So, you're thinking about retiring in Thailand… but not necessarily full-time.
Maybe you want to escape winters back home, spend a few months enjoying the Thai lifestyle, then head back for family visits or to maintain ties in your home country.
If so, you're not alone in this thinking. I get emails all the time from people asking about this exact scenario.
They want to know if it's possible to retire in Thailand part-time and what that actually looks like in practice.
The answer is yes, absolutely... but the approach varies dramatically depending on how much time you want to spend here.
So today, I'll walk you through three different profiles I see repeatedly here in Thailand. For each one, I'll show you the practical considerations around visas, housing, insurance, and banking.
By the end, you'll have a clear roadmap for your own part-time retirement, whether you're planning to be here for two months a year or eight months a year.
1) The Short-Term Snowbird
This is someone who comes to Thailand for just one to two months per year to escape winter. They're not looking to build a second home or establish a real base here. They just want ease, comfort, and minimal headaches.
I think this group is exactly what my parents will probably do once they retire. Come visit once every year or two for 6 or 7 weeks, enjoy the weather, maybe do some regional travel, then head back home.
What's great about being in this category is that the visa side is dead simple.
You can use the visa exempt entry, which right now provides 60 days on arrival for those from most countries. If you need a bit more time, you can extend that for another 30 days at immigration, giving you 90 days total.
That's it. No need for long-term visas, no complicated paperwork. Just show up and enjoy your time here.
For housing, serviced apartments or short-term booking platforms like Airbnb are your best bet. These serviced apartments are buildings that cater to short-term stays with hotel-style booking but more of a "homey" feel than hotels.
Quick note about Airbnb though… while there are tens of thousands of listings across Thailand with millions of successful stays each year, condo buildings can sometimes be tricky. Thailand technically requires properties to have a hotel license for rentals under 30 days, and some condo buildings enforce this sporadically. You might occasionally encounter building staff asking why you're there, or hosts asking you to say you're a "friend" rather than a guest. I've used Airbnb here several times without issues, and you probably won't have problems either, but it's worth knowing that serviced apartments or actual hotels tend to be smoother for short stays, especially after a long flight.
So, to find serviced apartments, you can go to Agoda or Booking(dot)com and set filters for "Serviced Apartments" or check out RentHub for short-term rentals.
Many serviced apartments include terms like 'Residence', 'Tower', or 'Suites' in their names.
Insurance-wise, you'll likely want some form of travel insurance.
But… one thing worth checking is if you already have any international coverage allotment with the insurance plan you may already have in your home country.
For example… I have a friend whose US-based supplemental insurance policy covers his first 60 days abroad each calendar year. He spends two months in Thailand each winter and doesn't purchase any additional coverage because of this.
Banking stays simple for this group as well. No need for a Thai bank account. You can't get one anyway without long-term visa status. Just use Wise or something like a Charles Schwab debit card for low-fee international spending and cash withdrawals.
As far as SIM cards go, just buy a prepaid tourist SIM from at the airport or at the nearest mall upon arrival and you're set.
2) The Seasonal Retiree
This is someone who spends three to six months in Thailand (usually the full winter from November to March). They come back every year, so they need more stability than our short-term snowbirds do... but they're still not full-time expats.
Here's where visa strategy potentially becomes important…
If you're planning to stay 90 days or less, you can still use the visa exemption which is 60 days plus the ability to do a 30-day extension in-country.
But… if you're planning to stay longer than 90 days, things change because at Day 90, you'd need to leave the country and come back in to reset your status.
This is called a Visa Run and I wouldn't recommend trying to build a sustainable Thailand retirement strategy year after year based on border bouncing as Immigration has gotten stricter about this. Eventually… you'll likely face problems coming back in.
So, what to do?
Well, for stays over 90 days (but less than six months), you've got options. There's the 6-month tourist visa, which you get from a Thai embassy in your home country before arriving. There's also the Destination Thailand Visa, which is particularly relevant for retirees keen on wellness or medical treatments.
Though not a bonafide Retirement visa... the DTV is a great option for part-timers who want to take advantage of Thailand's healthcare for things like dental implants, orthopedic treatments, or comprehensive checkups. It's a 5-year visa, but issued in 180-day chunks, which aligns well with this group we're discussing.
Housing-wise, three to six-month rentals start to make more financial sense. Serviced apartments, villa rentals, house rentals... even Airbnb with longer-term discounts all work. Going direct to owners (if you can) also now yields better deals than booking platforms.
Some people in this profile even start leaving belongings behind year to year in storage lockers. Things like motorbike helmets, exercise gear, computer monitors, coffee machines… things like this.
For insurance, it's unlikely you'll be able to rely on a private policy you have from your home country as most plans seem to max out at 60 days (as far as international coverage allotments go) which means that additional travel insurance is almost certainly required for this group.
Banking remains straightforward as you're still spending less than six months per year in Thailand, so there's no real need for a Thai bank account yet. Plus, you can't get one anyway without a long-term visa, which unfortunately… the DTV is not considered (the DTV is treated more as a long-term tourist visa in practicality).
3) The Part-Time Resident
This is someone who spends six to nine months or more in Thailand but still returns home seasonally for family, healthcare, or other reasons. This is the point where you need proper infrastructure in place and a real long-term visa. Tourist visas and Visa exemptions simply won't work well for those at this level of commitment.
Your main visa options include the:
- Non-Immigrant O Retirement Visa
- Non-Immigrant O-A Retirement Visa
- Long-Term Resident visa
- Thailand Privilege Card
The DTV also works for retirees who do some selective work (through an LLC or something of this nature) or engage with Thailand’s private healthcare system multiple times per year as mentioned previously.
Housing changes at this level of commitment as well as an annual lease might start to make sense financially.
This is because there are generally cost savings to be had when committing to a full-year. It does depend on your specific situation and where in Thailand you decide to establish a home base, but as an example...
I have a friend who lives in Bangkok’s Thong Lor district and is in Thailand just under 9-months each year. Based on the types of short-term accommodations he previously enjoyed staying in, the math worked in favour of him simply getting a 1-year lease and letting his condo sit empty for the 3-months he isn't here.
The math doesn’t always work out like that, but for him, it did... and it it’s something worth thinking about.
As far as insurance goes, you're best off purchasing an actual long-term health insurance plan from a Thai Company or a Foreign Company that guarantees coverage inside of Thailand.
Some of the visas I mentioned will even require this (ie. OA, LTR, etc.)
Banking also becomes important now. Given that you'd have a proper long-term visa, it mkaes sense to open a Thai bank account. This will make life much easier for paying bills, rent, and daily expenses within the Country.
4) The Progression Ladder
Many retirees progress through these profiles over time. They might start as short-term snowbirds testing out Thailand for a month or two.
Then they become seasonal retirees, spending winters here.
Eventually, many become part-time residents for 8 or 9 months per year.
That's totally normal and actually pretty smart as it lets you determine what actually works without overcommitting to anything.
I've also seen it go the other direction. People come thinking they'll live here full-time, realize they miss certain things about home, and scale back to being seasonal snowbirds. The beauty of these part-time options is that flexibility.
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