Obtaining a Non-Immigrant Visa in Thailand for Retirement

A requirement for obtaining an extension of stay in Thailand for the purpose of retirement is that you have a Non-Immigrant O Visa. But, if you entered Thailand as Visa Exempt (30 day permitted stay) or using a Tourist Visa (60 day permitted stay) and meet the requirements for extending your stay based on retirement, it is a 2 step process.

STEP ONE

First, you must apply for a Non-Immigrant O Visa from your local Thai Immigration Office at least 15 days prior to the expiration of your current permission to stay date.*

• Use Form TM.86  if you entered Thailand on a Tourist Visa (60 day permission to stay) or
  

• Form TM.87 if you entered Thailand as Visa Exempt (30 day permission to stay).

Upon approval, you will receive the Visa stamp and a new permission to stay of 90 days starting on the day the Visa is issued.  Click here for the Official Rule (it is in English and Thai)

* Applications and supporting documents (see below) are sent to Immigration Headquarters in Bangkok for approval - they require 15 days for processing. If you are on your initial permission to stay and have less than 15 days remaining, you can apply for a 30 day extension of stay which will allow you to meet this requirement.

STEP TWO

Apply for a one year extension of the permission to stay at the Immigration Office where you obtained the Visa.

Most Offices require you to apply when you have 30 or less days before expiration of the 90 day permission to stay obtained in the first step. 

Age & Financial Requirements

To qualify for issuance of the Non-Immigrant O Visa on the basis of being a retiree, you must be at least age 50 and meet the following financial requirements.

• You must have deposited the at least 800,000 baht* in a Thai bank from a source outside of Thailand,  OR
• Have a monthly income equal to or greater than 65,000 baht per month as stipulated in a letter from your country's Embassy to Thailand.  Note:  The embassies of Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States will not provide such a letter, thus holders of passports from those countries must meet the 800,000 baht deposit in a Thai bank requirement to qualify.

* Immigration rules do not require the funds be on deposit for a specific period to apply for the Non-Immigrant O Visa. However, we received a report in mid-April 2023 that an Chonburi (Pattaya) Immigration Officer refused their application saying the 800,000 had to be on deposit for 60 days before applying for the Visa. As noted below, Immigration rules have this requirement for obtaining the subsequent extension of Stay for retirement but it is not a requirement for obtaining the Visa.  This is the only such report we have received.  We will appreciate a report from others to confirm whether this is now the policy of Pattaya Immigration or just a misapplication of the rules by one Immigration Officer.

Documents for Application for Visa

The following documents are required for applying for the Non-Immigrant O Visa at Chonburi (Pattaya) Immigration.  The fee is 2,000 baht.

•  TM.86 or 87 Application for Non-Immigrant Visa Extension

•  Photograph (Available at shop next to Immigration)

•  Original – Passport

• Photo Copy of pages from passport

o   Identification page

o   Tourist Visa (if applicable)

o   Permitted to stay until stamp

•  Photo Copy of TM.6 Departure Card (if applicable*)
  

• Original – Bank Passbook – Note: Do an ATM transaction and update passbook on the day of application)

• Evidence of having the required funds

- Photo Copy of Bank Passbook page(s) that show at least 800,000 baht on deposit with the source being from outside of Thailand

OR

- Original letter from your Embassy stating you have a monthly income of at least 65,000 baht per month.

OR

- If your monthly income is less than 65,000 baht per month, evidence a combination of the two is equal to or greater than 800,000 baht. The above mentioned Embassy letter showing your monthly income x 12 months plus your bank deposit for the previous 2 months must be equal to or greater than 800,000 baht.

• Original - Bank Letter attesting to Name and Account Number for the Bank Account – dated on the day of application or, if applying early in the morning, the previous day

 • Copy of Proof of Residence documents (Rental Agreement, House Book, Company documents if Company owned, etc.) There have been some reports that a current Thai Driving License showing current address has been accepted (address is on reverse side), but will depend on Immigration Officer taking the application. In the case of a rental agreement, they may also want to see copy of Thai owner ID (or non-Thai’s passport identity page) and a copy of owner’s house book for the property.

* Currently, the TM.6 Arrival/Departure card is not being given out if arriving at an airport, but they are still used if entering at a land border.

Documents for Application for one year extension

To qualify for an extension of stay, basically the same documents are used but the there are some changes as shown below. Note: The information here applies to applying for a one year extension after obtaining the Non-Immigrant Visa from Thai Immigration. The fee is 1,900 baht.     For information on subsequent annual renewals, click here.