What retirement visa options are available for UK Citizens planning to live in Thailand?

Jun 3, 2024
5 months ago
Debbie ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Hi we will be arriving into Thailand in a few weeks. We are UK Citizens and have been travelling Indonesia so we will be entering on the 30 day visa free entry. We would like to look into applying for a retirement visa but are so confused on which one to apply for. We are both over 50 not drawing on a pension yet but do have enough savings in the bank. Any help will be greatly appreciated. 😀
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TLDR : Answer Summary
A couple of UK citizens traveling to Thailand are seeking advice on applying for a retirement visa while entering on a 30-day visa exemption. They are over 50 and have sufficient savings but not a pension. The discussion highlights the necessity of converting to a NON-O visa based on retirement, with various comments suggesting they open a Thai bank account and establish a minimum of 800,000 baht each to qualify. There is also mention of using a visa agent for assistance, though opinions vary on whether this is necessary. Additionally, considerations regarding residential requirements and potential taxation for monetary transfers while residing in Thailand are discussed.
NON-O RETIREMENT VISA RESOURCES / SERVICES
  • Go to the Retirement Visa Section for information on requirements, including age restrictions, financial requirements, and necessary documentation.
  • For immediate assistance, contact Thai Visa Centre directly via LINE at @ThaiVisaCentre or Email them.
  • Explore recent discussions by using the Non-O Retirement Visa tag in the search box at the top of the page.
  • Join the Thai Visa Advice Facebook Group to ask your questions, and get advice from others.
John ********
Be careful, the Thai tax will be after your hard earned savings if you stay more than 179 days in Thailand in any year, 1st of January to 31 of December.
Herve *********
@John *******
bullshit. they'd only tax income and revenues in Thailand, not savings staying in a bank back home.
John ********
@Herve ********
You think it's bullshit? Well any monies you have and transfer to your Thai bank account, if your in Thailand more than 179 days, it is liable for tax. Thailand has brought in this rule in line with Western countries.
Peter ********
Talk to an agent. You don’t have to use them. But you’d be smart to.
Clive *********
Debbie, I’ve just been all through this 8-9 months ago and all I’ll advise you is do it yourselves it’s fairly straightforward and will cost you 1900 baht each. You will be required to open a bank account and Bangkok bank appears to be the most helpful with this for non Thais. Choose the area you want to stay in as that’s the immigration office you will be using. All the offices seem to require different things or at least are stricter on certain things. I’m in Phuket and it was very difficult there. I ended up with 4 visits. The most difficult being to prove your place of residence. I ended up taking my landlord to immigration with their house title deeds as that was the requirement there. Not many will do this for you.

An agent will charge you both a large chunk of money and deposit the 800,000baht for you and remove it next day. It’s a dodgy process to me and if the shit hit the fan in anyway I wonder what protection you’d have. It’s a back door almost corrupt way in. The deposit needs to be in 2 months before application and 3 full months after and then you can draw on the money down to a minimum of 400,000 do not let it fall below else the whole process starts again. The deposit then needs to be topped back up to 800,000 baht 2 months before your next 12 month renewal and so on. Every 90 days you will be required to check into immigration to tell them where you are. If you go to another part of Thailand, on your return , you must report in and let them know you are back. It’s a 500 baht per day fine if you don’t do this. If you leave Thailand you must get a re entry visa before you leave. It’s 1900 for a single or 3,800 for a multiple. Phuket was very strict others may have other advice for their areas. Hope you find this helpful and any questions I’ll try and help from my experiences
Debbie ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Clive ********
thanks so much for the advice. I emailed Thaivisacentre which said I can do it but the fee is a lot of money. So will maybe call into an immigration office myself and have a chat with them 😀
Terary **********
@Clive ********
The process is a bit confusing if you're new to Thai Immigration. Agents do make it easier. As Clive points out, you can do it without an agent. I have heard, one issue with using an agent is that you're kinda stuck using agents after that so it's worth avoiding if possible.

I would recommend coming here on a tourist visa, maybe multiple-entry tourist visa, get to know the place meet some people ask them what they do.

This group is better with specific questions. For more general questions "how do I do a retirement visa" you will get bunches of wrong answers and a few correct answers.
William ******
If 55 Cambodia is easy. Just get ordinary visa on arrival and pay an agent $300 every year. No other requirements. I think you can do yourself too for less money. Around $200 I think. Very cheap very easy in Cambodia. Immigration in Phnom Penh super nice and helpful
Henrik *****
Do not waste money on a agent.
John *********
Hi send me a inbox if aroud Pattaya ?
Nigel ********
If you have 800 000bht each maybe get an agent to open your bank accounts as that the hardest part about 5000bht bkb or Yellow bank you can sent larger amounts and they show as international i use Wise then do the rest yourselves 1900 non o 90day then 1900non o retirement permit 1 year + 500bht for photos photocopying & bank statement
Mark *****
So you already have a bank account here ?
Debbie ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Mark ****
nope not yet.
Mark *****
@Deb***
, my advice is to use a agent.

A agent can open a bank account and get you a 15 month O imm visa.

Save you lot' of headache and running around.

Good luck 🤞
Kritthiyaporn **********
I can help process it. and have direct experience in tourist visas
Ally ************
It strikes me that people jump in with their advice without actually bothering to read (or digest) what the OA has written.. this leads to misguided information which can waste people's time.. or could even cause despondency when an OA believes their dream of emigrating to Thailand might be shattered.. thankfully we have the likes of Brandon and Stewart to moderate the airwaves and filter out the junk.. thanks guys 👍
Brenton ******
I did what you are wanting to do. As you are a couple you'll need 800,000 each. Use a visa agent. I am in Chiang Mai and used an agent called Napa. I came in on the 30 day visa exempt, went straight to them and applied for the type O visa. They suggested I extend my 30 days to 60 days. You need to open a bank account, they can do that for you and deposit the 800,000 baht, you will need one each I assume. This gave me 150 days (30+30 + 90)in the country before I converted to a retirement visa.
William ******
So you don’t have
*****
0 baht each? No pension? Hmm 🧐. Well, agent you best bet. Come on the stamp and see an agent asap. Pay the extra cost which averages around
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baht depending on location. Can be less can be more. So, probably
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baht for first year for both then
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to
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baht to renew every year. You work online? No savings no pension must have income
Dave **********
@Dennis ******
open to separate accounts and deposit
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0 into each asap!
Debbie ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Dave *********
thankyou!
Dave **********
@Debbie *******
Good luck Debs!
Debbie ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Dennis ******
hi I never said we had no saving we actually do, so bank deposit is not a problem!
Mark *****
@Debbie *******
do you already have a Thai Bank account ?
Debbie ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Mark ****
no we don’t
John ********
@Debbie *******
your best bet is to start looking for a bank that will help you with the account as its very difficult for you to open your account in Thailand with the 30 days holiday, but you can also use a visa agent to help you with the bank account it will cost you about 5000thb to
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thb for them to help you, but would recommend that you try your self first, go to Bangkok bank they are the best
Debbie ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@John *******
thankyou! We fly into Bangkok so will call in a few! Do you know what they will ask for?
John ********
@Debbie *******
your best bet is to Google, but you can just walk into the bank and ask if you have any thai friends then please take them with you as its much easier for the thai bank to speak with your thai friends to help you
Debbie ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@John *******
ok no Thai friends so 🤞 we will be alright. Do we have to have an address in Thailand to do this?
John ********
@Debbie *******
I think that you have to have a very good idea of the area that you have in mind before you rent a condo for a year
Graham ******
@Debbie *******
If the bank requires a Residence Certificate you will not get one in Bangkok as the Immigration Office will not issue one until you do a 90 day report and you won't be doing that for a while
John ********
@Debbie *******
yes a one year rent agreement
Simon *******
Good news 30 days exemption has been changed to 60 days.
Henrik *****
With this announcement from Thailand's Government Information Department, it appears that the rumored visa rule changes will not take effect until 1 month from now.

thailand.prd.go.th/en/content/category/detail/id/48/iid/
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Simon *******
Yes as from the 1st of June definitely, this has already come in
John *******
@Simon ******
no nobody given 60 days at airport yet
Debbie ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Simon ******
ooooh must be the luck of the draw. Hopefull that will happen for us too 🤞
Debbie ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Simon ******
no I believe its not official yet it could be the end of June but no one has been signed in with 60 days as yet according to other posts on the subject!
Tony ********
@Simon ******
on a tourist visa if it happened, if you got 60 days on an exempt and you stay over 30 days, you will be on an overstay as it will be seen as an incorrect stamp. 60 day exempt hasnt been passed into law yet.
Frank **********
@Simon ******
not yet it hasn't
Rene ********
@Simon ******
technically but not really yet
William ******
@Simon ******
not yet. Maybe soon 🙈
Chris *******
@Simon ******
not yet....
Jim ********
@Simon ******
Nope. It's a proposal
Pascal ********
@Simon ******
it's not 🤣🤣🤣
Stuart *********
Unless you are applying in your home country then it’s the Non O visa based on being over 50
Tony ***********
@Stuart ********
you will obtain all the information you need from the thai embassy website
Stuart *********
@Tony **********
No you won’t. That’s for visas you are applying for outside of the country, not inside.
Tony ***********
@Stuart ********
i said you would get information from embassy…. Only trying to be helpful
Chris *******
@Tony **********
an Embassy has its own rules for obtaining visas to enter the Kingdom.

Once in the country it's immigration that dictates the rules.

2 different things.

Understand wanting to help but the information has to be correct to be helpful.
Debbie ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Stuart ********
thankyou no we won’t be applying from the UK. It will be done in Thailand. Do you know what information we need to submit?
Stuart *********
@Debbie *******
That’s going to depend on the office you use. Probably best to visit them early on and get the handout listing their requirements.
Rene ********
@Stuart ********
correcto, can vary a lot
Debbie ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Stuart ********
ok great thankyou for your help. 😀
Brandon ************
You would be applying to convert the a non-O visa based on retirement (being over 50)
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