Retiring in Thailand: Which visa to choose?

You're finally ready to retire in Thailand.

But now there are 5 visa options you can have. Let me walk through them so you can choose...

Destination Thailand Visa (DTV)
This one gives you a visa for 5 years. It has to be renewed every 6 months. You need to show you have at least 500,000 THB (about $15,000 USD) in your bank account so you can support yourself. You can come and go from Thailand as many times as you want.

Retirement Visa outside Thailand
The "O-A" retirement visa allows you to get the first year of retirement visa done before you even get to Thailand. You need to show that you have at least 800,000 THB in your bank account in your home country (about $24,000 USD). You also need to show you have some private health insurance. The cost to do it is about $300 USD.

Retirement Visa inside Thailand
An easy way is to get a retirement visa in Thailand is when you arrive. You need to have at least 3 weeks left on your tourist visa to do this. An agent will handle this for you. The requirements to get the visa are about the same as the O-A visa in your home country. But since you use an agent the price is a lot higher, typically anywhere between $1,000 - $2,000 USD.

LTR VISA
The Long Term Resident Visa is for people who have at least $80,000 USD of annual income, or who can invest $250,000 USD in Thai property or bonds. The visa lasts for 10 years and you renew it every 5 years. (I guess they calculate that it will expire by the time you expire.. lol).

Tourist Visa / Visa-free entry
The 60 day Tourist visa can be used if you are not going to spend most of the year in Thailand. For example, if you are just going to spend winter in Thailand, or maybe up to 6 months only, this might make sense. You get stamped in for 60 days and you can make another 30 day extension while you're here. Then leave Thailand for a border run to Vietnam, Laos or anywhere you like and return for another 90 days. You can safely do this twice a year without raising the eyebrows of the Thai immigration.

So depending on what you want, and your pockets, you have more options than ever in Thailand.

If you want to schedule a consultation call, just hit reply and tell us when. We will be glad to help you choose the right visa, find the perfect place to live and help get you settled in Thailand.

Hit reply and tell us now.

Have fun!
Ericson Smith
& The Thai Kru team.
[email protected]