you can get 1 yr extensions.

** if financially viable to deposit 800k in baht ,into a Thai bank account is far simpler to do.

Otherwise you will have to provide embassy income verification every year.

The dependant does not require

any Financial proofs.

With this path you do not require health insurance.

OR you both obtain 90 day non-o based on retirement visas separate from each other.

Just doubles the needed financials, embassy letters etc.

We are a Canadian couple and did this exact path, we chose to deposit the 800k in Thai baht to make it the easiest.

It’s very easy just ask your own immigration or google Thai immigration! And don’t bring Trudeau’s mindset with Ya