Thai Retirement Visas

An extension of stay based on retirement is commonly known as a retirement visa

It is available to foreign nationals who meet the following criteria

Over 50 years of age

Monthly Income of 65,000 THB

Or 800,000 THB In A Thai Bank

At Key Visa we pride ourselves on providing an easy, no fuss application process for all of our clients

So that you can relax and enjoy your retirement without worrying about the paperwork

Worried about the new retirement visa rules?

NO HEALTH INSURANCE?

NO MONEY IN BANK ?

NO INCOME LETTER ?

BANK STATEMENTS NOT ACCEPTED ?

Don’t have sleepless nights, come and see us to discuss your options

You will need to demonstrate that you can support yourself for the 1 year duration of the visa extension

Please note that you cannot legally work in Thailand if you have an extension of stay based on retirement

A retirement visa is a yearly extension and is renewed every year without you having to return to your home country.

Most immigration offices will allow you to renew your visa up to two months before it expires and it is advisable to not leave it to the last minute in case there are any problems.

The ideal time to renew is 3 to 4 weeks before the due date.

The form needed to apply for or renew an extension of stay based on retirement is form TM7

You can deposit 800,000 Thai baht in a Thai bank and it must be deposited at least 2 months before the first visa is applied for. Once the visa is received the applicant must not withdraw any of the 800,000 baht until a minimum of 3 months after your visa was issued. Then you may withdraw some funds but you cannot allow the account balance to drop below 400,000 baht for the rest of the 9 months validity of the visa.

You can put the money equivalent to 800,000 Thai baht in a foreign currency bank account, in your native currency. This is also acceptable as long as it has been in the bank for 2 months. There are many banks in Thailand which now offer foreign currency accounts including: Bangkok Bank, Siam Commercial Bank and Kasikorn Bank.

If you cannot obtain a pension income letter from your Embassy anymore and you wish to work with your income then this income this now must be pension income and cannot be derived from rental income in Thailand or overseas. You must now show you have transferred from your home country a minimum of 65,000 Thai baht per month for at least a 12 months period. You must supply immigration with 12 months bank statements from a Thai bank showing deposits  and also 12 months bank statements from overseas showing the moniey transferred. Also now they wish to see how the income was derived eg: a pension statement from your home Country.

How to complete the retirement extension of stay form

You need to fill in your personal details, information from your passport including when you arrived in Thailand and your address in Thailand.

Some offices may ask you for proof of address. You can complete the form at the immigration office when you apply for your retirement extension or you can complete it online by clicking the button below and simply save to your computer and print to take with you to immigration.

What documents do I need for a Retirement Visa?

  • Passport With Non O Visa
  • 2 Passport Size Photos
  • Proof Of Funds/Income
  • Proof Of Address
  • Application Fee of 1900 THB

Once I have the visa extension what must I do?

There are important steps that must take place when you have this visa to make sure you do not overstay in Thailand and also to make sure that you do not lose the valid visa stamp in your passport. details below.

  1. You must report to any Immigration office in Thailand every 90 days. This is naturally referred to as 90 day reporting. It is the law that a foreigner has to produce his address if staying in Thailand for 89 or more days utilizing form TM47.
  2. If you wish to leave Thailand to protect your visa you must get what is called a re-entry permit. Obtained from any Immigration office, this is a square stamp placed in your passport that protects your visa so that when you re-enter Thailand through the airport or a border your visa is protected. You would normally obtain the reentry permit around 1 week before you are leaving Thailand utilizing form TM13.

A retirement visa is the easiest and best visa to have if you plan on residing in the land of smiles, are at least 50 years older and have the financial requirements covered.

How to renew your retirement visa extension

Your visa extension based on retirement is valid for one year, it’s important that coming up to that time of renewal, you start to make proper plans to renew it.

Currently, you can apply to renew your visa 45 days before it expires. You should renew as early as possible and not leave it to the last minute.

If you are using the bank balance method then you will need to ensure that your balance does not fall below 800k THB in the three months prior to you applying for your renewal.

If you need to apply for a proof of income letter from your Embassy then you should do this a few weeks before you plan to apply for your visa extension. The letters are valid for 6 months so if you are on a budget and need to spread the cost of renewing your permission to stay then you could apply a couple of months before you need it.

Key Visa offer a full and comprehensive retirement visa service as well as friendly advice on how to get through the procedure successfully.

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FAQ

Unfortunately for me I forgot to take my passport out of my shorts before I jumped into the swimming pool, in my passport I had a non-immigrant visa multiple entry which now we cannot read I went to the immigration office and shown them the passport and asked about my visa, they responded what visa?
I have seen this many times in my career, unfortunately if the visa is now illegible then the immigration cannot honor the visa, also the visa was obtained outside of Thailand so it cannot be re-instated by the immigration office within Thailand, it is the same rule if you loose your passport you also loose the visa, if you have a long stay visa issued by the immigration office (i.e. retirement visa) then the immigration can re-instate the visa at their discretion.
Terrible experience whilst trying to renew my Thai retirement visa

I have just had a terrible experience whilst trying to renew my Thai retirement visa. I thought that my retirement visa finished on the 5th December but it actually was my 90 day report slip I was looking at and not my retirement visa which meant that I was ten days overstay when I wanted to renew. What can I do?

Terrible experience whilst trying to renew my Thai retirement visa

This is an alarming occurrence at the moment, we have seen numerous cases where the client has presumed that there visa finish date was not the ink stamp in there passport but was the 90 day report date.
Please be aware that your 90 day report date does not always run perfectly with your one year visa. In most cases your 90 day report date will run past your retirement visa date.
For renewing any long stay one year visa’s you should always check the ink stamp in your passport and go by that date.

For your 90 day report go by the date on the white TM47 paper stapled into your passport.

I would advise you to go to your immigration office and point out your mistake and normally they will allow you to pay the overstay and retain your visa.

I currently hold a retirement visa I have been to the immigration office for my 90 day report (tm47) and realized that I was one week late I was fined on the spot is this a new rule.
This is not a new rule but has been enforced more strictly now the fine is 200baht per day up to a maximum of 5,000 baht so my advise is put the 90 day report date on your calendar and possibly report two days before the due date.
Saving for a retirement visa – what style of bank account should I use?
This is a fairly simple answer, you should keep the funds for your long stay visa in a Thai current bank account, a Thai fixed deposit account or a Foreign currency deposit account. Putting the money in a high interest bond account or similar will cause you problems when you come to apply for your visa. We know the interest is good on the money, but it is no good if your visa application is not accepted.
Can I convert a 7 days extension to a Non Immigrant and retirement visa in Thailand?

For a retirement visa it is fairly common now for people to change from a 30 day visa on arrival to a Non Immigrant visa such as a retirement visa without leaving. This is providing you are 50 years of age or above and have the financial criteria to satisfy the Immigration Officer. If you extend the 30 day visa on arrival with a 7 day extension and wish to change to a retirement visa, this cannot be done. The 7 day extension given states on the visa that no further extension of stay will permitted. So, if you find yourself in this predicament, the fastest and easiest way to clear this problem would be a one day visa trip to Cambodia which will give a 15 day visa at the border. This will then allow you to convert to a Non Immigrant visa and retirement visa in Thailand.

Retirement visa in Thailand are Police checks needed?

It is a most common question asked by expats in Thailand living and residing or wishing to reside in Thailand in the future.

Is a Police check and a medical report needed to obtain a retirement visa in Thailand and the answer is NO to apply for a retirement visa in Thailand is now mainly about financial either showing 800,000 Thai baht in a Thai bank 2 months before you apply or an income of 65,000 Thai baht per month or a combination of an income and monies in the bank to equate to 800,000 Thai baht for the year.

If you are applying for a retirement visa in your own home Country which is called an O-A visa then yes you need to obtain a Police check and also a medical report which is why it is so much more simple to apply for in Thailand once you arrive here.

For more info contact [email protected]

Retirement visa Pattaya rumors

In Pattaya rumors are easy to start and one of the biggest we have seen at Key Visa Thailand this week is with regards to the retirement visa were it has been said that if you are working with an income only and no money in the Thai bank that the income amount will rise from the 65,000 Thai baht per month to 135,000 Thai baht per month which I can tell you is not true it is a ridiculous rumor and should not be believed and if you ever get told something that will make you concerned then contact Key Visa and we will always answer your questions. [email protected]

Jeffrey W.
Jeffrey W.
02:55 16 Nov 23
Super easy process. I got everything I needed done. It was taken care of quickly after the first session which included getting a Thai bank account and my O retirement visa. Very professional service
Stephen L.
Stephen L.
04:22 27 Jul 23
Excellent service. I got my retirement visa here it was quick and painless.
Tim M.
Tim M.
14:53 27 Jun 23
Got my first retirement visa with these. Great service. Everything sorted by them.
Christopher W.
Christopher W.
08:01 25 Nov 22
key Visa has a proven track record. They have got me a retirement visa for years and renewed my passport without me having to go to Bangkok. They also got my daughter, born in Thailand, an English passport.Use Key Visa to sort out your retirement visa problems and for getting passports renewed or being obtained for citizens of dual nationalityExceptionally efficient
Polsky E.
Polsky E.
01:56 11 Nov 22
After attempting for 2 days to get a retirement visa myself with my Thai girlfriends help to no avail and being left totally frustrated I eventually gave up and contacted Darren. After consultation with Darren he calmly brought me back down to earth, reassuring me that the visa would be procured with little effort by myself. I left feeling very confident and reassured at what Darren had said. Yesterday I collected my passport with said visa for 15 months. Many thanks to Darren and team, Key Visa did a great job.
Bryan P.
Bryan P.
02:53 06 Nov 22
Very pleased with the service I received here. Darren was very knowledgeable. Now my retirement Visa has been issued. I am delighted with Key Visa. Fantastic service. I am very grateful.
Jim T.
Jim T.
07:55 15 Sep 22
Thanks to Darren and his team for renewing my retirement visa and re-entry permit! I got it back in ONE DAY! Awesome service. I highly recommend Key Visa and will definitely be using them again in the future!
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