The Non-Immigrant ‘OA’ Visa is a long-stay retirement visa designed for foreigners aged 50 years or older who wish to live in Thailand for an extended period. It is issued outside of Thailand through a Thai Embassy or Consulate and provides a 1-year stay from day one, with the option to renew annually inside the country.

This visa is ideal for retirees who want to arrive in Thailand with everything approved and in place—without needing to extend their visa shortly after arrival.

The 'OA' Retirement Visa is issued outside of Thailand and gives you a 1-year visa upfront.

The 'O' Retirement Visa is issued inside Thailand and starts with a 90-day entry, which you extend once you're in the country.

Non-Immigrant ‘O’ Visa

Pros:

• Health Insurance not required
• No mandatory background check
• Ideal for those already in Thailand or entering on another visa or entering by way of visa Exemption Status (ex. you are American Citizen and arrive in Thailand under the 30-Day Visa Exemption Program and want to convert to a long-term Retirement Visa)

Cons:

• Starts with a 90-day stay that must be extended in Thailand
• Requires opening a Thai bank account before extension
• More administrative steps after arrival
• Not suitable for those who want a full, long-term visa issued before arriving in Thailand

Non-Immigrant 'OA' Visa

Pros:

• 1-year visa issued upfront from your country of residence

• No need to apply for an extension after arrival in Thailand

• Financial evidence can be shown in any bank account (not just a Thai Bank Account)

• Great for Retirees who want full a long-term solution before arriving in Thailand

Cons:

• Health insurance is mandatory and must meet relatively strict coverage requirements

• Criminal background check is often required

• Can only be applied for from outside Thailand

• Embassy-specific paperwork and pricing can vary by location

• Ongoing compliance with insurance rules can feel more rigid

Application requirements are location-dependant based on where we help you apply from. 

Different Thai Embassies or Thai Consulates have varying requirements. 

However, below is a solid list of what you can expect provide to us as part of your Non-Immigrant 'OA' Visa Application: 

• Valid Passport
• Professional Headshot taken in past 6-months 
• Proof of residence document indicating your current location (Electricity Bill, Utility Bill, etc.) 
• Bankbook showing the currency equivalent of 800,000 Thai Baht or more in a standard bank account (not Investment Account, not Savings Account, not Crypto) or Proof of 65,000 Baht per month in Stable Passive Income or a combination of both of these items showing no less than the currency equivalent of 800,000 Thai Baht
• Medical certificate (not more than 3-months old) issued from the country where the application is submitted, showing that you don’t have these Diseases
• Health Insurance from a Thai or Foreign Insurance Company covering general illnesses with an insured sum of no less than 3,000,000 THB (Thai Insurance Company) or USD $100,000 (Foreign Insurance Company) that covers the entire length of your Visa period. One key thing worth mentioning here is that if you choose to purchase an Insurance Plan from a Company not listed here, you will have to get them to sign this form
• Certificate of criminal record clearance from your Country of nationality or the Country where the application is submitted

Yes. The OA Visa is specifically for foreigners aged 50 years or older who wish to retire in Thailand and meet the financial and insurance requirements.

Yes. You must apply for this Visa outside of Thailand through the Thai Embassy & Thai Consular system. You will receive the visa digitally via email. Once approved, you present the Visa PDF to Immigration at the port of entry when entering Thailand.

No. You generally do not need to visit a Thai Embassy or Thai Consulate in-person. Our process is done entirely online. 

We pre-screen your documents and dive into the Insurance Requirements with you to ensure full compliance before submission. 

Our process is designed for seamless approval.

From eligibility checks to application submission, we manage every part of the process so you don’t have to navigate Thai bureaucracy alone. We know exactly what Thai authorities expect and how to present your application package correctly, reducing back-and-forth delays and rejections. You’ll have a dedicated consultant guiding you and leading the charge through each step. We give you a clear, personalized checklist so you know exactly what to send us, meaning no wasted time and no missing items.

To date, none of our clients have had their applications rejected. However, in the unlikely event your Non-Immigrant 'OA' application is denied despite following all of our guidance and providing authentic documentation, we will issue a 100% refund on both our service fee and the government application fee—even if that means going out of pocket ourselves.

That said, we operate with full transparency and expect the same in return. If your application is denied due to false or misleading information, including tampered documents (e.g. falsified bank statements), no refunds will be issued—on either our fee or the government fee.

We’re here to help honest, qualified applicants succeed. If we approve you as eligible during our assessment and you provide genuine documentation, the responsibility for approval is on us—and we’ll stand behind it completely. But if any part of your application is compromised by dishonesty, we reserve the right to deny all refund requests.

Yes. Every 90 days you must file a 90-day report (TM.47 Form) with Thai Immigration.

This can be done at any Thai Immigration Office or done entirely Online using the Immigration Bureau's TM.47 submission portal. 

This is dependant on your local Thai Embassy or Thai Consulate, but we've found that the process typically takes around 3 to 6 weeks for our clients from start to finish assuming you're responsive with the documents that only you can provide us (ie. you are relatively quick in sending us your Bank Statements and consulting with our Insurance Broker Partner for example). 

Your Non-Immigrant 'OA' Retirement Visa is renewable annually as long as you continue to meet the financial and compliance requirements.

We can assist with renewals starting 21-days before the expiration date on your pre-existing period of stay to ensure uninterrupted long-term status here in Thailand.

For example, if your Visa expires on September 21st, we can start the annual renewal process on September 1st.