Retiring in Thailand

Written byAlex Clarkon 14 January 2011

I have lived in Thailand for over a year now, on a variety of visas. This week I聽applied for and received a Retirement Visa, based on proof of monthly income earned abroad, 65,000 Bhat per month. I should mention that I聽am 60. I聽had been on a Non B, visa, the first 90 days set to expire Feb 1, 2010., with Work Permit. My employer did not make deductions for my taxes and social insurance and did not register me with these agencies, preventing me from getting an extension on the Non B. So I聽left the job and changed the visa.

Here is what you need for retirement visa. Application form, Photo, 1,900 Bhat, copies of all pages of your passport with all visa and entry/exit stamps for Thailand. Rent receipts and possibly a form from your landlord stating where you live. A map of your residence.

Affidavit from your embassy stating that you receive 65,000 bhat per month in pensions or other income, so that you do not need to tie up your money in a bank account here. Or you can show a deposit in a Thai bank for 800.000 Bhat, seasoned for two months before you apply. Or a combination of both, money on deposit and monthly income from abroad., regarless, letter from embassy for immigration, does not need to be translated.

I had to hand in my Work Permit and get a receipt from the labor office to show Immigration, but the actual Work Permit was returned to me.

This was probably a little easier for me as I already had the Non B visa. So now I have a visa valid until February 1, 2012, that I can renew yearly thru the same process. I do not have to leave the country every 90 days.If I want to leave the country I must purchase re-entry permits for 1,000 Bhat each or Multiple for 3,800 Bhat. These must be pruchased in advance of your travel from Immigration, they cannot be transferred from one passport to another if you will be cahnging passports soon, before Multiple re-entries may be used. You still must report your address every 90 days or leave the country before 90 days and your 90 days starts again from the date that you arrive.

We do our best to provide accurate and up to date information. However, if you have noticed any inaccuracies in this article, please let us know in the comments section below.

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Comments

paddelia14 months ago
Hi, For a married couple, 65 and 77, who wish to get a retirement visa in Thailand, is 800000 bhat on a bank account ok for the couple or is it per person?

shenpa11 months ago(Modified)
I have been told by siam legal that The UK, US, Australian and Canadian embassies are not verifying pension. Whether or not that means any income at all im not sure. This means that the TB65000 per month income method is null and void

michkt3 years ago(Modified)
MM2H is a Malaysian government initiative to encourage foreigners to stay in Malaysia long-term. If you鈥檙e eligible for the MM2H scheme, you鈥檒l get a 10-year renewable Social Visit Pass and multiple entry visa. It鈥檚 the perfect choice for someone looking to enjoy retirement in Malaysia.
The Malaysia My Second Home Programme is aimed at over 50s, but you can still potentially apply for the scheme if you鈥檙e a younger retiree - provided you meet a certain pension income threshold.

ixs10 years ago(Modified)
never heard about TESOL until i hit this site. I think they keep that quiet here because they're scared people might run off. My last attempt was a bach in psychology on open university, costing a total of 鈧�14.000, which i had to break because , well youth unemployment is 23% so 40 year old guy who falls between the subsidy ranges of 'fresh-out-of-school' or '50 and work longer' (like myself) couldnt even get a job setting coffee tables or doing dishes over two years. TESOL-course comes from $1100 from what i just read, compared to what i just said here thats dirt cheap this site is VERY interesting, thanks a lot for everything here

tallpoppy11 years ago(Modified)
I am also a regular visitor (from Australia, over the last 10years) and am looking to retire to Thailand towards the end of 2014. I am 55yo now and want to live a little before I am too old. So when I do come to retire: Step 1: 30day visitors visa step 2: 90day Non-immigration step 3: retirement visa after establishing the required financials. For me a couple of million Baht in the bank. Step 4: renew retirement visa on an annual basis. It that the jist of it ?

Mister George12 years ago(Modified)
Thanks for the info.. I don\'t have any Visa at this point.. I have just been visiting a couple weeks at a time but looking at staying much longer and eventually retiring. What Visa do I ask for? I am from Australia and we actually don\'t apply for a Visa when we visit.. We just get to the airport and they stamp me in and I go through.. the only thing I fill out is a entry card that asks how long I am staying. This is quite confusing so I guess an Australian ex pat might know.

colabamumbai12 years ago(Modified)
Depends on your visa and if it is a multiple entry etc. If it is good for a year and you have to leave every 90 days, you can just go to Laos or anywhere for a day and come back. If you do this just before the year is up you can get an extra 90 days making it 15 months. Again I do not know what type of visa you have.

Mister George12 years ago(Modified)
Just to understand the 90 days visa thing because I get different stories. I come to thailand for 90 days and the I go home for a week and the I can come back for another 90 days.. and so? I was told 90 days max in a 12 month period? cheers