Retiring in Thailand: Visa, Money, Healthcare and Where to Live

Start with the Non-O retirement extension if you are 50 or older and can show THB 800,000 in a Thai bank, or THB 65,000 a month. Only the O-A needs health insurance. The O-X asks for THB 3 million in a Thai bank.

If you are 50 or older and can show THB 800,000 in a Thai bank, start with the yearly Non-O retirement extension. It is the simplest route, and it is the only one of the long-stay options where you do not need health insurance.

The other routes below change the money test or the paperwork. Under 50, see the DTV guide instead.

Which retirement route fits you

Our pick depends on what you hold. A Thai bank deposit points to the Non-O extension. A passport from a listed country plus THB 3 million points to the O-X. A pension of USD 80,000 a year points to the LTR.

A fee and no income test is Privilege, and the retirement visa comparison has the full document lists.

The Non-O and the yearly extension

You enter on a Non-Immigrant O for retirement, which gives 90 days on entry and asks for an age of at least 50. Inside Thailand, a one-year extension may then be granted at the officer’s discretion if you meet the requirements. Pick one money test:

• Income: evidence of at least THB 65,000 a month.
• Deposit: at least THB 800,000 in a Thai bank.
• Combined: income during the year plus a Thai bank deposit totalling at least THB 800,000 on the filing date.

On the deposit route the money must sit in the account at least 2 months before filing and at least 3 months after permission is granted. After that you can withdraw, but at least THB 400,000 must remain. On the combined route at least half of the deposit amount must stay.

You file at the immigration office covering where you live; in Bangkok that is the Chaeng Watthana office. Bring the TM.7 form and a copy of your passport, plus a bank certificate of deposit and a copy of the account if you use the deposit route. An extension of stay costs THB 1,900, and permission is granted for no more than 1 year at a time.

O-A, O-X, LTR and Privilege

O-A. You get it from an embassy, it lets you stay 1 year, and you show a bank statement of not less than THB 800,000 or a monthly pension income of 65,000 baht. Insurance is coverage of not less than USD 100,000 or THB 3,000,000, including COVID-19, for the whole stay. Employment of any kind is strictly prohibited.

O-X. This is the 10-year route: up to 10 years with multiple entries, available only to listed nationalities. You deposit THB 3 million in a Thai bank, or THB 1.8 million plus income of THB 1.2 million a year. The permit may be revoked if the account holds less than THB 3 million at the end of the first year. O-X holders may work as volunteers, buy a vehicle and buy a condominium under the Condominium Act, but employment of any kind is strictly prohibited.

LTR Wealthy Pensioner. You must be 50 or over and retired at the time of application. The tests are pensions or fixed income of at least USD 80,000 a year, or between USD 40,000 and 80,000 a year plus at least USD 250,000 invested in Thailand. The visa lasts 5 years, extendable by 5, and costs THB 50,000 for the 10-year multiple-entry version when collected in Thailand. The LTR visa guide has the rest.

Privilege membership. Bronze is THB 650,000 for 5 years and Gold is THB 900,000 for 5 years. Membership grants long-term visa status only, not the right to work, and gives no tax advantages. See the Privilege price guide.

Married to a Thai? The family extension has a lower bar: income of at least THB 40,000 a month, or at least THB 400,000 in a Thai bank for the past 2 months. See the marriage visa guide.

What you do every year

Do these in this order, and each has its own page.

1. Extend your stay before permission ends.
2. Report your address every 90 days. Report from 15 days before to 7 days after the due date. A late report is settled by a THB 2,000 fine.
3. Buy a re-entry permit before every trip out. A single permit costs THB 1,000 and a multiple one costs THB 3,800. Leave without one and your permission to stay is considered terminated.
4. Ask your landlord about the TM.30. The fine for failing is up to two thousand baht.
5. On the O-X, report in person every year. An LTR holder reports once a year instead of every 90 days and is exempt from re-entry permits.

Overstaying is a separate problem: the fine is THB 500 per day, up to a maximum of THB 20,000. For details read the address report guide, the re-entry permit guide and the landlord notice guide.

Money: banks and tax

The deposit routes need a Thai bank account, and that is where many retirees get stuck. Kasikornbank asks foreigners for a passport and a non-immigrant visa of any type, and it does not open accounts for holders of tourist visas, including the Destination Thailand Visa. Bangkok Bank opens accounts at any branch in Thailand, but you must go in person. Read the bank account guide before you go.

On tax, days decide: a stay of 180 days or more in a tax year makes you a resident for that year. Foreign income earned from 1 January 2024 is taxed when you bring it into Thailand in that or a later year. In a year when you were in Thailand fewer than 180 days, that year’s foreign income is not taxed even if brought in. LTR Wealthy Pensioners are exempt from Thai tax on foreign income of a previous tax year that they bring in.

The tax residency guide has worked examples.

Healthcare

Private hospitals are of a high standard but can be expensive, and all hospitals require a guarantee of payment before treating patients. The national health security right starts with Thai nationality, so plan to carry private insurance. Call 1669 for a medical emergency. In Bangkok, Bumrungrad is one hospital that charges all nationalities the same price. See Bangkok international hospitals, the expat health insurance guide and hospital costs.

Buying and renting a home

Foreigners together may own no more than 49% of the total unit area of each condominium building. A foreigner may acquire land only under a treaty that gives the right to own immovable property, and Thailand has made no treaty of that kind since the earlier ones ended. That is why most retirees rent or take a lease; the Land Office does not register a lease longer than 30 years. See the condo quota guide.

If you rent, ask for the deposit terms in writing. Under the residential lease notice, advance rent and deposit together may not exceed three months of the monthly rent, and the deposit comes back within seven days if you caused no damage.

Where to live

Bangkok is covered on this site, Chiang Mai at chiangmaijao.com (opens in a new tab) and Phuket at phuketanchor.com (opens in a new tab). For a lower-end one-bedroom plus everyday costs for one adult, the example month is THB 31,100 in Bangkok, THB 20,250 in Chiang Mai and THB 25,750 in Phuket.

In Bangkok, one-bedroom rents start at THB 12,000 in On Nut and THB 22,000 in Sukhumvit. The Bangkok immigration counter handles the TM.30 and the 90-day notification. Read where to live in Bangkok, the city cost comparison, the Bangkok guide and the living hub.

↑ Contents

Not confirmed: The exact insurance sum your embassy asks for on the O-A: older embassy pages still show a different split. Check the page of the post where you apply before you buy a policy.

General information checked against the sources listed above. Prices, opening hours and other details change; confirm them with the provider before you act. See how guides are checked.

Spotted an error? Report it.