To qualify for a retirement visa for Thailand, you must be 50 years of age or older. In addition, you must have no criminal record in Thailand or the country of your nationality or residence. You must apply for the Visa at the Thai consulate in the country of your residence or nationality prior to coming to Thailand or at the Immigration Bureau in Thailand in Bangkok. You are unable to apply for this kind of visa once you are in Thailand. You also must not have any prohibitive diseases as defined by Thailand's immigration laws. Examples of prohibitive diseases are: leprosy, tuberculosis, drug addiction, elephantiasis, and stage-three syphilis. You will be required to submit a medical certificate as part of your application documents.
You will be required to submit to the Thailand Consulate an original passport with at least 18 months of validity, three copies of the completed visa application forms, three front-facing passport-sized photos taken within the last six months, and a personal data form. In addition, you must submit an original bank statement and an original certification from the bank stating either a deposit of more than 800,000 Baht (approximately $25,000) or a monthly stream of income not less than 25,000 Baht (approximately $780). A medical certificate is required showing no prohibitive diseases. Finally, a criminal records check is required to be submitted with your visa application.
Upon arrival in Thailand, you will be permitted to stay in Thailand for one year from the date of first entry. If you wish to leave Thailand during the year, you must go to an immigration office in Thailand and apply for a re-entry permit. The immigration offices can issue either single or multiple trip re-entry permits. If you leave the country prior to obtaining a re-entry permit, your visa would be considered void. In addition, you must go to an immigration office or a police station if there is no local immigration office every 90 days to check-in and update your address in Thailand. It is possible to renew the retirement visa every year by going to to the immigration office and submitting updated financial statements. The retirement visa must be renewed every year.
