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The visa rules, insurance and general regulations for people wanting to retire in Thailand can be very overwhelming, for some, a complete turn off, which is a shame considering what Thailand has to offer in terms of retirement. It may sound like a myth, but who you deal with can make a massive difference regarding ‘how easy your ride is’. A difference in immigration officers can mean the difference between a yes and a no so, when you are purchasing insurance, you want to make sure that it is absolutely solid and that nothing will change in terms of your benefits.
Long Stay Visa Insurance
If you have made that final decision that you are going to spend an extended amount of time in Thailand, by the extended amount of time we are talking about, anywhere from 1 year to 10 years, then you will probably want special Thailand visa insurance from Pacific Cross and will need a long-term visa. Long term visas come in the form of either an O-X or an O-A visa type, the former allowing you to stay in the Kingdom of Thailand for up to a year, the latter for up to ten years.
The requirements can seem a little tough in terms of what Thailand expects you to have in order to get one of these visas although, they can set the rules as they wish so the best a person can do is to go with it but, get the best possible help on the way.
Mandatory requirements
There are some mandatory requirements that need to be met depending on which visa you are looking to get, here are some of the things that are required of you.
- Health insurance
- Report to immigration every 90 days
- O-X visa applies to nationals or passport holders of the following countries. Japan, Australia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Canada, and The United States.
- O-X applicants must have 3 million Baht in the bank or show an annual income of at least 1.2 million Baht.
- O-X applicants must have 3 million Baht in the bank for at least one year and then 1.5 million Baht each year after that, not falling below the lower amount.
- O-A applicants must have at least 800’000 Baht in the bank or an income certificate showing and income of no less than 65’000 Baht per month.
- Applicants for both types of visas must be 50 years of age or over.
Health insurance
For some health insurance can be an afterthought, as can things like maintaining your health, however, in you want either of these visas, then you will need health insurance as a mandatory requirement, (as above) What is really important, though, is making sure that you have the correct health insurance and that you are properly covered so make sure you look into health insurance properly before making any visa decisions.
So much to think about
There is a lot to consider and that is where a visa agent can come in really useful, not only do they make sure that you have everything you need, when you need it, but they also have the right contacts in the right places which means that you should get ‘an easier ride’.
