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The Thailand Retirement Visa Guide

This post will provide you with all the information you need to obtain your retirement visa, and answer all the nagging questions to which you have seen conflicting answers for all over the Internet.

Let's get started.

What is a Retirement Visa?

In truth, there is no such thing as a retirement visa, per se. However, when we talk about a retirement visa, we refer to it as such because people applying are generally retirees intending to spend their retirement in Thailand.

Moreover, you can't work on this type of visa, so it's generally for those who've stopped work and entered the sunny side of life.

What most refer to as a retirement visa is officially known as an extension of stay based on retirement.

The way the extension of stay based on retirement is obtained is by entering Thailand on a Non Immigrant O Visa, which we will discuss a little later, and then by obtaining the retirement extension from an immigration office – provided you meet the requirements.

Retire in Thailand, enjoy the good life.

What Are the Retirement Visa Requirements?

There are three key requirements, as follows:

  • You must be over 50 years old
  • You must have a monthly income of 65,000 Thai Baht or more
  • Or,  ฿800,000 in a Thai bank account for 60 days+ before applying for the extension. And ฿800,000 remaining for 3 months after the extension, and ฿400,000 thereafter. 

The ฿800,000 must be in the bank for at least 2 months before your visa application.

As of 1st March, 2019, the ฿800,000 must also remain in your bank for 3 months after the extension, and, after those 3 months, you must keep ฿400,000 in there indefinitely. 

You also need a letter from your Thai bank to confirm the ฿800,000 is there and has been there for the required time frame. 

For consecutive visas (so the second and third year) the ฿800,000 has to be in the bank 3 months before you apply for the visa, and the other rules remain the same. Note that you need a letter from your bank verifying the balance and a copy of your bank book.

Note that you can also use foreign currency, but the money must be the equivalent of ฿800,000 Baht. There are a number of banks offering foreign currency accounts, but you must make sure that the amount you have in there equals the requirement for the extension of stay: exchange rates fluctuate throughout the year, and this may leave you short if you don't monitor it.

=> Read more about opening a Thai bank account here.

Instead of having ฿800,000 in a bank account, you can show an income of ฿65,000 per month, without having to bring the money into Thailand.

For those who don't want to tie up such a large amount of money in what essentially will be a zero interest account, it may be preferable to use this requirement, particularly if you have a steady pension income, or income from investments. 

You will need to provide details of this income over a three-month period, by way of bank statements and through a notarized letter from your embassy that verifies the monthly income. 

New Rules for UK and US Nationals

British and US nationals are no longer able to obtain a letter from their respective embassies to confirm that they have a pension income or other income of the required ฿65,000 amount.

This means that nationals of these countries will have to go down the route of having ฿800,000 in a Thai bank account, or they must have the ฿65,000 income paid into a Thai bank account each month and prove this by way of a 12-month bank statement history.

This is problematic for those who have not held a bank account for 12 months. It is therefore likely that British and US nationals will have to go down the 800k lump sum route, at least for the first year anyway.

On the plus side, money transfers to a Thai bank account are relatively cheap these days (see the link below).

=> Learn the cheapest way to send money to Thailand

* It is expected that other embassies will follow suit and stop issuing income letters too. I will update this article as and when this happens.

What If I Don't Meet the Financial Requirements?

Perhaps you don't have an ฿800,000 lump sum of money to put in a Thai bank account, or a monthly income of ฿65,000. In this case you can still meet the financial requirements by combining the two. 

For example, let's say that you earn 50,000 a month. That would equal ฿600,000 a year. In this case you would only need to deposit ฿200,000 in your Thai bank account to make up the required ฿800,000. However, you would need to provide both the letter from the bank and the proof of income letter from your embassy

(British and US nationals are currently unable to obtain this income letter). 

What Documents Do I Need for a Retirement Visa?

To obtain the extension based on retirement, you will need to attend an immigration office, such as the office located at the Ministry of Foreign affairs in Bangkok. On the day you will need 5 things, as follows:

  1. Passport with Non Immigrant O Visa inside. Photocopies of: photo page of passport, page showing visa, page showing last entry date into Thailand.
  2. TM.7 (extension of stay form completed and signed). Attach a passport photo and include phone number by your signature.
  3. Departure Card (TM.6) (make a photocopy)
  4. 2 passport size photos
  5. Proof of funds and or proof of income (letter from bank/embassy). Bank letter cannot be more than 3 days old. If using the lump sum application route, you'll need an updated photocopy of your bank book page that shows the balance. Obviously take your bank book along too.
  6. Proof of address (copies of rental agreement, and utility bills (if you have them))
  7. Application fee of ฿1,900 THB

*Sign all photocopies. 

90-Day Reporting

Once you have your retirement visa,  there are two important rules that you must follow to ensure that you do not overstay your visa or invalidate your visa.

  1. You must conduct 90 day reporting. This means you must report to an immigration office in Thailand every 90 days.  This is because Thailand has a law that states that a foreign national must produce his/her address if staying in the kingdom for 89 or more days. The address is reported on a TM48 form.
  2. Perhaps the most common mistake foreign nationals make when living in Thailand on a retirement visa is leaving the country without getting a re-entry permit. A re-entry permit can be obtained from an immigration office or the airport before leaving the country.

This permit will be stamped in your passport and protects your visa from  expiring while you are outside of the country. If you do not get a re-entry permit, then your visa will be invalidated and when you re-enter Thailand you will get a standard 30 day exemption stamp.

As noted, you can obtain a re-entry permit as you are leaving the country. However, if you are able to plan in advance, it may be better to get one a few days before you leave to ensure that you get it done in time and don't miss your flight if you are in a rush to the airport. The re-entry permit form is known as TM13.

I have written extensively about the re-entry permit in this post here.

How to Renew Your Retirement Visa

Your retirement visa (extension of stay based on retirement) will last for one year. But don't wait until that year is almost up before you start planning to renew it. In fact, you can renew your visa up to 45 days before it expires.

Remember that you need to ensure that your Thai bank account balance does not fall below the ฿800,000 threshold three months prior to renewing your visa. 

Also consider that if you need a proof of income letter from your embassy, you should plan this at least a few weeks before you apply for your visa.

Some embassies require you to make an appointment and they may be busy at the time you apply. Don't worry though, the letter from your embassy will be valid for six months, so is perfectly fine to obtain the letter up to a couple of months before you need to renew your visa.

Rules for Those Retiring with a Spouse (Dependent)

It may be the case that you're a foreign couple who want to retire to Thailand. In this situation, there are two possibilities for obtaining the visa:

  • Each partner obtains a retirement visa by following the financial requirements laid out above: that is ฿800,000 in a Thai bank account two months prior to applying; or proof of ฿65,000 income per month, as verified by your embassy; or a combination of the two.
  • One of you obtains a retirement visa and the other receives a visa as his/her dependent.  The visa holder is generally the male party.

The easiest route is for you to both independently get visas. One reason for this is that if the main visa holder were to pass away then the dependent's visa would be immediately void.

This could be problematic because it would  present you with a visa issue to overcome at a time when you would be going through a lot of grief and having to sort out a lot of other things in your life.

In this situation, you could essentially leave the country and come back in on a 30-day exemption stamp, or get a tourist visa from a Thai embassy in a neighbouring country. But this still might not give you the time you need to get all your affairs in order and take care of probate.

It sounds quite morbid, but it is worth considering – because at a time like this you would not want the hassle of sorting out visa issues.

The other reason to avoid going down the dependent visa route is that Thai immigration has moved the goalposts on this visa are a couple of times over the last decade. Both times they have reverted back to the original rules, but it can cause confusion and be problematic.

In the case of a dependent, immigration requires the financial aspect of the extension to be provided by the male party and not through a joint bank account.

Similarly, if you are using a letter from your embassy to prove your income to extend your visa, this must solely be in the man's name and not in joint names. In other words, the income is verified as the man's income and not a joint income.

It is also worth noting that if you are seeking to obtain a dependent visa for your spouse and your spouse is not yet 50 years old, your spouse must enter Thailand on a Non-Immigrant O Visa. This is because a 30-day on arrival stamp cannot be converted into a Non-Immigrant O Visa inside Thailand, if you are not yet 50 and seeking an extension based on retirement. 

Getting Your Non Immigrant O Visa

The most common pathway to getting the extension based on retirement is to obtain a Non Immigrant O Visa (90 day validity) from your home country before you arrive Thailand.

You can obtain this visa in Thailand, but then that's an extra step that you will have to go through with immigration before applying for your extension of stay based on retirement. It really isn't difficult to get from your home country either, so it is advisable that you do this.

Here are the requirements for the UK Thai Embassy. Please note that requirements may differ slightly from country to country.

  • Visa application form
  • Passport or travel document with validity not less than 6 months and at least 2 blank pages, as well as the photocopy of passport. The actual passport must be submitted with visa application form.
  • Two (2) recent photos (taken within the past 6 months)
  • Supporting documents for the purpose of visit to Thailand. (Please see details for each type.)
  • A copy of pension statement if the applicant is a pensioner, or a copy of 1-month bank statement showing your income from pension, or 3-month bank statement of at least £10,000 

Once you have your Non Immigrant O Visa,  you can enter Thailand and stay for 90 days. You will have to wait 60 days before you can file your retirement visa application at the immigration office and follow the steps laid out in this post.

Have I missed anything? Still got a question? Leave it in the comments below.

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  1. I have a follow up on Chris’ comment re medical insurance : if one is too old to buy a medical insurance, what options does one have if any? Can one show proof of funds to cover medical bills? Or is there another possibility? Can a retirement extension be denied on the basis of “no medical insurance”?
    Reply

    • There is no official requirement for medical insurance for the retirement extension, yet. The plan is to make it a requirement for those with the one-year Non-immigrant Visa "O-A" (Long Stay). They will be required to have a Thai insurance policy covering their entire stay in Thailand with a minimum 40,000 Baht out-patient coverage and minimum 400,000 Baht in-patient coverage.
      Reply

      • Be prepared to pay the high customs duties, have a detailed manifest of all of your items, and don't ship any valuables that you can not afford to lose.. I am 5'11 and have no trouble finding clothes to fit so you may want to reconsider what you ship.
        Reply

        • Indeed. It's best to buy stuff here and bring essentials over in luggage. Living here kind of forces you to live more minimally, at least it does when you're moving around year to year – which is a good thing in my opinion.
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          • Hi, I recently decided to bring over my stuff from the UK. I have been on a retirement visa for some years. I sent 5 cartons by sea from UK when I sold my house. The customs duty was NIL. I think I was allowed to do this one time. There are a few restrictions: numbers of one type of item, no toys! Nothing seen as new! I did not even have my boxes opened and checked! It did enable me to bring those possessions I treasured and make Thailand feel more like home!
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  3. Lots of talk here about requiring O-A annual extenders to have mandatory health coverage from a Thai insurance company (Nation newspaper Dec 2018 describing a Key conference which recommended approval for legislature to proceed). Why just O-A holders? Non-O will surely follow. Have you heard anything on this?
    Reply

    • This is currently a requirement for the O-X visa. Other than trying to get a few more satang into the economy I think the concern is that the elderly (I count myself among them) won't have the means to pay for health care as the national plans, Medicare, NHS, etc., tend not to cover overseas costs. They don't want somebody to rack up big medical bills and then just depart the country leaving Bumrungrad holding the bag.
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      • The Thai medical system is good and relatively inexpensive. I have the same problem that many expats have, too old to buy insurance. The government can require you have insurance to have a visa..they now have to figure out how you can get it, waive the requirement, deny the visa or let it become a non-issue.. It's a simple as that and that is the way many countries handle the issue. I will wait and see..
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  4. First I would like to thank you for putting up great information on this site. I have a few questions.1- Will the Thai immigration accept a rental income from property in the US, if so, how can I prove it?2-Does the Thai immigration accept Supplemental Security Income from the US?3-If my spouse or I decide to apply for the retirement visa as a dependent of the other, then does the 800K route cover both spouses? Thanks.
    Reply

    • 1. Have it paid unto a Thai bank account on a monthly basis. 2. They accept all income, but it must be proven, as above. 3. If the "other" is under 50, they can be the dependent and only 800k is needed for the one retiree, because only one person will be on the retirement visa.Hope this helps! Thanks
      Reply

  5. I’m looking for clarification for the “retirement “ visa for a married couple. I understand if one person is 50 they qualify and a spouse younger than 50 can apply for a dependent visa. Can this continue once they reach 50 and then only one would require to prove the financial requirement? What if it is the woman who is the older of the 2?
    Reply

  6. I have a question regarding joint accounts. My wife and I are 74 years old American citizens, and have been living in Thailand for the past 5 years with the non-immigrant O visa. We have renewed in past years using an income letter from our embassy. We currently have a joint bank account wth Siam Commercial Bank. If we have 1,600,000 THB in this account will this fulfill the requirements of the Thai Immigration for our separate visa renewals? Or do we each have to have a separate account - one account in my name and one in her name?
    Reply

    • Are you wanting to do a retirement extension? Immigration considers the funds in a joint account as 50/50%, so you could apply for your separate visas both using this account as long as there is 1.6m in there. That being said, I can't be 100% certain that all immigration offices will follow this rule. It might be best to check first with the office you plan on using.
      Reply

  7. My question relates to the "married-to-thai". The amount of bank balance is 400,000b 60days before renew (then 90 days on further renews). Does the 400,000b then reduce by 50% (200,000b) like the 800,000b reduces to 400,000?THANKS
    Reply

  8. Hi i am due to renew my retirement visa in September and have a thai account able to reansfer etc but i would prefer to keep it in the uk and just transfer what i need SO would the accept a translated letter of proof of pension ..from a general translator ...and a copy of my uk. Statements ??? Or does it have to be from the minstry of foreing affairs translater in BangkokIf not i will move the 65000 each month reluctantly ...until the rate goes up !!! Lol Thanks
    Reply

    • Hi Peter, please read the new rules regarding pension/income letters that relate to UK and US citizens. The embassy is no longer issuing letters and that was the only source immigration accepted a letter from, so you may have to go the 800k in a Thai bank route.
      Reply

    • Peter, I stopped in at Udon Immigrations to ask about the 65k each month. You must transfer it every month without fail. Cannot skip a month and double up the next. Must be a bank-to-bank transfer, cannot make the 65k deposit yourself. Cannot transfer in excess of 12 x 65k annually hoping to skip a month or two. Big Boss confirmed this. Of course, he said, you could always make it easier by going the 800k route. Seems they are really pushing this, I suspect, to help the banks and the country.Evidently they want an end to guys keeping all money back home and getting by here with an ATM card.Oh yes, the verifying bank letter must be signed by bank manager on the same day as visa extension.They have heard nothing about requiring hospital insurance for retirement visa extensions...Hope this helps?..
      Reply

      • Thanks for the update Dave. The fact that the bank letter has to signed the same day is ridiculous, because you'd have to make an appointment with the bank manager (which they may let you down on) or hope the manager is available that morning. As you note, they are really pushing this and squeezing everyone onto the 800k requirement. I wonder how many retirees there are in Thailand; I can never find a figure for that. 800k x all the retirees is a nice cash boost for the banks and reflects well on the economy.
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      • I may be more favoring the social engineering aspect of this requirement. The problem with being a "cheap place to retire" is that it attracts a segment of society (of which I am a member) which doesn't have much in the way of disposable income. Toughen up the 800,000KB and 65KB requirements or add some visas like the OA-X and Elite to make life easier and all of a sudden the demographics shift to a group of people who have more money to drop into the local economy as they spend their days away along Sukhumwit Road.They're not interested in the 800KB (which is chump change to an economy even if there are a million retirees) tied up in a bank, they're interested in the 1-2MB that will be spent into the economy which, through the Miracle of Modern Monetary Theory, turns into much more than that.Plus it clears out the riff-raff... :)
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        • Yes, it does seem like they are pushing for the "quality retiree" so to speak. And I guess they are working on the assumption that like attracts like. But how long before 800k becomes 1MB and the goal posts are shifted further?
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          • I think that will depend a lot on what happens in the Big Country to the North. When ex-pat retirement becomes a thing for the Chinese worker Thailand may be an enticing destination. But if Thailand can keep the buy-in cost low enough to still be attractive to your "quality retiree" but high enough to keep out 200,000,000 of my "riff-raff" then they might find that bargain attractive enough to exclude some of the western retirement dollars/pounds/euros that will be priced out of the market.
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            • What seems to be overlooked is the fact is that it is costly to transfer money every month, more so than transferring the money 3 or 4 times in a lump sum. As a US citizen, if I transfer more than $10,000 at once, alarm bells start in Washington and I want nothing to do with the Feds. Another issue that seems to be forgotten is that if you transfer 65,000 every month and then spend 30,000 every month, at the end when you apply for your extension, you have a 360,000 baht deficit. Add that to the 800,000 balance and you had better be prepared to transfer over a million baht every year!
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  10. It would indeed be interesting to know how immigration wants to control the new rules regarding the 800,000 baht rule. if the control is only checked when applying for extension, the rule does not make much sense, because there are sure to be visa agencies that fake a bankbook for a high price. As I understand it, this new rule should also serve to eliminate these visa agencies. According to this, the updated banking book together with the passport would have to be checked at the 90-day report. Then they would have the hundred percent control. Well, we will see... But there will be kinda exodus of farangs. If I consider a couple of experiences with some "not enough money" expats it might be not bad at all. It might even increase the reputation of the rest.
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    • Hey Vlad, I assume that previously agencies have arranged for the money to be in the bank 60 days beforehand and then taken the money out as soon as the extension has been done. But now the money has to be there for 3 months after, and then 400k has to be there at all times. This is hugely problematic for the agencies doing the fraud.
      Reply

      • That's exactly what I say..... And I'm not even sure that they arranged for the money to be in the bank 60 days before. A guy I know goes one time to the agency, just approx. 2 weeks before the visa expires. He also does not contact them before... and after 3 days he can collect his passport. But when I am sitting at the immgration at the "retirement counter" I witness very often younger ladies or boys with a bundle of passports, papers and a bigger bundle of cash. No words, the whole thing is just handed over and dissapears.... Guess under the new boss these days are over too..... No Tips... smile....
        Reply

    • I don't know the answer to that. I only know that you do still need the bank letter for the initial extension and to prove the 800k has been in the bank for 60 days. I would have thought an up to date bank book would suffice to show that the requirement of 800k for a further 3 months and 400k thereafter would suffice. As always, these rule changes are rolled out without considering the full picture. As such, patchwork will no doubt emerge to fix oversights.
      Reply

  12. Hi, thanks for your informative and well-written blog. One question about the retirement visa process. After entering Thailand on the non-immigrant O visa, must I remain in Thailand for the full 60 days before filing a retirement visa application or can I get a re-entry permit and leave the country for, say, a week or two during that period? The reason I ask is that being stuck in Thailand for the full 60-plus days until I get the one-year retirement visa is going to be quite difficult for me given various personal commitments I need to fulfil. Thanks.
    Reply

  13. Question on your comments on obtaining a “Rentry Permit” on. Retirement Visa. I am living in Thailand on a Retirement OA Visa. With Multiple Entries. I will be leaving Thailand for 3 weeks in March. I was led to believe that I did not need to obtain the Reentry Permit as I have a “Multiple Entry Retirement OA Visa. Was this incorrect information? I will still need a Reentry Permit? Appreciate your feedback.
    Reply

        • I Thought I had some clarity on the O-A Visa process until I read the entry from Chris and the reply from Thailandlife. I obtained my O-A visa on 22nd January and the final 2 paragraphs on the stamp include " To keep your stay permit re-entry permit must be made before leaving Thailand" To me that means if you want to leave and return you ned a re-entry permit . As I only saw one option when applying for the Retirement Visa how do I obtain a multi entry Retirement visa and remove the need for a re-entry permit which I collected last week so I can leave Thailand next month and return with my year Visa still valid ? Have I missed something on the visa or are people talking about the 3900Baht multi-entry permits and not the 1900Baht O-A Retirement Visa it's self ? Can someone please clarify for me
          Reply

          • Hi Gary, what do you currently have: if you have a retirement visa extension or a single entry Non Immigrant O visa, you need a re-entry permit to keep these valid while you go out the country. Please read this post: https://www.thethailandlife.com/thailand-re-entry-permit
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            • Ok got it now. The retirement extension of stay has nothing to do with the number of times you can exit/enter . If I understand correctly its all down to what entry visa you obtained initially. In my case I just obtained a single entry visa then obtained the Retirement extension here in Thailand but other readers obtained their multi entry Visas outside Thailand and can now use them with the Retirement extension and get around the need to purchase a re-entry permit. It's one of those things I wish I had read more about and understood the significant differences in the two entry visa's when applying in the UK . Thanks for clarifying it for me
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              • It shouldn't matter if they had a multiple entry Non-O before the extension. If you have an extension of stay but would like to travel outside Thailand for a short period then you will need to apply for a re-entry permit. You can get a multiple re-entry for 3,800 Baht so that you can travel in and out more than once.
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  14. You need to update your article as the US Embassy, and other local Embassies, have all discontinued the notarized income/residency letter. The other question might be, Can the 800,000 baht be drawn down for living expenses or does one have to have additional income for that purpose?
    Reply

    • Hi Fred, I updated my article recently to reflect this change by the uUK embassy, but the US embassy were yet to confirm this change and were still giving out income letters as of the end of January.You must have ฿800,000 in a Thai bank account for 60 days+ before applying for the retirement extension. You then need ฿800,000 to remain in the account for 3 months after the extension, and ฿400,000 thereafter. So ฿400,000 can be drawn out of the account after 3 months.
      Reply

      • I'm afraid I can't agree with you. I attempted to do an income affidavit at tye US Embassy and was told emphatically that the affidavit was no longer being issued. I also spent a day this week at District 1 Immigration getting a clarification on the new police policy. Your statement is correct to an extent but with a caveat. Every year, at time of renewal, you must bring your account balance back up to 800,000 baht 60 days prior to renewing your visa. Be sure and watch the timing as you have to have tye whole 800,000 baht in your account by that date.
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        • Hi Chris, I wasn't disagreeing with you, I just hadn't had confirmation yet on the US embassy; only the British embassy. I will update the post to reflect this change.Indeed, you will need the 800k there 90 days (3 months) days prior to renewal.
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          • Your recent update mentions transferring 65,000 baht per month as the requirement to meet the O-A visa requirement. At Immigration I was told that is just the amount you need to show to have available for expenses each month. You can transfer any amounts to meet the requirement as long as you have 800,000 baht 2 months prior to renewal. For example if your visa expires in June, you could transfer 300,000 three times by March and meet the requirement. I use Transferwise to transfer money and the larger the transfer, the better the discount on the handling fee. I usually transfer $9,500 three times a year to save on the fees. My Thai bank is Bangkok Bank and their office in the District 1 Immigration readily prepares the deposit letter needed for a visa renewal. Also their online banking allows salary transfers back to your home country. If there is a Thai bank that allows online transfers to your home country I'd appreciate knowing it! I hate sitting at the queue here.
            Reply

            • Hi Chris, there are two routes available for the visa, one is the income route and the other is the 800k route. You don't need to do both. In your case you would need ฿800,000 in a Thai bank account for 60 days+ before applying for the extension based on retirement. According to the new rule, you will also need ฿800,000 for 3 months after doing the extension, and ฿400,000 thereafter. For consecutive visas (so the second and third year) the ฿800,000 has to be in the bank 3 months before you apply for the visa.To use the income route, without a letter from your embassy confirming your income, the suggestion from the UK and US embassies is that you will need to show a bank statement (of 12 months) from your Thai bank account with the 65k being paid in each month. I am closely monitoring the new rules to see if there is any backtracking of new interpretations of what has been stated. I will update my post accordingly.
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                  • I changed my address due to medical reasons which required a handwritten explanation as to why I was not renewing my visa in the same District office. I had to handwrite an explanation agreeing to deposit 65,000 baht each month. I had to sign and acknowledge an over stay form. I had to get the house owner to sign and handwrite an additional document along with their identity card as the immigration officer wanted this in addition to the 90 day reporting as well as the TM 30 to validate my address. They wanted to see one year of monthly deposits but as a US citizen I was relying on the income affidavit that the embassy no longer does. And Bangkok Bank takes three days, not including mail to produce a copy of a twelve month bank statement which exceeds Immigration's three day time limit for a statement. That was an issue. The officers did not have a checklist of what they wanted so every day that I showed up the officers decided to ask for a new piece of documentation. They were nice enough but the whole process was extremely unnerving and left me questioning if it was worth it.
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  15. Hi Peter, medication is my question, as you are ware many retiree's or pensioners take regular medication...Is this a problem in Thailand and are the medication costs expensive. In Australia you can buy thru a PBS scheme at a discount price but guessing nothing similar is available in Thailand....Peter
    Reply

    • There is no such scheme for expats here. Many people bring in more than the 30-day's worth because the 30-day rule is not strictly enforced as long as quantities look small enough to be consistent with personal use and it is not a controlled substance. 2-3 months use might be okay but any medication that looks like a very large quantity would raise issues if checked. You can get all your medication here, though while generics are cheap the proper brands can be more expensive than your home country.
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    • Look into Expat Prescription Drug Insurance through a private insurer. I'm not sure what the rates would be specifically but if you're needing a non-generic medication it might save you a few.Also, do a search on whether your meds are available OTC in Thailand. I know some of the things I get when I'm in Thailand (I keep an emergency supply of antibiotics on hand at home) are available without a prescription in Thailand. The last thing to consider, while technically not allowed, is that pharmacists in Thailand seem to have more, ahem, latitude in deciding where the counter is. If you can bring an empty, recent prescription bottle which was accidentally "dropped in the toilet" it might be easily refilled.The last suggestion would be to visit a pharmacy out in the 'hood instead of in a mall. You'll find better prices and the same availability.
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    • The answer is "maybe".. it depends upon your current visa. A caveat is the Thai government immigration main website is displayed in the Thai language and the English language. The information cited in the Thai language is not always fully translated word for word into English. To top it off, each immigration district website does not display the same information. You may find that obtaining a visa at a location other than at Lak Si, District 1 far easier.
      Reply

  18. I am a US citizen and in 2017 received an OA visa from the Thai consulate in Los Angeles. In 2018 I renewed my visa using a combination of a Thai bank deposit and an income verification affidavit from the US embassy. It is time to renew my visa and the US embassy has ceased issuing income verification affidavits. I receive over 800,000 baht per year from Social Security and investments. But I do not have the money to deposit 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account as my money is all invested. What do I do? Leave the country appears to be the only answer. Any suggestions?
    Reply

    • Hi Chris,Places to start: the international SSA office for Thailand which is located in Manila. Contact info: https://www.ssa.gov/foreign/foreign.htm#Tahiti (The #Tahiti just takes you to the first entry under T.) They may be able to provide a more official looking letter than you can get off your My SSA online account.You can get a certified copy of your most recent IRS 1040 by requesting same with an IRS Form 4506.Your bank/investment house should be able to provide you with a letter that states income you received from the SSA and investments as well.Good luck and I hope you report back how it goes.
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      • FBU in Manila does not respond to any current requests for assistance. They may be backlogged due to the recent shutdown. The registered mail I sent to them is being held at Customs in Manila for over two weeks now. My bank does not provide a letter. I've compiled the following to take to Immigration this month.. Passport photos, Passport, Thai Bank statement, Medical certificate, US Checking statements, US Credit Card statements, SSA Earnings statement, UNICEF Thailand statement, Net Worth Statement, 90 day extension form, 90 day reporting form. Iwill keep yo updated.
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  19. Hi, I have a question for you in regards to visa and length of stay in the Kingdom of Thailand? I have a O-A retirement multi-entry visa valid until 12/12/2019 and notice that everytime I leave Thailand and come back they increase the length of my stay? I’m thinking deviously here, but looking forward if I were to travel in November 2019 and return before my visa expiry date of 12/12/2019 they would extend my right to stay for an extra year or just the 90 days reporting period. Your thoughts appreciated. Dave
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    • Hi David,This is the advantage of the O-A.The Non Imm O-A Visa allows multiple entries of 1-year until the 'enter before' date.If you go out and back into Thailand before your 'enter before' date, you will be given permission to stay for another year.If you plan to leave Thailand during the second year of your permission to stay you need to purchase a re-entry permit to keep the validity of your permission to stay valid.You can apply for a 1-year extension of stay based on retirement within the last 30 days of your permission to stay,At this point, you will need to show funds or income, as detailed in the post above, to get the extension.
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  20. The question I have is which O-visa does one apply for? The O-A has all the requirements you list for getting the extension (plus the medical and criminal checks) along with the full-year validity, and (at least at the Royal Thai Embassy in the US) the Family or Volunteering O's are the only other options (other than the O-X). Is there a special O that gets you in and then allows the retirement extension? Thanks!
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    • You apply for a Non Immigrant O visa under the category of "retirement (with State Pension)". If you are not in receipt of your pension, you can enter Thailand and get the Non O here. Or you could go for the O-A, but that's a bit more of a hassle.
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      • So, once I shook off my confusion I did some research and now my confusion has been replaced with the befuddlement that comes from "Ah, yes. Thailand. Of course they do it that way."Your instructions work perfectly when one is applying from the UK. However, in the dour land of my primary residence - the US - things are different.Here is the form for the US: http://thaiembdc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Visa-Form-2015.pdf Within it there is no mention of a state pension or any of the other fun things in the post. Neither in the instructions.The UK gets a completely different form: http://www.thaiembassy.org/london/contents/filemanager/document/visaapplication18.pdf With full instructions to proceed as you advise.God only knows what is else is different in the other (2n+1) countries served by a Thai Embassy.
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          • That's the thing, there is no Non-Imm O for retirement (with State Pension) option in the US. The only options are O (for Family or Volunteering), O-A, and O-X. The O-A/X can be applied for directly as in the UK but we apparently do not have the intermediate option. It seems weird that they would have different types but I can't find any reference to the State Pension option anywhere on the Embassy site in the US.
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            • Does the O-A require the background checks like it does in the UK? I guess it would just be best to enter get the Non O in Thailand. It's a strange system. I can't understand why they have never had a specific retirement visa. I guess the O-A is kind of that.
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          • Yes. Same requirements. The criminal check is easy we can just order them up online for like US$5 (Since there are so many criminals here they can do it at a discount...) and the medical check, while significantly more expensive, is quite humorous for the doctors here.
            Reply

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