How long can you stay on the Thai retirement visa (Non-O-A)?
By Asia Visa Guide editors · Last verified · draft record, see note
You can stay 1 year per entry, on a visa valid for 1 year, renewable in-country.
Stay per entry: 1 year. Total validity: 1 year, renewable in-country.
Extension: Yes, annually, through Thai Immigration.
Where to apply: Outside Thailand, at the Thai embassy or consulate for your country of residence. Processing time: 3–6 weeks.
Watch for: The insurance requirement becomes expensive or uninsurable with age and pre-existing conditions, and is the single most common reason applications fail.
Status of this record: draft. Not every figure has been confirmed character for character against an official page, so check the embassy or authority page before you pay for anything.
What changed
1 October 2021: That figure is obsolete for the O-A and has been since 2021. The current requirement is at least USD 100,000 / 3,000,000 THB of cover including all medical benefits. The old numbers still circulate widely in guides and in AI-generated answers, and a policy bought to meet them will be rejected at the counter.
Official sources
- Royal Thai Embassy Doha: Retirement / Long Stay Visa (Non-Immigrant O-A), page dated 12 Apr 2024 (checked 11 October 2026)
- Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Non-O-A Long Stay (Retirement) requirements (PDF) (checked 11 October 2026)
Full requirements, evidence and every figure for this route are on the visa guide. This is guidance, not legal advice; embassies decide what they accept.
Related questions
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- What are the money requirements for the Thai retirement visa (Non-O-A)?