The O-A is the "official" retirement visa most embassies point you to. It works well, but its insurance condition becomes harder to meet as you grow older. Read this before applying from your home country.
Contents
O-A requirements (applied at a Thai embassy in your country of nationality/residence)
- Age 50+, no prohibited criminal record, medical certificate.
- Funds: ฿800,000 equivalent in bank deposits or ฿65,000/month income or combination — shown in your home-country bank, which suits people who haven't opened a Thai account yet.
- Health insurance of at least ฿3,000,000 (USD 100,000) covering all medical expenses, including COVID-19, for the entire stay, as a total sum insured per policy year. A Thai policy from a company on the TGIA list, or a foreign policy with the Foreign Insurance Certificate. The old ฿400,000 inpatient / ฿40,000 outpatient split dates from 2019 — see O-A visa health insurance: the current rule and how to prove it.
What to weigh before choosing it
The insurance requirement continues after the first visa. Each in-country extension of an O-A stay, made year by year, is checked against the insurance criteria again, for as long as you stay on the O-A. Premiums for a 75-year-old on a ฿3M policy commonly run ฿100,000–250,000+ per year, insurers can decline renewal after a claim, and most Thai insurers stop writing new policies at 70–75. We regularly meet O-A holders in their late 70s facing premiums larger than their rent.
By contrast, the Non-Immigrant O route has similar financial requirements and no health insurance condition in its published criteria; the 2019 police order on insurance was written for O-A holders. You choose your cover on its merits. Compare: health insurance for retirees.
When the O-A does make sense
- You want everything approved before leaving home, with funds staying in your home bank.
- You are under ~65, insurable at reasonable cost, and value the near-two-year stay (see FAQ) while you decide if Thailand is permanent.
- You plan to switch to LTR or Non-O later — we map the exit route at the start.
Get the O-A vs Non-O decision right the first time
Written assessment of which route fits your age, health and money — no charge. Reply within one business day.
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