The Retirement Visa in Thailand: Conditions and How to Get One in 2026
A retirement visa in Thailand is available from age 50. There is one condition, and it is money: 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account, an income of 65,000 baht a month, or a combination of the two. The visa is issued for a year and extended every year for 1,900 baht. You do not have to be retired at home - only the age counts. And the time the money spends seasoning in the account you can spend in Phuket on a student visa, with no visa runs.
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Who it suits
- Age 50 or over on the day you file.
- No pension certificate is required.
- You cannot work on a retirement visa.
- A spouse under 50 gets a visa as a dependent.
Three kinds of retirement visa
| Type | Where you get it | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-O | Enter for 90 days, then extend in Thailand | 1 year, extended annually | The usual route; no insurance needed |
| O-A | In your country of residence | 1 year, multiple entry | Insurance for 3,000,000 ฿ is compulsory |
| O-X | In your country of residence | 5 + 5 years | Only for citizens of certain countries |
Most people choose the Non-O: it is issued and extended right here in Phuket and needs no insurance.
The financial requirement
- 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account.
- An income of 65,000 baht a month, proven by transfers from abroad into a Thai account over 12 months.
- A combination of deposit and annual income adding up to 800,000 baht.
The rules for the deposit:
- the money sits in the account for two full months before you file;
- after the extension you cannot touch the amount for three months;
- the rest of the time the balance does not drop below 400,000 baht.
What a retirement visa costs
| Cost | Amount |
|---|---|
| One-year extension | 1,900 ฿ |
| Single-entry Non-O from abroad | about 2,000 ฿ |
| Re-entry permit for trips out | 2,000 ฿ single, 5,000 ฿ multiple with us |
| The deposit in the bank | 800,000 ฿ - and it stays yours |
How to do it in Phuket
- Enter. Get a 90-day Non-O through thaievisa.go.th, or change status once you are here.
- The account. Open a Thai bank account and transfer the money in.
- The wait. The money sits for two months.
- The one-year extension at Phuket Immigration: form TM.7, a bank letter no more than 7 days old, an updated bank book, proof of address, a photo and 1,900 baht.
After that it is a TM.47 report every 90 days and an extension once a year. How the office works is in Phuket Immigration office.
Where it gets difficult
- Timing. Since 15 September 2026 the visa exemption is 30 days. Opening an account and seasoning the money for two months does not fit into that.
- The bank account. Banks in Phuket prefer holders of long-term visas and ask for a residence certificate.
- Income. They want a history of regular transfers; a single payment does not count.
How to reach the retirement visa without visa runs
A student visa covers the gap between your arrival and the retirement visa:
- You arrange a student visa with us - from 27,200 ฿ for six months with every extension included, and no money requirement.
- With it you open a bank account. We arrange the residence certificate for 1,000 ฿.
- You keep 800,000 baht in the account for two to three months.
- You file for the retirement visa with a complete set of documents.
No visa runs, no racing the clock and no risk of a refusal at the border. The whole price list for our thai visa in Phuket is on the homepage.
Summary
A retirement visa in Thailand is granted from age 50 with 800,000 baht in a Thai account or an income of 65,000 baht a month. The usual routes are the Non-O without insurance and the O-A with insurance for 3 million baht. The money sits for two months before the extension and three after it, which 30 visa-free days cannot cover. A student visa gives you half a year to prepare without hurrying.
We have worked in Phuket since 2013 and taken more than 3,000 people through the process. Message us on WhatsApp: within 5 minutes we will write out your plan for moving onto a retirement visa without leaving the country. The grounds for every family visa are set out in Non-O visa.
