Non-O · Non-O-A · Non-O-X
Thailand retirement visa 2026: requirements, costs and application guide
Verified against official sources on 19 August 2026.
Processing with us
10–20 days
Our fee
from 35,000 THB
- We check whether you actually qualify before you spend anything
- Financial documents reviewed in the format the mission accepts
- We tell you honestly when a different visa fits better
- Follow-up requests answered with you, inside the deadline
Thailand Retirement Visa — key takeaways at a glance
- Validity
- 1 year, renewable indefinitely
- Stay per entry
- 1 year per cycle (Non-O: 90 days, then extended to a year)
- Government fee
- Extension 1,900 THB · re-entry 1,000 / 3,800 THB
- Financial requirement
- 800,000 THB deposit or 65,000 THB monthly income
- Where to apply
- O-A from your country of residence · Non-O also inside Thailand
- Processing time
- Varies by mission · in-country conversion about 2 weeks
Who it is for: Foreign nationals aged 50 and over who do not intend to work in Thailand.
Who the Thailand Retirement Visa is designed for
A good fit
- You are 50 or older
- You can hold 800,000 THB in a Thai bank, or show 65,000 THB monthly income
- You do not plan to work, freelance or run a business in Thailand
- You are prepared to renew annually and report your address every 90 days
Not for you if
- You are under 50 — look at DTV or LTR instead
- You intend to earn from Thai sources: employment is strictly prohibited
- You want to avoid annual renewals — LTR or Thailand Privilege suit better
- Your only funds are in a foreign bank: the deposit route requires a Thai account
Baseline requirements
Aged 50 or over
Financial threshold met
800,000 THB deposit, 65,000 THB monthly income, or a combination reaching 800,000 THB a year.
Health insurance (O-A)
At least 40,000 THB outpatient and 400,000 THB inpatient, covering the full stay.
Police clearance certificate (O-A)
Issued no more than three months before submission.
Medical certificate (O-A)
Also valid for no more than three months.
No employment of any kind
Documents by applicant category
Deposit route — 800,000 THB
The money must sit in a Thai bank account in your sole name. Foreign bank statements are not accepted for this route, and joint accounts are not accepted.
- Bank letter, original, dated within 7 days
- Updated bank passbook
- Proof the funds were transferred from abroad
Income route — 65,000 THB per month
Where the embassy no longer issues income verification letters, 12 months of statements showing regular deposits are accepted instead.
- Embassy income verification letter, where available
- 12 months of bank statements showing regular deposits
Combination route
Formula: (monthly income × 12) + Thai bank balance ≥ 800,000 THB.
- Bank letter and passbook
- Income verification documents
Costs and fees
| One-year extension of stay | 1,900 THB | Government fee |
| Re-entry permit, single | 1,000 THB | Government fee |
| Re-entry permit, multiple | 3,800 THB | Government fee |
| Visa fee at the mission | Varies by consulate | Government fee · Confirm locally before you pay |
Government fees differ by country of application and change often. Verify with the mission you are applying at before you pay.
Documents: yours and ours
- National ID passport (copy or scan)
- Passport valid for at least 1 year
- Statement of available balance for the last 3 months, in English
- Digital photo: portrait orientation, light background
- The official consulate application form in English, error-free
- Flight and hotel bookings
- Certified translations of your documents
- Guarantee and sponsorship letters
The final list of documents is set by the specific mission you file at.
How we work together
You fill in a short questionnaire and hand over the basics of your case.
We assess the risk — past stamps, refusals, overstays — build the filing strategy and fix the final price with no hidden charges.
You collect the documents from our checklist — bank statement, certificates, photo, bookings.
We audit the documents: statement format, translations, dates, wording. You get corrections back.
You complete the e-Visa form under our supervision and pay the consular fee.
We run the process, track the status and help you answer any follow-up request from the consulate.
You enter Thailand.
We check the issued visa for consulate errors and give you border-crossing instructions.
Where the time goes
We pick the consulate with the lightest current load for your situation.
How to apply
Route 1 — Non-O-A from your country of residence
The classic route. Gives a full year on first entry, but demands insurance, police clearance and a medical certificate.
- 01Assemble insurance, police and medical documentsPolice clearance and medical certificate must each be under three months old.
- 02Prove the financial thresholdDeposit, income or a combination of the two.
- 03File at a Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate-GeneralIt must be the mission covering your country of residence.
Route 2 — Non-O inside Thailand, then extend
Starts as 90 days and is extended to a year at Immigration. No insurance requirement, unlike O-A.
- 01Enter on a Non-O visaInitial permission to stay is 90 days.
- 02Season the 800,000 THBThe funds must have been in a Thai account for at least two months before you apply.
- 03Apply for the one-year extensionStandard window is 30 days before expiry; Bangkok and Chiang Mai accept up to 45 days ahead.
- 04Keep the balance up after approvalIt must not drop below 400,000 THB for the first three months.
Route 3 — converting from a tourist visa
Possible inside Thailand if you meet the criteria, but not every immigration office processes conversions.
- 01Check your remaining permitted stayYou need enough days left for the office to accept the conversion.
- 02File the conversion at an immigration officeProcessing in Bangkok takes roughly two weeks.
How working with us goes
- 01
Tell us your situation
Age, income, where you live now and how long you want to stay. That is enough to name the route.
- 02
We prepare the file
Documents, translations, insurance and the financial evidence in the form the mission expects.
- 03
You file, we stay on the line
Including the annual renewal cycle afterwards — this is not a one-off transaction.
Which applicant are you?
Tick what you already have. The list changes with your category — so does what the mission will ask for.
Everyone
Your category
The money must sit in a Thai bank account in your sole name. Foreign bank statements are not accepted for this route, and joint accounts are not accepted.
What you can and cannot do
You can
- Stay a full year per cycle and renew indefinitely
- Renew inside Thailand without flying out
- Open and hold a Thai bank account
- Leave and return, with a re-entry permit
You cannot
- Work, freelance or run a business — any employment is prohibited
- Skip the 90-day address report
- Leave the country without a re-entry permit and keep the visa
- Convert this into permanent residency directly
There is no direct route from a retirement visa to permanent residency.
Retirement visa, LTR or Thailand Privilege
| Retirement (O-A) | LTR Wealthy Pensioner | Thailand Privilege | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration | 1 year, renewable | 10 years | 5–20 years by tier |
| Age | 50+ | 50+ | No requirement |
| Money | 800,000 THB or 65,000 THB/month | USD 80,000/year passive income | Membership fee only |
| Health insurance | Mandatory | USD 50,000 cover | Not required |
| 90-day reporting | Required | Exempt | Exempt |
| Government fee | ≈1,900 THB/year | 50,000 THB once | See current tiers |
LTR also accepts USD 40,000–79,999 income if paired with a USD 250,000 investment in Thailand.
Pick your scenario
The visa depends on the scenario first and the documents second. Mixing a consulate’s requirements with Immigration’s is the most common way this application fails.
Set by the mission you file at, not by Immigration. No Thai bank account is needed for this route — that requirement belongs to filing from inside Thailand.
Filing inside Thailand: the bank timeline
The intervals between visits matter more than the visits themselves — the bank will not compress them.
You need an active Thai bank account, or the ability to open one.
If few days remain on your current permission to stay, filing inside Thailand may not be possible at all.
Common mistakes and refusal reasons
1. Funds not seasoned
The 800,000 THB must have been in a Thai account for at least two months before you apply.
2. Balance dropped after approval
It must stay above 400,000 THB for the first three months after the extension is granted.
3. Joint account used for the deposit
The account has to be in your sole name.
4. Left the country without a re-entry permit
Leaving without one cancels the permission to stay you just paid for.
5. Insurance short of the minimum
For O-A: 40,000 THB outpatient and 400,000 THB inpatient are floors, not targets.
6. Missed the extension window
Late is late — overstay is charged per day and complicates the next renewal.
Difficult cases are still cases
You were refused before
The second application has to answer why the first failed.
Your funds are not in Thailand yet
The deposit route has seasoning rules that catch people out. Start early.
You are running out of time
Extension deadlines are unforgiving. Tell us the date first.
Frequently asked questions
How old do I have to be?
Fifty. The requirement is the same for Non-O, O-A and O-X; what differs is where you apply and what else you must provide.
Can I use my home bank account for the 800,000 THB?
Not for the deposit route. The money has to sit in a Thai bank account in your own name, transferred from abroad, and seasoned for two months before you apply.
What is the difference between Non-O and O-A?
O-A is applied for from your country of residence, gives a year on entry, and requires insurance, police clearance and a medical certificate. Non-O gives 90 days first and is extended to a year inside Thailand, without the insurance requirement.
Can I work on a retirement visa?
No. Employment, freelancing and running a business are all prohibited. If you need to earn, look at DTV for foreign-source remote income or Non-B for Thai employment.
Do I have to renew every year?
Yes, and you can do it inside Thailand without flying out. If annual renewals do not appeal, LTR runs ten years and Thailand Privilege five to twenty.
Does this lead to permanent residency?
Not directly. A retirement visa can be held indefinitely, but it is not itself a route to PR.
Sources
- Non-Immigrant Visa O-A (long stay) — Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand · checked 19 August 2026
- Retirement visa — requirements — Royal Thai Embassy, London · checked 19 August 2026
- DTV Visa Thailand — programme overview — Siam Legal International · checked 19 August 2026
- Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa — Thailand Board of Investment · checked 19 August 2026
This page is informational and reflects the rules as verified on the date above. Thai visa rules change without notice and the final decision always rests with the Thai authorities. Nothing here is legal or tax advice.