These are the rules for the Thailand Retirement Visa. What most refer to as a Retirement Visa is officially known as an extension of stay based on retirement. Holders of this type of visa are not allowed to work in Thailand. To obtain the Retirement Visa, one should enter Thailand under a Non Immigrant O Visa, and then apply for the retirement extension from the local immigration office as long as you meet all the requirements. Speak to a lawyer in Bangkok for assistance.
Thai Retirement Visa requirements:
- You should over 50 years old;
- You should have a fixed savings of at least 800,000 Thai Baht deposited in a Thai bank account two months prior to applying;
- You are required to have a letter from the Thai bank confirming that the 800,000 Thai Baht has been deposited within the time frame;
- Should have a Thai residence address;
For consecutive visa renewals, the 800,000 Thai Baht should be in the bank 3 months prior to applying for the visa or renewal. Other rules stay the same, as well as the letter from your Thai bank and a copy of your bank book to verify the balance of your bank account.
There has been recent changes to the requirements for Thai Retirement visas which affected numerous retires in the Kingdom. The letter from their embassies confirming income, pension or other source of income conforming to the 65,000 Thai Baht requirement can no longer be obtained.
The only option for application and renewal would only fall under the category of savings in a Thai bank account. With this, there has been issues of current Retirement visa renewals, even recent applications, as it has been quite difficult for retirees to come up with savings in a Thai bank account. Many has relied through their pension only, and a portion of savings from the past years. Always check to see if there are changes to the Thailand Retirement Visa.
It is always best to seek assistance from a Thai Immigration lawyer and be guided with the recent immigration rules to avoid delays and problems in staying under a retirement visa in Thailand.
