Thailand retirement visas: O-A, O-X and the LTR for over-50s

The long-stay visas Thailand offers people aged 50 and over. The money tests, the health insurance rules, 90-day reporting, and how each visa renews. For US, Canadian and UK citizens.

Thailand has three long-stay visas for people aged 50 and over who do not plan to work: the Non-Immigrant O-A, the Non-Immigrant O-X, and the Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa for wealthy pensioners. A fourth path is to enter on a 90-day Non-Immigrant O visa and extend it for a year at a Thai Immigration office. All four are open to US, Canadian and UK citizens. None of them leads to Thai permanent residence. This guide compares the money tests, the insurance rules and what you must do once you are there.

The four options at a glance

Our routes table groups the O-A and the Non-O extension as one route, because both rest on the same money test. It does not yet list the O-X separately.

The O-A: the usual route from home

The O-A is a one-year visa you apply for before you travel, through the Thai e-Visa site. The Royal Thai Embassy in Washington lists these conditions:

• Age. You are 50 or older on the day you apply.
• Money. One of: a bank deposit of at least THB 800,000 over the last three months; monthly income of at least THB 65,000; or a deposit plus income that together reach THB 800,000 a year. The embassy’s checklist gives the US-dollar version as an ending balance of USD 30,000 or income of USD 2,500 a month.
• Health insurance for the whole stay, with a sum insured of at least THB 3,000,000 or USD 100,000 per policy year. A foreign insurer must complete the embassy’s Foreign Insurance Certificate. A Thai policy must come from an insurer listed at longstay.tgia.org.
• A criminal record certificate issued within the last three months. Washington does not accept an online record without an authorised signature.
• A medical certificate on the embassy’s form, issued within the last three months.
• A passport valid for at least 18 months.

You must hold the nationality of, or live in, the country where you apply. Washington asks you to apply at least 20 working days before you travel and charges USD 200. The London embassy states its money test as GBP 18,000 in the bank or income of at least GBP 1,500 a month, and accepts an ACRO certificate up to six months old. Fees differ by mission; the visa cost calculator shows the fee for your passport.

For a sense of scale, THB 800,000 is about USD 24,300 and THB 65,000 about USD 1,980 at the 2025 average exchange rate in our cost of living data. Embassies set their own conversions, so use the figure your embassy publishes.

The Non-O and a yearly extension in Thailand

The other path is to enter on a 90-day Non-Immigrant O visa and apply for a one-year extension of stay for retirement at a Thai Immigration office. The Immigration Office’s rules, published on Thailand.go.th with information as of 8 February 2023, are:

• You hold a non-immigrant visa and are 50 or over.
• You show income of at least THB 65,000 a month, or a deposit of at least THB 800,000 in a bank in Thailand, or a mix of the two that reaches THB 800,000.
• The deposit must sit in the Thai account for at least two months before you apply and three months after approval. After that you may withdraw money, but the balance must not fall below THB 400,000.

The insurance rule on that page applies to O-A holders. Local offices can ask for extra documents, so check with the office that covers your address before you go.

The O-X: five years at a time

The O-X lets you stay for five years per entry, for up to ten years in total. It is open to citizens of 14 countries, including the US, Canada and the UK. The Chicago consulate and the Kuala Lumpur embassy list these conditions:

• Age. 50 or older on the day you apply.
• Money. A deposit of at least THB 3,000,000 in a bank in Thailand, or at least THB 1,800,000 plus annual income of at least THB 1,200,000. Chicago says the money must stay in full for at least a year and then not fall below THB 1,500,000. Its document list also says that under the second option you must build the deposit up to THB 3,000,000 within a year of arrival. Ask your embassy which rule it applies.
• Thai health insurance for the whole stay, with at least THB 400,000 of inpatient and THB 40,000 of outpatient cover per policy year. Kuala Lumpur says each family member needs their own policy, and a lapse can lead to the visa being withdrawn.

Chicago charges USD 400. The London embassy says UK bank accounts are not accepted for the O-X deposit. The money has to be in a Thai bank.

The LTR for wealthy pensioners

The Board of Investment’s Long-Term Resident visa has a category for retirees aged 50 and over:

• Income. At least USD 80,000 a year of unearned or passive income when you apply. Salaries do not count.
• The lower tier. With passive income between USD 40,000 and USD 80,000, you also invest USD 250,000 in your own name before you apply: in Thai government bonds with at least five years to maturity, Thai companies or Thai property.
• Health insurance covering at least USD 50,000, or Thai social security benefits, or at least USD 100,000 kept in a Thai bank account for at least 12 months.

You are granted five years, then five more if you still qualify. A spouse and children under 20 can join, up to four dependants. The visa fee is THB 50,000 per person when it is issued in Thailand. Embassies charge more. The BOI lists a one-year report in place of the 90-day report, and no need for re-entry permits.

90-day reporting

Holders of a long-stay permission must notify Thai Immigration of their address every 90 days. This applies to O-A and O-X holders and to people on a retirement extension. The rules, from the Thai embassy in Moscow’s guide:

• Online: within 15 days, and not less than 7 days, before your due date. Keep the receipt with your next due date in your passport.
• In person: at your local Immigration Office. A late report must be made in person.
• Leaving resets the count. If you leave Thailand, the 90 days start again from your return.
• Late reports cost money. The fine is THB 2,000, rising to THB 5,000 if you are arrested, plus up to THB 200 a day until you comply.

A 90-day report is not an extension of stay. Chicago adds that O-X holders also report in person to Immigration once a year.

No work

The Washington embassy states that employment of any kind is strictly prohibited on the O-A. Chicago says the same of the O-X, but allows approved volunteer work. If you want to work, look at the Destination Thailand Visa or the LTR’s work categories instead.

Tax

Thailand’s Revenue Department treats you as tax resident if you stay 180 days or more in a calendar year. Tax residents pay Thai tax on foreign income earned from 1 January 2024 onward when they bring it into Thailand. Pension and investment income can be caught by this rule. A tax treaty with your home country may give credit for tax paid there. Speak to an adviser who knows both systems before you move money.

US citizens keep filing US returns on worldwide income wherever they live.

What catches people out

• No permanent residence. Retirement extensions do not count toward Thai permanent residence, and the BOI describes no residence path for the LTR. Plan for renewals, not a permanent status.
• The deposit rules are strict. Money that leaves the Thai account too early can cost you the next extension.
• Insurance must last. Policies with gaps, or foreign policies without the certificate, cause refusals.
• Rules vary by office and mission. Embassies publish different conversions and fees, and Immigration offices can ask for extra papers.

For every way to live in Thailand, including the routes for remote workers, read our guide to moving to Thailand. To compare Thailand with other retirement routes, see retiring abroad: the routes compared.

This is general information, not legal, tax or immigration advice. Confirm each requirement with your Thai embassy or the Immigration Bureau before you apply.