If like me you decided to retire a little before the legal age, you probably created an Excel sheet and made financial projections to make sure that you could afford it.
Yes you can, great! You are therefore going to move to Thailand and probably discover a new status: that of a foreigner living in Thailand!
This status obviously has administrative constraints, you must have a long-term visa.
The first step in obtaining this type of visa should preferably be done in your country of residence, but in any case outside Thailand.
This step consists of defining and obtaining the initial long-term visa that you want.
Note that this feedback relates to Switzerland, but is probably applicable to your own country.
◊ I strongly advise you not to go to Thailand with a tourist visa and to manage on the spot, unless you know exactly what you’re doing or have a very adventurous spirit.
Types of Visa
There are many different types of visas for Thailand.
The best first approach is to define what your project is and then go find the corresponding information on the website of the Thai embassy from your country.
You will find there first-hand information, even if it is not always very contextualized.
As immigration rules change regularly, you will be sure to always have the most up-to-date information.
I will tell you about the so-called “retirement” visa here: the NON-IMMIGRANT O visa. It’s the one the embassy recommended to me, the one I got, and the one I know the best.
I will also mention the NON-IMMIGRANT OA visa, which is a variant.
◊ Please note that I am not a Thai visa specialist, I am only sharing my personal experience with you.
The NON-IMMIGRANT O “Retirement” Visa
This visa is a 90-day visa obtained initially outside Thailand and that you can extend each year, for one year, from Thailand.
Obtaining a “Non immigrant O” visa is subject to conditions.
These conditions are listed on the official Thai Embassy website from your country.
Start by consulting them, these conditions regularly change!
I give you, as a quick reminder, the list of conditions at the end of 2019:
- To be at least 50 years old
- To be a citizen and reside in the country where you submit your request
- To prove that you have an income or capital (or the sum of both) that is equal to or greater than 800,000 THB per year.
Your capital may be in a bank in your country when applying, but will have to be in a Thai bank for its extension 90 days later! - Provide a criminal record extract
- To provide original medical certificate issued from the country where the application is submitted. Applicant must not have prohibitive diseases as indicated in the Ministerial Regulation No. 14 (B.E 2535) which are (1) Leprosy (2) Tuberculosis (3) Elephantiasis (4) Drug addiction, and (5) third phase of Syphilis. The certificate must not be valid more than 3 months
- Have a copy of your flight and hotel / apartment reservation for Thailand.
The NON-IMMIGRANT OA Visa
This visa is a variant of the O visa and the conditions for obtaining it are very similar.
This one-year visa, extendable for one year, is presented as a long-term visa.
Its main advantage is that it does not require having the 800,000 THB in a Thai bank the first year, you can have the equivalent in an bank account outside Thailand. This is true for the initial visa, when you extend it the 800’000 THB will have to be in a Thai bank account or you will have to leave Thailand and ask for this visa again.
However, you will need to take out health insurance approved by Thailand for the duration of the visa (one year) before your departure and when it is extended.
So O or OA Visa?
♦ UPDATE: October 2020
The coronavirus crisis showed a weakness of the non-immigrant O visa.
While O-A visa holders have been able to enter Thailand for several weeks, O visa holders still cannot.
This is probably due to the fact that the O visa does not require mandatory health insurance.
The main difference is the initial visa duration: 365 days for OA, 90 days for O.
The visa extension is almost identical for the 2 visas, with the exception of compulsory health insurance for the OA visa.
These two visas therefore seem very similar in the long term.
If you already have a sufficient retirement pension
Visa O is OK.
When you apply for an initial visa, you will have to prove your income with a pension certificate which you can also use when extending your visa.
The 90 days limitation is not a problem.
If like me you don’t have a pension yet
You will be able to obtain your initial visa with your funds in your country, but you will have to open a bank account in Thailand and transfer the amount necessary for its extension.
This amount must remain 2 months (1st year, 3 months thereafter) in your account in order to request an extension.
If you have applied for an OA visa, you have 1 year to do so, which is comfortable.
With the O visa, which the Thai embassy in Switzerland advised me, you only have 90 days.
90 days is extremely short when:
- You have to open an account with a Thai bank, which was easy for me, but which is not always as easy
- Transfer the necessary amount (about 5 days)
- Wait 2 months before requesting an extension of your visa.
It’s probably possible to do this if you know the constraints (and now you know them!), and you achieve to open a bank account during the very first days of your arrival.
Be aware that you will be dependent on the slightest unexpected events, and usually there are!
♦ Based on my own experience, I think you should apply for the OA visa!
The OA visa will allow you to spend your first year in Thailand and quietly prepare for a longer stay.
I don’t understand why the embassy doesn’t advise this visa when applying for a retirement visa.
In all cases
Keep in mind that you can make a change of the visa type, as long as you meet the conditions for obtaining the new visa of course.
So no pressure, you can make mistakes or change your mind.
◊ Visa: renew or extend?
For an O or OA visa, you will not have to renew your visa, you will just have to extend its validity by one year, each year.
You can do it from Thailand.
Commercial offers to assist you in obtaining visas
I am not aware of a company that offers (sells) Thai visa services in Switzerland. My experience in Thailand is mixed on these services.
Use them for advices. For “turnkey” visas, you must in all cases be physically present in the administrations and provide all the necessary documents. The interest seems very limited and the prices rather high.
◊ Also beware of forums where you may read tips that are often outdated, fanciful or completely contradictory. Check everything you read on the subject, including on this site.
Before leaving
The non immigrant visa O or OA can only be obtained outside of Thailand! You can request it from your country of residence, it’s probably the easiest way.
If possible make an appointment via the Embassy website.
You must present yourself personally at the embassy, you cannot delegate the visit. Make sure you have all the documents listed on the embassy website.
The main document, the visa application, is in English / German and the embassy staff apparently only speak English.
If you have all the documents, you will get your visa, after your visit to the embassy, in just over a week.
You got your O or OA visa!
Great, but you will quickly see, like me, that your “retirement” O visa is actually a 90-day visa!
The embassy will tell you that you only have to extend your visa for 12 months during the first 90 days of your stay in Thailand.
The embassy assured me that it was an easy thing to do.
As I had proven my funds for a whole year, I was pretty confident.
An easy thing to do? Yes, but…. NO!
In the next post, I will explain how to extend your initial visa.
