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O-A Long-Stay Visa Guide: Benefits, Requirements, Reporting

The O-A visa is issued to those over 50 years old and provides a long-stay option in Thailand. It's often referred to as a “retirement visa”.

This visa is applied for in your home country, at a local Thai embassy or consulate. The application can usually be done by mail and takes a minimum of 15 days to process.

In this post, I'll run through the benefits of the visa and the requirements you need to meet to be approved.

O-A-visa-thailand

Beautiful Koh Lanta. Image credit: Wojciech Portnicki

O-A Visa Benefits

The visa is active from the date of issue. You are granted a 1-year stay from the date of entry to Thailand.

This is a multiple entry visa. What that means is: you can leave Thailand and re-enter as and when you please, within the validity of the visa.

The great thing about the O-A visa is that the multiple entry aspect allows a further one year stay on any entry, so if you exit and re-enter just before the visa expires you get another one year's stay.

When your visa has expired and your permitted stay inside the country is coming to an end, you can extend the visa inside Thailand, at an immigration office. A little more about that later on.

O-A Visa Required Documents

There's a fair bit of documentation to get together. Here's what you will need to submit to your local Thai embassy or consulate.

  1. Your passport and a copy of your passport. Your passport must have validity of at least 18 months and have at least one empty page.
  2. The visa completed application form (in black or blue ink).
  3. A medical certificate (notarized) showing no prohibitive diseases in accordance with the Ministerial Regulation No.14(B.E. 2535).
  4. Three passport-size photographs (2″x2″). Photographs must have a lightly color background with a full-face view of the person with no hat or dark glasses. Photos must be no more than 6 months old.
  5. Bank statement showing a deposit of the amount equal to and not less than 800,000 Baht, or an income certificate (original not a copy) with a monthly income of not less than
    65,000 Baht, or a deposit account plus a monthly income totaling not less than 800,000 Baht. Submitting a bank statement requires a letter of guarantee from the bank (original not a copy).
  6. A letter of verification from the relevant authority in your country to show that you have no criminal record. Internet documents are not accepted.
  7. A copy of your airline tickets.
  8. The required health insurance (as discussed below)

O-A Health Insurance Requirement

In 2019, a health insurance requirement was made mandatory for this visa.

You must have a policy that covers you for the following:

  • Outpatient benefit of not less than 40,000 THB
  • Inpatient benefit of not less than  400,000 THB

The policy can be obtained from a Thai or foreign insurance company, and must state that you are medically insured for the period, with the aforementioned coverage.

If you use a foreign insurance company, you will need to provide the original policy and two copies. You will also need to get the insurance company to fill out and stamp a form, which can be seen here.

If you use a Thai company, you will only have to provide the two copies.

The easiest option is to take out your insurance with a reputable Thai company, although one with English-speaking customer service is highly preferable.

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O-A for Your Spouse

If you have a spouse over the age of 50, she/he can apply for an O-A visa too.

If your spouse is younger than 50, he or she can apply for temporary stay under the Category ‘O’ visa. He or she will need to provide your marriage certificate as evidence.

90-Day Reporting

All long stay visas come with a 90-day reporting requirement, which involves producing a number of documents for immigration.

You can report in person, by mail and online. In person is easiest, but when working, the online system is convenient, particularly if you live far from an immigration office.

The reporting requires the following documents:

  • Passport
  • Notification form (TM47)
  • Copy of passport info page (with photo, name, passport number, etc.)
  • Copy of current visa
  • Copy of latest entry stamp
  • Copy of latest visa extension
  • Copy of departure card (TM6)
  • Copy of previous 90-day slip (if any)

Extending Your Stay Inside Thailand

As mentioned previously, you can extend your stay in Thailand beyond the validity of your visa. But don't wait for your visa to run out to do this. Instead, start the process 30 days beforehand.

This extension requires you to prove an income of 65k Baht per month income by way of a confirmation of income letter from your embassy, or 800k in a local Thai bank account 3 months prior to the application. The latter requires a confirmation letter from the bank and a copy of your bank passbook.

You will also need to fill out a TM7 (extension of stay form).

At this point it is worth noting that you can avoid applying for an O-A visa in your home country and instead obtain a long stay by doing this exact extension process in Thailand.

So instead of applying for an O-A Visa, you would apply for a Non Immigrant O Visa at your local Thai embassy or consulate instead.

The Non Immigrant O Visa gives you a 90-day stay on arrival. Before this expires inside Thailand (up to 30 days), you can do the one year extension at an immigration office.

So if you'd rather avoid applying for the O-A visa in your home country and having to provide the medical certificate, criminal record check, and the insurance requirement, you can take this alternative route.

I've written about this type of “retirement visa” extension here.

In Summary

The route a person takes to obtaining a long stay usually depends on the timeframe they are working with and how quickly they want to get to Thailand.

Applying for an O-A visa in your home country does have its benefits: You get stamped in for a year as soon as you enter, and you can exit and re-enter just before your visa expires and get stamped in for another year.

Some people would rather just have everything sorted before they leave and not have to think about doing an extension of stay in Thailand, whereas others may want to avoid that criminal record check (ahem).

I appreciate that if you're applying for a visa for the first time there may be some confusion and questions. So feel free to ask away in the comments section below.

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Comments Sort by : newest | oldest

  2. Laurence Mabileau says

    Hello I have applied for a visa O-A , 6 weeks ago and have no news from the Thailand embassy is it normal ? on the website it says 2 weeks processing ...
    book my plane ticket took health insurance and ASQ hotel .
    tried to called the Embassy and email but no one answered
    Reply

  3. Tom says

    Hi,
    I'm married to a Thai national and we have been living in Malaysia many years. We want to return to Thailand to live. I have read on some websites that applying for an O Visa (to get a Marriage Visa) for US citizens requires only a deposit of THB400,000 for at least two months and proof of no criminal record.

    Is this correct?

    I can apply for this here in Malaysia and then once inside Thailand apply for a Marriage Visa.

    Please let me know if I have this correct.

    Thanks,

    Tom
    Reply

    • JamesE says

      You *may* be able to get a spousal visa directly and not have to worry about the ฿400K initially. This will depend on if the Thai Embassy in Malaysia is offering them or not, the Thai Embassy in the US is. Basically, you get the Spousal Non-O for a 90-day stay and then bring your money into TLOS at least 2 months before you apply for the 1-year extension. I'm not sure about the criminal record piece. It's not specifically mentioned in the US site (but it is shown for the O-A) so that's another question for the local embassy.
      Reply

  4. Jerry says

    To confirm what I think you are tell me. I get the non-immigrant O visa that's valid 90 day at home. I have the banking and medical done already. I get an extension on that Non-O that is valid for 1 year, with the 90 day check in, money requirement (800k or 65k baht per month), and medial requirment. The extended Non-O functions the same once extended, as the Non-immigration OA that I would have gotten at home (US), with fewer initial requirements,.... Less paperwork. I just have a retirement Non-O. Annual extensions, 90 day check in, money requirement, medical, insurance. Sounds to me like once in the Land of Smiles, the Non-O and the Non-OA function the same. The goal is to get the annual extension, no visa runs with the least amount of paperwork. THANK YOU for all you do!!! GREAT BLOG. Very helpful!!!
    Reply

  5. Jerry says

    I had all my documents ready to go literally the week they implemented the COVID test requirement in Feb 2020. Now I'm thinking I'll just get a Tourist Visa, or mult. entry Tourist Visa and do the Retirement OA Visa from Thailand.

    I've read if you do it in Thailand the medical document & criminal background check are not required. Is there any truth to that? I already did both, but are a year old. The medical form being notarized was the pain last time.

    I have everything else in order, Bank account in Thailand etc....

    Curious what you and your readers think, do it from home (US), or do it from Thailand.

    Thanks to all

    J
    Reply

    • KenF says

      I assume that your wife has at least some retirement income and if this is the case you would not need to deposit the whole 800,000. This is because - unless things have changed in the past few years - you can actually use a combination of both savings and income to meet the requirement. For example if she has an income of 33,000 baht per month then you would only need to deposit about 400,000 baht into the account.
      Reply

      • John Tedesco says

        Thanks. My wife is Chinese and will be receiving a minimal retirement income. So, I'll have to go the deposit route for her. I just read they are planning to reduce visa requirements to attract more workers and retirees to Thailand to help boost the economy. Curious to see how it will affect the O-A visa.
        Reply

        • JamesE says

          John, Have you looked into the O (Retirement) option? That is now available through overseas embassies. It eliminates some of the drawbacks of the O-A (like ongoing health insurance, the criminal check, and medical certificate) and can be extended once you're in Thailand. Look at some of Max's comments, it seems like the best of both worlds.
          Reply

        • Ken F says

          I understand that your wife’s retirement income is “minimal” but even minimal is better than nothing at all and I would think that any amount that you can shave off of that 800,000 would be a welcome relief. By the way, I’m not really sure what either her ethnicity or nationality has to do with her retirement funds. After all, China is not exactly a poor country these days.

          In any case, if I were about to retire to Thailand with a wife or girlfriend I would be just as concerned with the possible relationship pitfalls of the move as I would be with the financial issues. And to help avoid these pitfalls I would first want to make sure that she is genuinely just as keen on the idea as I am and that she is not going along just to make me happy (always a bad idea). My last girlfriend actually lived with me in Phuket for a year because that is where I wanted to be. She probably would have been much happier and much less moody however if I had chose to live in her hometown of Chiang Mai.

          Furthermore I would not consider a retirement destination that you had not both previously spent at least three consecutive months in. And with Thailand of course there are also a lot of temptations that can strain any relationship. Speaking of which, I have a good friend here in California who has been married to a Thai woman for about 30 years now. They first met here in California when they were in their early 20’s (same day I met her in fact) just two years after she came over from Thailand and they ended up married and had two kids together. Anyway, now that the kids are all grown he wants to take early retirement and move to Thailand. Unfortunately for him however his wife wears the pants in the family and she does not want to do it. She always gives him various excuses for her reluctance, such as not wanting to deal with the humid climate, but I think the real reason is that she does not trust him around all those cute young Thai girls. And I can’t really say that I blame her for having those thoughts. They say that a man is only as faithful as his options, and lets face it, there are a LOT of “options” in Thailand.
          Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      Is your wife over 50? If so, she can apply for an O-A visa separately. If she is under 50 she can get a Non Immigrant O visa (single entry) and then do an extension inside Thailand. The required documents are the same for your O-A-visa plus a copy of your marriage certificate. She would need a copy of a bank statement that shows 800,000 Baht (or equivalent), in addition to the amount shown on your application.
      Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      For an O-A visa, the proof of income is shown in your home country to the local embassy or consulate. The visa is issued there and therefore valid. One benefit of the O-A visa is the reactivation of another year upon re-entry, without having to reapply or extend. So you don't have the "money in a Thai bank" requirement because this is taken care of in your home country. You do have to do 90-day reporting though.
      Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      Hmm, which bank is that? It's quite normal practice, as far as I know. Oh, updating my comment, as I realized you probably meant in your home country, as you are applying for an O-A there. Just call your local Thai embassy and see if they will accept that.
      Reply

  10. Geoff Knight says

    Thanks for this helpful summary. I wasn't aware that the London embassy was offering the O-A multi-entry visa. Previously I have used the 12 month O visa based on marriage to a Thai but they are not offering that any more. My question is about the income requirement. Am I correct in understanding that if I can show a monthly pension income in my UK bank account equivalent to more than 65k THB that will be acceptable? I am hoping so as it will avoid having to open a Thai bank account in my sole name and/or depositing 800,000 THB in a deposit account. Also, I presume it would not be acceptable to use a Stocks and Shares ISA account containing shares with a value way above £20k to satisfy the financial requirement.

    On the insurance requirement, being 80 years old I do not want to pay for an expensive annual policy if I am unlikely to spend more than 3 or 4 months in Thailand at a time. Would it be possible to use my UK policy with 4 month trip coverage to get the visa, recognising that when I get to Thailand they will only stamp me in for the length of the insurance cover rather than the full 12 months?
    Reply

    • JamesE says

      Yes - kind of. The O-A can use home-country assets for your initial application. The income must be verified by an "income certificate" with no exact description as to what that is. If you go the bank balance route you will require a letter of guarantee from the bank. When I looked at an O-A a few years ago the Thai Embassy in the US told me my mutual fund accounts were acceptable as proof of assets. The insurance requirement is more nebulous. It can be *interpreted* as you do but - since the insurance is required to be in place at the time of application - they may want a policy that will cover the entire year of visa validity. This is one where you should get clarification from the Thai Embassy. Have you considered an Elite Visa? It might be a better way around the financial and insurance requirements.
      Reply

  12. KenF says

    I am planning on moving back to Thailand to retire in October or November but I still have some questions about the A-O Visa. From what I understand the 800,000 Baht needs to be deposited in a Thai bank account but how is one supposed to do this if he is applying for this visa before even entering Thailand?
    Reply

  13. Geoffrey Ellis says

    Thanks for your reply. I am going to need quite a mixed bag of insurance it appears.
    1. To apply for OA visa (chuck away)
    2. To individually cover covid for the exact duration of my visa (Unnecessary / noses in troughs)
    3. The insurance cover I will (hopefully not) be using.
    Sadly neither Mr Prakan nor Cigna appear at first sight to be able to help. I'll have to do a bit more digging.
    As for the school project - E must try harder.
    Reply

  14. Brian says

    Hello
    I just renewed my retirement visa at the Royal Thai Consulate in Vancouver Canada - sent by fedex in the morning with return paid FedEx envelope and it come back the next day! It is a fair amount of work - I had foreign health insurance with Medipac-- that was accepted without the foreign health insurance certificate ( I have ample coverage for covid 19 included under the policy maximum) - they seem to be flexible at this Consulate anyways -- the COE and Fit to fly stuff are an extra mile

    Keep up the good work with your posts etc

    Brian
    Reply

  15. Geoff Ellis says

    Thanks for all the tips. Quite where to start with my current OA application in London. I have ready to post on line criminal check, bank statement £20k / 800,000B.
    When I went to get the medical form (TB, syphilis, leprosy &c) I was diagnosed with high blood pressure. Three or four weeks medication to fix.
    Additionally it appears I need insurance to apply but I was hoping to go in February thus wasting three months. My plan therefore is to apply for junk annual insurance which I can find for as little as £36 & take out a proper policy just before I leave. I have all sorts of health conditions which I can't disclose to the junk insurers but it should get through the visa application process.
    They also appear to want two company directors to physically sign a form to prove I have insurance along with sworn affidavits for other parts of the application. The whole process seems like a school project.
    What are they expecting for proof of residence? Something tells me my gas bill won't do. I don't have a driving licence.
    If I do succeed do I have a year from issue to travel or only three months?
    Thanks for any help you can offer.
    Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      With the O-A you have a year from issue to travel, and a year's stay will be activated upon entry. Proof of residence can be utility bills, mortgage statement, or house deed. The insurance company has to fill out that form to confirm the insurance. Though if you buy insurance from one of the companies linked in the post you won't require that. It is indeed like a school project :)
      Reply

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