Thailand's Non-Immigrant Visa O-A (Long Stay) is the country's primary retirement visa, enabling foreign nationals aged 50 and over to reside in Thailand for up to one year, renewable annually. Applicants must demonstrate sufficient financial means and carry mandatory health insurance, but may not work in any capacity. It is the most accessible of Thailand's retirement options, with far lower thresholds than the O-X (10-year) visa or the LTR Wealthy Pensioners visa. The initial visa is issued only by Royal Thai Embassies and Consulates-General abroad; in-country extensions are handled by the Immigration Bureau.
Several Royal Thai missions (for example Washington, D.C.) now require the THB 800,000 deposit to have been held for the previous 3 months, with supporting bank statements for that period.
The THB 65,000/month income method was historically satisfied with an embassy-issued income affidavit. Many foreign missions no longer issue these letters — the U.S. Mission in Thailand ceased certifying income on 1 January 2019, and the U.K. and Australian missions did so earlier. Where an applicant's embassy will not certify income, Thai authorities instead accept a Thai bank statement showing 12 consecutive monthly Foreign Exchange Transfer (FET) inflows of at least THB 65,000 each from an overseas source, coded as international transfers. The underlying immigration rule (THB 65,000/month) is unchanged; only the way of proving it has shifted.
The visa is valid for 1 year from the date of first entry and may be extended annually at the Immigration Bureau for THB 1,900. For an extension, the THB 800,000 deposit must be maintained for at least 2 months before the application and 3 months after the extension is granted, and the balance may never drop below THB 400,000. Valid health insurance from a TGIA/OIC-recognized Thai insurer must be presented at each renewal.
Health insurance has been mandatory for all O-A holders since 31 October 2019. For initial applications at embassies, a policy with coverage of at least THB 3,000,000 (about USD 100,000) per policy year, including COVID-19 treatment, is required from a Thai or qualifying foreign insurer. For in-country extensions, coverage must come from a Thai or OIC-recognized insurer registered on the TGIA longstay portal, with minimum outpatient coverage of THB 40,000 and inpatient coverage of THB 400,000. Officers verify policies through the TGIA portal during extension processing. Enforcement has tightened through 2025-2026, with some offices requiring Thai-issued policies even where foreign policies were previously accepted.
The O-A visa does not itself include dependants. A spouse may apply separately for a Non-Immigrant O visa based on the marriage, subject to standard requirements (a THB 400,000 deposit for the spouse of a retiree). Children under 20 may qualify for a Non-Immigrant O visa as family dependants. Each dependant must independently meet visa requirements and pay separate fees.
Thailand taxes residents on foreign income remitted into the country in the same calendar year it is earned. Retirees who do not remit income in the year it is earned generally have no Thai tax liability. No specific tax exemption is attached to the O-A visa.
Applications are submitted at the Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate-General in the applicant's country of residence via the Thai e-Visa portal (thaievisa.go.th), with documents uploaded in PDF format. Processing takes a minimum of 15 business days. The visa fee is THB 5,000 (about USD 200). On approval, the applicant receives a multiple-entry visa and must enter Thailand within 90 days of issuance to activate it. As of May 2025, all arrivals must complete the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) online.
The O-A visa is multiple entry, allowing unlimited re-entries during its validity; each re-entry resets the permitted stay to the remaining validity (not a fresh year). Holders extending in-country on a single-entry basis must obtain a re-entry permit (THB 1,000 single / THB 3,800 multiple) before departing, or the extension is cancelled. Address reporting to the Immigration Bureau is required every 90 days via Form TM.47, and the annual extension is filed on Form TM.7.