Thailand retirement visa requirements 2026: 65,000 baht a month, the 800,000 baht deposit, or a mix
Written by Hans Goldstein, licensed insurance agent · CA 4273294Short answer: the Thailand retirement visa (Non-Immigrant O-A, age 50 and over) requires in 2026 THB 65,000 a month of income (about $1,940 at 33.5 baht per dollar), THB 800,000 in the bank (about $23,900), or a mix totaling THB 800,000 a year; Thailand states one amount per applicant, not a couple figure, and a spouse who is not eligible for the O-A is considered for a Non-O visa. The deposit is the cheaper way to qualify, while lifetime income is easier to keep showing at every yearly extension. A life-only SPIA bought in the US plus Social Security can cover the monthly route, and the same income counts toward Thailand’s USD 80,000 long-term resident pensioner track.
Free guide: Moving abroad on a fixed income
Income rules and taxes by country: Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, Italy, Spain, Malta and more, plus how a lifetime annuity fits.
Thailand retirement visa requirements: the three routes
If you want to retire in Thailand, Thai consulates in the US list the same money test for the Non-Immigrant O (retirement) and the one-year O-A. You must be 50 or over, and the O-A is applied for in your country of nationality or permanent residence, so you file from the US. US consulates now take O-A applications through Thailand’s online e-Visa system.
| Visa | Money test | About USD (33.5 THB per $) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-O retirement (90 days, then extend in Thailand) or O-A (1 year) | THB 65,000 a month income, or THB 800,000 deposit, or deposit plus income totaling THB 800,000 a year | $1,940 a month or $23,900 | O-A also needs health insurance of at least THB 3,000,000 (USD 100,000) per policy year; some consulates also list THB 400,000 inpatient and THB 40,000 outpatient, so check your consulate’s current list |
| O-X (long stay, 5 years plus 5) | THB 3,000,000 deposit in Thailand, or THB 1,800,000 deposit plus THB 1,200,000 a year income | $89,600, or $53,700 plus $2,985 a month | Open to citizens of listed countries; confirm with the consulate |
| Long-Term Resident (LTR), wealthy pensioner | USD 80,000 a year of pension or passive income, or USD 40,000 to 80,000 plus a USD 250,000 Thai investment | $6,667 a month | Pension counts by name; health insurance of USD 50,000 (or Thai social security, or USD 100,000 in a bank); tax exemption for overseas income |
The O-A is renewed each year by an extension of stay at a Thai immigration office, where you prove the money again. Consulates set their own document lists, so read the current page for the Thai consulate that covers your state.
Single or married: how much you need for a Thailand retirement visa
| Household | Money test (O-A) | About USD (33.5 THB per $) | Who must show it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single, 50 or over | THB 65,000 a month, or THB 800,000 deposit, or a mix totaling THB 800,000 a year | $1,940 a month or $23,900 | The applicant |
| Couple, both 50 or over, both applying for the O-A | No couple figure is published; the amount is stated once per applicant | Plan on $1,940 a month or $23,900 each until your consulate says otherwise | Each applicant |
| Spouse not eligible for the O-A (for example under 50) | Considered for a Non-O visa with the marriage certificate | Ask the consulate | The main applicant |
| Dependent children | Not covered on the consulate retirement pages | Ask the consulate | Not published |
When only one spouse has the pension. The spouse with the pension applies as the main O-A applicant. Thailand’s foreign ministry says an accompanying spouse who is not eligible for the O-A is considered for a Non-O visa. Whether a spouse’s income can be combined into one test is not published, so ask your consulate in writing. If the main applicant falls short of THB 65,000, the lifetime annuity goes in the name of the spouse who applies, priced on that spouse’s age and sex, and is bought while you both still live in the US.
US gift note (general information, confirm with a tax adviser): between two US-citizen spouses, gifts are unlimited. If the spouse receiving the money is not a US citizen, there is no unlimited marital deduction; for 2026 the annual exclusion for gifts to a non-citizen spouse is $194,000. Above that you file Form 709 and use part of your lifetime exemption, and generally no tax is due.
Deposit or income: the honest comparison
For the basic retirement visa, the deposit is cheaper. THB 800,000 is about $23,900, and you keep the money. Buying $1,940 a month of lifetime income costs ten times that or more. So why would anyone use the income route?
- The deposit lives in baht in a Thai bank. Immigration offices want it held there for set periods around each extension. That is a pile of baht you cannot freely spend.
- You need monthly money anyway. Most retirees bring in a monthly amount to live on. If that income is lifetime income, it qualifies you at the same time.
- The combination route. Twelve months of income plus a deposit totaling THB 800,000 lets Social Security and a smaller deposit work together.
- The LTR pensioner track. For readers with real savings, USD 80,000 a year of pension or passive income opens a long-term resident visa with an overseas income tax exemption. Lifetime annuity income is exactly the kind of pension income it counts.
Why I write about this. My mom is Norwegian, my dad is American, and they’re planning the move from the US to Norway. My mom is the sponsor (the host, or “reference person” in UDI’s words), so Norway’s income test falls on her income, not my dad’s. UDI told us in writing that money in an account does not count as income, and only lifelong income does. Their savings were not the problem; the paperwork wanted a monthly number in the host’s name. The rules in Thailand are different, but the problem is the same one many retirees hit: the income test, not the net worth. I’m writing this to help others in the same boat as my parents. Read how we worked through the Norway income requirement.
In the same boat? Let’s run your numbers
See roughly what a lifetime annuity would cost to close your income gap, then get my personal read by email. I can help while you still live in the US.
Estimates use the September 9, 2026 ImmediateAnnuities.com payout survey (life only) and a 15% cushion. Illustrative, not a quote.
How income is proven for Americans
From the US, consulates ask for an income or pension certificate, and US consulates such as Chicago want documents notarized and certified by the Secretary of State. A Social Security benefit letter and an insurer benefit letter stating the monthly amount for life both describe income in the form consulates ask for.
In Thailand it is different. Since January 1, 2019, the US Embassy in Bangkok no longer issues income affidavits. Thai immigration offices instead look at evidence of the money itself, commonly 65,000 baht or more arriving from abroad every month into a Thai account. Practice varies by office, so ask yours. A SPIA payment that lands on the same day every month makes that record easy to build.
Example: a 62-year-old American retiring in Thailand
Target: THB 65,000, about $1,940, plus 15% headroom because the bar is in baht and a stronger baht shrinks your dollar check, so about $2,231 a month. Payout at 62: ImmediateAnnuities.com survey of September 9, 2026, life-only, per $100,000 a month: man $603 average ($660 best), woman $582 ($637 best). Illustrative, not a quote. Premium equals the monthly gap divided by the payout per $100,000, times $100,000.
| Applicant, 62 | Monthly gap | Premium at average rate | Premium at best rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single man, no other income | $2,231 | about $370,000 | about $338,000 |
| Single woman, no other income | $2,231 | about $383,000 | about $350,000 |
| Single man, $1,500 Social Security started at 62 | $731 | about $121,000 | about $111,000 |
| Couple, each on own O-A: husband $1,400 and wife $1,000 Social Security | $831 and $1,231 | about $350,000 total | about $319,000 total |
| LTR pensioner: $3,000 Social Security, gap to USD 80,000 a year (man) | $3,667 | about $608,000 | about $556,000 |
Compare the couple row with two THB 800,000 deposits, about $47,800 in total. For the basic visa the deposit is far cheaper; the annuity is for people who want lifetime income to live on anyway. A joint and survivor annuity pays less per dollar than single life, so get a quote.
Which annuity counts
Consulates ask for an income or pension certificate, and immigration offices look at money arriving every month. A life-only SPIA, a joint and survivor SPIA, or an existing deferred annuity or MYGA converted to lifetime payments gives the same deposit every month for life. A period-certain annuity also pays monthly but runs out before your extensions do. An annuity still accumulating, or an income rider not yet paying, is savings, not income, and the deposit route wants money in a Thai bank.
How Thailand taxes the income
You are a Thai tax resident if you spend 180 days or more in Thailand in a calendar year. Under Revenue Department order Por. 161/2566 (September 15, 2023), from January 1, 2024 foreign income a resident brings into Thailand is taxable whatever year it is brought in; order Por. 162/2566 (November 2023) exempts income earned before 2024. Rates are progressive up to 35%, with the first THB 150,000 of net income taxed at 0%, and residents 65 and over get an extra THB 190,000 exemption. Money you leave in the US is not taxed by Thailand. A proposal to exempt foreign income brought in during the year it is earned or the next year had not been published in the Royal Gazette as of late September 2026, so do not plan on it.
- Social Security is taxable only in the US under the US-Thailand treaty (Art. 20(2)), even for Thai residents.
- Annuities of a Thai resident are taxable only in Thailand under Art. 20(3), but the treaty defines annuities as “a stated sum paid periodically at stated times during a specified number of years.” Whether a life-only contract fits that definition, and how much of each payment Thailand treats as assessable (Thai law lists annuities as assessable income), is a question for a Thai tax adviser; the Revenue Department has published no ruling on US purchased annuities.
- The US still taxes its citizens under the treaty’s saving clause (Art. 1(2)), and Art. 25 provides double tax relief: Art. 25(3) re-sources income so a US citizen can credit Thai tax paid on Form 1116. On the US return, a non-qualified SPIA is taxed under IRC 72 with an exclusion ratio, and a SPIA bought with IRA money is fully taxable. Part of each SPIA payment is a return of your own premium, not taxed on the US side (exclusion ratio).
- LTR wealthy pensioners receive a tax exemption for overseas income (BOI).
- Net result: money left in the US is taxed only by the US; money brought in can be taxed by both, with the Thai tax credited against US tax on the same income, so the higher of the two rates is the one you effectively pay. A US citizen cannot use the foreign earned income exclusion on an annuity (IRC 911(b)(1)(B)(i)), and US withholding is a prepayment, not extra tax.
Note the interplay: the income route at immigration means bringing money in, which is what Thailand taxes. Plan the two together.
Does Thailand have a wealth tax?
No. There are no net wealth taxes in Thailand, so a US annuity is not taxed on its value. What matters is income tax on money you bring in, covered above.
Practical rules
- Buy while you still have a US address. You cannot usually buy a US SPIA after you move.
- Plan for US withholding. Since January 1, 2026, a US citizen whose residence address on file is outside the US cannot opt out of federal withholding on annuity payments, even if the payments go to a US bank account (IRC 3405(e)(13), Treas. Reg. 31.3405(e)-1). Withholding is a prepayment of your US tax, not extra tax; you settle up on your return. Have payments land in a US account and transfer to Thailand monthly.
- Start payments 3 to 12 months before applying so statements match the benefit letter.
- Size to the baht figure plus 10 to 25%.
- A MYGA still accumulating is savings, not income. It counts toward a deposit, not a monthly figure.
- A US annuity is not FBAR or Form 8938 reportable and is not a PFIC. Your Thai bank account is; see FBAR and FATCA.
The trade-offs, once
A SPIA is irrevocable, paid in dollars against a baht test, level unless you add a cost-of-living rider, and backed by the issuing insurer’s claims-paying ability. For the basic visa alone the deposit is cheaper. The annuity wins when you want income for life that also keeps you qualified.
Married? Make the income outlive either of you. In Thailand each spouse may need to meet the figure, so plan on lifetime income in each spouse’s own name. If a single-life annuity is on one spouse and that spouse dies first, the payments stop, and the surviving spouse may have to show income of their own at the next renewal. A joint and survivor annuity, which keeps paying until the second death, or a separate annuity on each spouse closes that gap. Joint and survivor pays less per dollar than single life, so ask for both quotes and compare.
Frequently asked questions
Free annuity gap analysis for Thailand. Tell me your ages, your Social Security or pension, and whether you are single or a couple. I will show how far your income is from the Thailand requirement and what a lifetime annuity would cost to fill the gap, in the sponsor’s or main applicant’s name where that matters.
Related reading
- Moving abroad on a fixed income: hub
- Retirement visa income requirements compared
- Philippines SRRV pension requirement
- Malaysia MM2H requirements
- FBAR, FATCA and double taxation of a US annuity
- The exclusion ratio for Americans abroad
Sources
- Royal Thai Consulate-General, Los Angeles: Non-Immigrant O retirement, O-A and O-X
- Royal Thai Consulate-General, Chicago: Non-Immigrant O-A and O-X
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand: Non-Immigrant Visa O-A
- Samut Prakan Immigration: documents for retirement extension
- Integrity Legal: US Embassy Bangkok ends income affidavits from January 1, 2019
- Thailand Board of Investment: Long-Term Resident visa
- US-Thailand income tax treaty (IRS text: Art. 1(2) saving clause, Art. 20 pensions and annuities, Art. 25 double tax relief)
- Thailand Revenue Department: residence and personal income tax rates
- Thailand Revenue Department: Departmental Instruction Por. 161/2566 (foreign income brought into Thailand, Thai text)
- Thailand Revenue Department: Departmental Instruction Por. 162/2566 (income earned before 2024, Thai text)
- Forvis Mazars Thailand: guidance on Por. 161 and Por. 162 (English summary)
- PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries: Thailand, income determination (THB 190,000 exemption at 65 and over)
- Thai Law Online: status of the proposed remittance exemption (draft, not in the Royal Gazette)
- US Embassy Bangkok: income affidavits discontinued from January 1, 2019
- PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries: Thailand, taxes on personal income
- PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries: Thailand, residence
- PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries: Thailand, other taxes (no net wealth tax)
- IRS: tax inflation adjustments for 2026 (gifts to a non-citizen spouse)
- 26 U.S.C. 3405 (withholding on pensions and annuities)
- Treas. Reg. 31.3405(e)-1 (T.D. 10008): no withholding opt-out for a foreign residence address from 2026
- ImmediateAnnuities.com: immediate annuity rates by age (survey of September 9, 2026)
Goldstein & Co. LLC dba Goldstein Insurance Services · Hans Goldstein, licensed insurance agent, CA lic. #4273294 · NPN 20602398 · 213-414-2808 · hans@hansgoldstein.com
Education, not tax, legal or immigration advice. Rules, thresholds and exchange rates change; confirm with the consulate or immigration authority and a local tax adviser before you act, and get answers in writing. Hans Goldstein is a licensed insurance agent (CA 4273294) and can only offer annuities to residents of states where he is licensed. Annuity payments are guaranteed by the issuing insurer’s claims-paying ability, not by any government. Payout figures are illustrations from a published survey, not quotes. Immediate annuities are generally irrevocable.