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What type of visa is recommended for retirees planning to stay in Thailand for five months annually?

Jul 20, 2025
24 days ago
Marek **********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Greetings from Poland πŸ˜€

We are a retired couple in our 60s.

We plan to spend five months in Thailand each year.

We have paid for our hotel and purchased our plane tickets.

The Thai Embassy in Poland advises that all visa applicants must submit their applications online via thaievisa.go.th.

What type of visa do you recommend for regular, five-month visits to Thailand? Arrival in Thailand in October, departure in March.

I would like to complete all the formalities before departing for Thailand.

I would be very grateful for any help and support πŸ˜€πŸ™
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TLDR : Answer Summary
A retired couple in their 60s plans to spend five months in Thailand each year. They have been advised by the Thai Embassy to apply online for a visa. The best recommended option is the 6-month Multi-Entry Tourist Visa (METV), which allows unlimited entries within its validity. Each entry provides a 60-day stay, which can be extended by 30 days. Alternatively, they could consider applying for a Non-O visa but would face higher financial requirements. It's important to ensure that they book an outbound flight within the first 60 days of their stay to meet visa application requirements.
NON-O RETIREMENT VISA RESOURCES / SERVICES
  • Go to the Retirement Visa Section for information on requirements, including age restrictions, financial requirements, and necessary documentation.
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Adam ********
Powodzenia
Richard ********
Nie potrzebujesz zadna vise

Przyjezdzasz na 60 dni przedluzasz 30 wyjezdzasz do innego kraju w okolicach ( moze byc piec minut et daja ci nadtepne 60 dni jak wracasz ico mozesz przedluzyc 30 dni
Sebastian ********
Could a dtv work- multi entry with up to 6 months each time - valid 5 years
Jeffrey *******
@Sebastian *******
dtv medical soft power that starts with a hospital checkup package. mine from bnh hosp bkk. my help from baan thai legal. dtv e visa took two weeks total to issue.
Bob **********
Multiple entry tourist visa you can stretch this visa to almost 9 months you would ha to do one extension 30 days and a border bounce to get your 5 months but you might enjoy a few days in a neighboring country then you have the option to stay longer if you like
Marek **********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Bob *********
Thank You very much for your advice and help πŸ™πŸ˜€
Steve ***********
Best months weather wise
Marek **********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Summer in Poland and winter in Thailand 🌴😎🌞
Nongnuch ********
@Marek *********
please ignore the Internet troll Frangipani Annie . . she has no idea about Thai visa and entry permit regulations . . . . . . . .. . You are free to apply in the E-Visa System of the Warsaw Thai Embassy for a METV every (yes, EVERY!) other year. You will find out that this is absolutely no problem. And it also is no problem for Thai Immigration
Marek **********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Nongnuch *******
Belive You πŸ˜€πŸ’ͺ
Robert *********
Multiple entry tourist visa ....be sure to have a flight booked out before your first 60 days is up.
Marek **********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Robert ********
I have flight tickets from Poland to Thailand for October 15th and return for March 13th. Now I'm planning to buy tickets for a short stay in Kuala Lumpur from December 12th to 16th (within 60 days). After returning from Malaysia, I have 60+30 days to legally stay until my return to Poland. Did I understand this correctly? And one last question: When applying for a multi-visa, which date do I indicate as my expected departure date? πŸ‘πŸ˜ƒ
Nongnuch ********
@Robert ********
you are right, a ticket out of Thailand within the first 60 days can actually be required from the Thai embassy in Warsaw, when applying for the METV. That's why I recommended
@Marek *********
to apply a minimum of 4 weeks before the planned flight to Thailand, in case the embassy will ask you for further documentation regarding an onward travel proof
Marek **********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Thank You very much πŸ‘πŸ™πŸ˜€
Marek **********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Nongnuch *******
I have flight tickets from Poland to Thailand for October 15th and return for March 13th. Now I'm planning to buy tickets for a short stay in Kuala Lumpur from December 12th to 16th (within 60 days). After returning from Malaysia, I have 60+30 days to legally stay until my return to Poland. Did I understand this correctly? And one last question: When applying for a multi-visa, which date do I indicate as my expected departure date? πŸ‘πŸ˜ƒ
Nongnuch ********
@Marek *********
this is absolutely doable. You can prove to the Thai Embassy Warsaw that you leave Thailand within the first 60 days you will get stamped in on a METV. When you return to Thailand coming from Malaysia, nobody wants to see that you are leaving Thailand within the 60 days you will get stamped in on your still valid METV visa
Marek **********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Robert ********
Thank You very much for your advice and help πŸ™πŸ˜€
Robert *********
@Marek *********
multiple entry is important !!!
Frangipani *******
I am not sure how Immigration would react to a couple coming back year after year on a tourist visa, even if it is a METV?

It is all dependent on the Immigration Officer you stand before on the day. Please be aware, it’s more and more difficult to come and go on Tourist Visas…

It’s probably hard to find a precedent as there has been a big crack down this year…

Another option would be for you apply for a Non O visa each and then renew it for 12 months every year.

For the first extension (12 months) you will need to have 800,000B each in your own bank accounts. Seasoned for two months before the extension and 3 months after. However, the balance can never drop below 400,000B.

For your second and subsequent extensions, if you can prove that you have deposited 65,000B per month in the last 12 months, you should be able to get your second renewal based on that. b

Youcan then take your 800,000B out and invest it.

I hope this helps πŸ˜ƒ
Robert *********
@Frangipani ******
25 years in a row ,no problem at all .
Nongnuch ********
@Robert ********
thank you for confirming !! πŸ₯°
Nongnuch ********
@Frangipani ******
Complete and utter nonsense!

It is ABSOLUTELY no problem when a couple visits Thailand for a CONTINUOUS five months holiday within every 365-days period, to enter Thailand EVERY OTHER YEAR on a METV

They are allowed to apply for the METV every other year! That’s a fact! There won't be any Immigration officer at the border denying an entry for someone on a METV. What they however could do is denying a last entry and the last 60-days stamp shortly before the expiry of the visa validity, which would carry the visa holder to almost 8 months of stay. There are a few reports that this has happened

This is EXACTLY what the tourist visa options have been created for
Frangipani *******
@Nongnuch *******
As always, I do appreciate your advice and your comments. But I realise that you did not read my first paragraph…
Nongnuch ********
@Frangipani ******
One is definitely allowed to apply for the METV every other calendar year!

There won't be the Immigration officer at the border denying an entry for someone on a still valid METV.

What the officer however could do, is denying a last entry and the last 60-days stamp shortly before the expiry of the 6-month visa validity, which would carry the visa holder to almost 8 months of stay.

I remember having read one or two reports that this has happened recently, maybe you had this in your mind when you wrote your comment
Nongnuch ********
@Marek *********
there is no specific information to be found on the website of the Royal Thai Embassy Warsaw, however the option to apply for the "tourist visa" through their E-Visa System gets mentioned. In the E-Visa pages, you need to pick the option "Tourist Visa Leisure" and choose the category "multiple entry"
Marek **********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Nongnuch *******
Thank You very much for your advice and help πŸ™πŸ˜€
Nongnuch ********
@Marek *********
*** The Multi Entry Tourist Visa is valid for 6 months, to be used for an unlimited number of entries during this period. The 6-month validity begins on the day the visa is issued.

Each time you enter the country you receive a 60-day stay permit, which can be extended by 30 more days, only once, at immigration for 1900 THB.

Before the 60 days or 90 days stay permits expire, you have to leave the country, and either short by a border bounce, or longer by staying in the neighboring country for a short holiday, re-enter Thailand and activate a new 60-days stay permit

Please do not confuse this: the duration of the stay permit is not the same as the duration of the visa validity.

If you leave and re-enter as close as possible before the 6-months visa validity expires, you will receive a 60-days stay permit stamp for the last time. This brings the total possible stay to almost 8 months.

You can theoretically get another 30-days extension on immigration, which brings the total stay to almost 9 months

You can only apply for and receive the 6-month multi-entry tourist visa in the country of your residence

A 60-day single entry tourist visa, however, can be obtained at any Thai diplomatic mission around the world

If you apply for a visa in your country using the e-visa system, don't be surprised if the day of your departure is getting closer and you haven't been issued a visa, yet

The embassies and consulates usually try to issue the visa as close as possible to your departure date so you don’t lose too many days of the 6-months visa validity
Marek **********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Nongnuch *******
Thank You very much for your advice and help πŸ™πŸ˜€
Brandon ************
There's not really any visa that's going to fit 5 months. I suppose you could get a non-OA visa but that's going to be a lot of effort that isn't really necessary.

You could get a 90-day non-O visa and then when the 90 days are up, do a border bounce where you leave Thailand and return. Then you can get a new 60-day visa exempt stamp that should get the 5 months you're looking for. You can even apply for a 30-day extension on that visa exempt entry if you need a little more time.

And starting with the non-O visa should protect you from being questioned about spending too much time in Thailand as a tourist.
Marek **********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Brandon ***********
The visa validity period (90 days) is counted from the date of visa issued or from the date of arrival in Thailand? πŸ™πŸ˜ƒ
Marek **********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Thank You very much πŸ‘πŸ˜€πŸ™
Brandon ************
@Marek *********
The VISA is valid for 90 days from the day it is issued. You must enter Thailand within this 90 days. Once you enter, the visa will grant you a 90-day period of stay that starts from the day you enter Thailand.
Marek **********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Brandon ***********
Thank You very much for your advice and help πŸ™πŸ˜€
Max *************
@Marek *********
Go for Brandon's option. It's by far the easiest way to get 5 months.
Nongnuch ********
@Marek *********
if you want to avoid the high financial requirements needed for the 90-days Non-Imm-O Retirement Visa and the subsequent 1-year extension of the stay permit, that reqires both of you (!) putting 800,000 THB in a Thai (!!) bank account, then your BEST options is - apply for the 6-months multi entry Tourist Visa. It might come a little expensive an application fee(175 Euro), however it is a no-frills-no-problems visatype out of which you actually could get almost 8 months of stay in Thailand - sufficient for the 5 months you wish to regularily stay
Marek **********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Nongnuch *******
Thank You very much for your advice and help πŸ™πŸ˜€
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