Extension Based on Retirement in Thailand 2026: TM.7 Renewal Guide, 800,000 THB Rule and Documents

Reviewed by Wichuda Atthamethakon, LL.M., Thai Bar Licence 3149/2556, for ThaiLawOnline, a Thai law firm acting for foreigners since 2006.

To renew a retirement extension in Thailand you file form TM.7 at your immigration office before your current permission to stay expires (most offices accept the application 30 days ahead, Chaeng Watthana in Bangkok up to 45 days), with your passport, TM.30 receipt, a bank letter and statement showing 800,000 THB for the required months, or proof of 65,000 THB monthly income, and you pay 1,900 THB. You must be 50 or older; you do not need to be retired at home. This guide covers the first extension and every yearly renewal after it.

Last reviewed: 31 August 2026. Clause 2.22 of the annex to Order of the Royal Thai Police No. 654/2564 was read criterion by criterion from the Government Gazette text (volume 139, special part 17 Ngor, page 16, 24 January 2022; the order sets its own commencement at 1 October 2022): the age condition, the 65,000 THB income route, the 800,000 THB deposit route with its two-month and three-month periods and its 400,000 THB floor, the combined route, and the insurance condition that applies to Non-Immigrant O-A holders only. That order was repealed on 26 September 2023, and the criteria it carried now sit in clause 2.22 of the table annexed to Immigration Bureau Order No. 12/2568 of 23 January 2025, read in Thai on 15 September 2026; this paragraph records what was read on 31 August and is left as it was written. Sections 37(5) and 76 of the Immigration Act B.E. 2522 were read in Thai from the consolidated text. Penal Code sections 137, 144, 251, 252, 264, 265 and 267 were each read against the Thai text in our own annotated Code, on the rates as amended in 2017. Supreme Court Decisions 2752/2519, 1047/2514, 4048/2528, 1430/2537, 2141/2532 and 1955/2546 were read in full in Thai, to the final disposition. On 3 October 2026 sections 37, 38 and 77 of the Immigration Act were read in Thai for the TM.30 and 90-day passages; the 15-day and 7-day reporting window is Immigration Bureau practice, not a figure in the Act. Re-checked on 6 October 2026: Immigration Act sections 76 and 77 and Penal Code sections 137, 144, 251, 252, 264, 265, 267 and 268 re-read in Thai; every penalty stated matches; nothing changed.

Download the official TM.7 form (PDF, 2 pages, Thai and English), the Immigration Bureau’s “Application for extension of temporary stay in the Kingdom”, mirrored here and checked August 2026. It is the same form for a retirement, marriage, work or study extension.

Two words are used loosely and it matters: a visa is issued abroad (or online through the Thai e-Visa portal) and gets you into Thailand; an extension of stay is granted inside Thailand, at an immigration office, and is what you renew every year.

Retirement is one of several extensions available; compare them with our Thai visa finder.

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Helping a foreign spouse or parent? Our English visa services: immigration consultation, DTV visa, 90-day report.

Retirement extension renewal checklist 2026

This is what immigration offices ask for when you renew a one-year extension of stay based on retirement. Individual offices add items (a hand-drawn map, extra photocopies, a Thai phone number), so confirm with your own office a few weeks before you file.

Documents and fees for a retirement extension renewal in Thailand, 2026.

Item	Detail
Form TM.7	Completed and signed, with one passport-size photo (4 x 6 cm) glued to it. Download the official PDF above.
Fee	1,900 THB, paid in cash at the counter when the application is accepted.
Passport	Original, plus signed photocopies of the photo page, current visa or extension stamp, latest entry stamp and TDAC or TM.6 record.
Financial proof, deposit route	Thai bank book and a bank letter dated within a few days of filing, showing 800,000 THB held for at least 2 months before filing, and a statement covering that period. The balance must then stay at 800,000 THB for 3 months after permission is granted.
Financial proof, income route	Evidence of at least 65,000 THB a month: an embassy income letter where your embassy still issues one, or 12 months of Thai bank statements showing monthly transfers from abroad.
Financial proof, combined route	Deposit plus annual income totalling at least 800,000 THB, documented as above.
TM.30 receipt	The notification of residence filed by your landlord or by you as owner. Bring the receipt or the printout from the online system.
Proof of address	Lease, house book (tabien baan) or ownership document, and at many offices a hand-drawn map to your home.
Health insurance	Only if your entry was on a Non-Immigrant O-A visa: cover of at least 3,000,000 THB or USD 100,000. Not required for an extension following a Non-Immigrant O entry.
When to file	Up to 30 days before your current stamp expires at most offices, 45 days at Chaeng Watthana in Bangkok. The new year runs from the old expiry date, so filing early costs you nothing.
After approval	Buy a re-entry permit (1,000 THB single, 3,800 THB multiple) before any trip abroad, and keep filing the 90-day report with the TM.47 form.

Renewing a retirement extension in Pattaya or Jomtien

If you live in Pattaya, Jomtien or elsewhere in Bang Lamung, you renew at the Chonburi Provincial Immigration office on Soi 5, Jomtien Beach Road, not in Bangkok. You file at the immigration office responsible for the address on your TM.30, so a Pattaya address means the Jomtien office. The financial criteria are the national ones in the table above: 800,000 THB held for 2 months before filing and 3 months after approval, 65,000 THB a month, or a combination. What the Jomtien office sets for itself is the checklist around those criteria, such as how recently the bank letter must be dated and how many signed photocopies it wants, and it changes from time to time. Ask at the counter or check a recent local report before you go, and bring every item in the table, because a missing photocopy usually means a second trip.

Staying in Thailand for more than 90 days has special rules. You must notify your address once 90 days are complete, and every 90 days after that. The householder, owner, occupier or hotel manager who takes you in must also inform the authorities within 24 hours (TM 30). If you need to leave Thailand during your visa or extension, you may need a multiple entry visa or a re-entry permit.

Written by Sébastien Brousseau, with help from the "Expats in Isaan" group on Facebook and some Thaivisa members. (Many rules were changed in 2019 and we invite you to read this article to be familiar with these new rules)

For many visitors to Thailand, a short holiday simply isn’t enough to enjoy all the country has to offer. If you want to stay longer than 3 months, you can extend your visa. You must meet the requirements from the Royal Thai Immigration. A retirement visa might be the right choice for you. You don’t have to move to Thailand for good. However, renewing your visa each year lets you stay in the Kingdom for many years. Here’s how to do it. You also do not need to be officially retired in your country but you must be 50 years-old or older.

The law behind this page

English

Section 35 Immigration Act B.E. 2522

Full text

In the case of an alien entering the Kingdom temporarily under section 34, the Director-General, or a competent official assigned by the Director-General, may permit the alien to stay in the Kingdom subject to any conditions. The period of permitted stay in the Kingdom shall be set as follows: (1) not more than 30 days, for cases under section 34 (4), (8) and (9); (2) not more than 90 days, for cases under section 34 (3); (3) not more than 1 year, for cases under section 34 (5), (10), (11), (12), (13), (14) and (15); (4) not more than 2 years, for cases under section 34 (6); (5) for the period necessary, for cases under section 34 (1) and (2); (6) for the period the Board of Investment considers appropriate, for cases under section 34 (7). Where an alien has a necessary reason to stay in the Kingdom beyond the periods set in (1), (2), (3) and (4), the Director-General shall consider permitting a further stay of not more than 1 year at a time and, having given permission, shall report it with reasons to the Committee for information within 7 days from the date of permission. For each application for permission to stay temporarily in the Kingdom further, the alien shall file an application in the prescribed form and pay the fee prescribed in ministerial regulations. While awaiting the order, the alien may remain in the Kingdom in the meantime.

ThaiLawOnline translation

Official text

Section 37 Immigration Act B.E. 2522

Full text

An alien permitted to stay in the Kingdom temporarily must comply with the following: (1) not engage in an occupation or work for hire, unless permitted under the law on foreign business or the law on the management of alien employment; (2) reside at the place notified to the competent official, except that where there is reasonable cause preventing residence at the notified place, the alien shall notify the competent official of the change of residence within 24 hours from the time of taking up residence; (3) notify a police officer at the local police station where the alien resides within 24 hours from the time of moving, in case of a change of residence, and if the new residence is in a different locality from the original local police station, the alien must also notify a police officer at the local police station of the new residence within 24 hours from the time of arrival; (4) if travelling to any province and staying in that province for more than 24 hours, notify a police officer at the local police station within 48 hours from the time of arrival; (5) if staying in the Kingdom for more than 90 days, notify the competent official at the Immigration Division in writing of the alien's place of residence without delay upon completing the 90-day period, and do the same every 90 days thereafter. In a locality where an immigration office is located, the notification may be made to the competent official at that immigration office. Whether (3) and (4) shall not apply to any case under section 34, and on what conditions, shall be as the Director-General prescribes. A notification under this section may be made by the alien in person or in writing to the competent official, in accordance with rules prescribed by the Director-General.

ThaiLawOnline translation

Official text

Section 39 Immigration Act B.E. 2522

Full text

If an alien permitted to stay in the Kingdom temporarily travels out of the Kingdom, that permission is deemed to have ended. However, if before leaving the Kingdom the alien obtained permission from the competent official to re-enter the Kingdom, and the alien re-enters the Kingdom without being a prohibited person under section 12, then, if any of the permitted period of stay remains, the alien may stay in the Kingdom for the remaining period. To apply for permission to re-enter the Kingdom, the alien shall file an application in the prescribed form and pay the fee at the rate and under the rules prescribed in ministerial regulations.

ThaiLawOnline translation

Official text

Section 38 Immigration Act B.E. 2522

Full text

A house master, an owner or occupier of a dwelling, or a hotel manager who receives as a resident an alien permitted to stay in the Kingdom temporarily must notify the competent official at the immigration office located in the locality of the house, dwelling or hotel within 24 hours from the time the alien takes up residence. If no immigration office is located in that locality, the notification shall be made to a police officer at the local police station. Where the house, dwelling or hotel in which the alien resides under paragraph one is located in the Bangkok Metropolitan area, the notification shall be made to the competent official at the Immigration Division. Notification under paragraphs one and two shall be in accordance with rules prescribed by the Director-General.

ThaiLawOnline translation

Official text

Section 76 Immigration Act B.E. 2522

Full text

An alien who fails to comply with section 37 (2), (3), (4) or (5) shall be liable to a fine of not more than 5,000 baht and a further fine of not more than 200 baht per day until the alien complies.

ThaiLawOnline translation

Official text

Section 77 Immigration Act B.E. 2522

Full text

A person who fails to comply with section 38 shall be liable to a fine of not more than 2,000 baht, but if that person is a hotel manager, to a fine of from 2,000 baht to 10,000 baht.

ThaiLawOnline translation

Official text

ไทย

มาตรา 35 พระราชบัญญัติคนเข้าเมือง พ.ศ. 2522

ข้อความเต็ม

คนต่างด้าวซึ่งเข้ามาในราชอาณาจักรเป็นการชั่วคราวตามมาตรา ๓๔ อธิบดีหรือพนักงานเจ้าหน้าที่ซึ่งอธิบดีมอบหมายจะอนุญาตให้อยู่ในราชอาณาจักรภายใต้เงื่อนไขใด ๆ ก็ได้ ระยะเวลาที่จะอนุญาตให้อยู่ในราชอาณาจักรให้กำหนดดังนี้ (๑) ไม่เกินสามสิบวัน สำหรับกรณีตามมาตรา ๓๔ (๔) (๘) และ (๙) (๒) ไม่เกินเก้าสิบวัน สำหรับกรณีตามมาตรา ๓๔ (๓) (๓) ไม่เกินหนึ่งปี สำหรับกรณีตามมาตรา ๓๔ (๕) (๑๐) (๑๑) (๑๒) (๑๓) (๑๔) และ (๑๕) (๔) ไม่เกินสองปี สำหรับกรณีตามมาตรา ๓๔ (๖) (๕) ตามกำหนดระยะเวลาตามความจำเป็น สำหรับกรณีตาม มาตรา ๓๔ (๑) และ (๒) (๖) ตามกำหนดระยะเวลาที่คณะกรรมการส่งเสริมการลงทุนพิจารณาเห็นสมควรสำหรับกรณีตามมาตรา ๓๔ (๗) ในกรณีที่คนต่างด้าวมีเหตุจำเป็นจะต้องอยู่ในราชอาณาจักรเกินระยะเวลาที่กำหนดใน (๑) (๒) (๓) และ (๔) ให้อธิบดีเป็นผู้พิจารณาอนุญาตให้อยู่ต่อไปได้ครั้งละไม่เกินหนึ่งปี และเมื่อได้อนุญาตแล้วให้รายงานต่อคณะกรรมการเพื่อทราบพร้อมด้วยเหตุผลภายในเจ็ดวันนับแต่วันอนุญาต การขออนุญาตเพื่ออยู่ในราชอาณาจักรเป็นการชั่วคราวต่อไปแต่ละครั้ง ให้คนต่างด้าวยื่นคำขอตามแบบและเสียค่าธรรมเนียมตามที่กำหนดในกฎกระทรวง ในระหว่างรอฟังคำสั่งให้คนต่างด้าวผู้นั้นอยู่ในราชอาณาจักรไปพลางก่อนได้

ตรงตามข้อความในราชกิจจานุเบกษา / สำนักงานคณะกรรมการกฤษฎีกา (Verbatim from the Royal Gazette / Office of the Council of State)

ข้อความทางการ

มาตรา 37 พระราชบัญญัติคนเข้าเมือง พ.ศ. 2522

ข้อความเต็ม

คนต่างด้าวซึ่งได้รับอนุญาตให้อยู่ในราชอาณาจักรเป็นการชั่วคราว ต้องปฏิบัติดังต่อไปนี้ (๑) ไม่ประกอบอาชีพหรือรับจ้างทำงาน เว้นแต่จะได้รับอนุญาตตามกฎหมายว่าด้วยการประกอบธุรกิจของคนต่างด้าวหรือกฎหมายว่าด้วยการบริหารจัดการการทำงานของคนต่างด้าว (๒) พักอาศัย ณ ที่ที่ได้แจ้งต่อพนักงานเจ้าหน้าที่ เว้นแต่ในกรณีที่มีเหตุผลสมควรไม่สามารถพักอาศัย ณ ที่ที่ได้แจ้งต่อพนักงานเจ้าหน้าที่ ให้แจ้งการเปลี่ยนที่พักอาศัยต่อพนักงานเจ้าหน้าที่ภายในยี่สิบสี่ชั่วโมงนับแต่เวลาที่เข้าพักอาศัย (๓) แจ้งต่อเจ้าพนักงานตำรวจ ณ สถานีตำรวจท้องที่ที่คนต่างด้าวผู้นั้นพักอาศัยภายในยี่สิบสี่ชั่วโมงนับแต่เวลาที่ย้ายไป ในกรณีเปลี่ยนที่พักอาศัย และถ้าที่พักอาศัยใหม่อยู่ต่างท้องที่กับสถานีตำรวจท้องที่เดิม คนต่างด้าวผู้นั้นต้องแจ้งต่อเจ้าพนักงานตำรวจ ณ สถานีตำรวจท้องที่ที่ไปพักอาศัยใหม่ภายในยี่สิบสี่ชั่วโมงนับแต่เวลาที่ไปถึงด้วย (๔) ถ้าเดินทางไปจังหวัดใดและอยู่ในจังหวัดนั้นเกินยี่สิบสี่ชั่วโมง ให้คนต่างด้าวผู้นั้นแจ้งต่อเจ้าพนักงานตำรวจ ณ สถานีตำรวจท้องที่ภายในสี่สิบแปดชั่วโมงนับแต่เวลาที่ไปถึง (๕) ถ้าอยู่ในราชอาณาจักรเกินเก้าสิบวัน คนต่างด้าวผู้นั้นต้องมีหนังสือแจ้งให้พนักงานเจ้าหน้าที่ ณ กองตรวจคนเข้าเมืองทราบถึงที่พักอาศัยของตนโดยมิชักช้าเมื่อครบระยะเก้าสิบวัน และต่อไปให้กระทำเช่นเดียวกันทุกระยะเก้าสิบวัน ถ้าท้องที่ใดมีที่ทำการตรวจคนเข้าเมืองตั้งอยู่ จะแจ้งต่อพนักงานเจ้าหน้าที่ ณ ที่ทำการตรวจคนเข้าเมืองแห่งนั้นก็ได้ ความใน (๓) และ (๔) จะมิให้ใช้บังคับแก่กรณีใดตามมาตรา ๓๔ โดยเงื่อนไขอย่างใด ให้เป็นไปตามที่อธิบดีกำหนด การแจ้งตามมาตรานี้ คนต่างด้าวอาจไปแจ้งด้วยตนเองหรือมีหนังสือแจ้งต่อพนักงานเจ้าหน้าที่ก็ได้ ทั้งนี้ ตามระเบียบที่อธิบดีกำหนด

ตรงตามข้อความในราชกิจจานุเบกษา / สำนักงานคณะกรรมการกฤษฎีกา (Verbatim from the Royal Gazette / Office of the Council of State)

ข้อความทางการ

มาตรา 39 พระราชบัญญัติคนเข้าเมือง พ.ศ. 2522

ข้อความเต็ม

คนต่างด้าวซึ่งได้รับอนุญาตให้อยู่ในราชอาณาจักรเป็นการชั่วคราว หากเดินทางออกไปนอกราชอาณาจักร ให้ถือว่าการได้รับอนุญาตให้อยู่ในราชอาณาจักรเป็นการชั่วคราวดังกล่าวเป็นอันสิ้นสุด แต่ถ้าก่อนเดินทางออกไปนอกราชอาณาจักร ได้รับอนุญาตจากพนักงานเจ้าหน้าที่ให้กลับเข้ามาในราชอาณาจักรได้อีก และคนต่างด้าวนั้นได้กลับเข้ามาในราชอาณาจักรโดยไม่เป็นผู้ต้องห้ามตามมาตรา ๑๒ ถ้าระยะเวลาที่ได้รับอนุญาตให้อยู่ในราชอาณาจักรยังมีเหลืออยู่ ให้อยู่ในราชอาณาจักรต่อไปได้เท่าระยะเวลาที่ยังเหลืออยู่นั้น การขออนุญาตเพื่อกลับเข้ามาในราชอาณาจักรอีก ให้คนต่างด้าวยื่นคำขอตามแบบและเสียค่าธรรมเนียมตามอัตราและหลักเกณฑ์ที่กำหนดในกฎกระทรวง

ตรงตามข้อความในราชกิจจานุเบกษา / สำนักงานคณะกรรมการกฤษฎีกา (Verbatim from the Royal Gazette / Office of the Council of State)

ข้อความทางการ

มาตรา 38 พระราชบัญญัติคนเข้าเมือง พ.ศ. 2522

ข้อความเต็ม

เจ้าบ้าน เจ้าของหรือผู้ครอบครองเคหสถาน หรือผู้จัดการโรงแรมซึ่งรับคนต่างด้าวซึ่งได้รับอนุญาตให้อยู่ในราชอาณาจักรเป็นการชั่วคราวเข้าพักอาศัย จะต้องแจ้งต่อพนักงานเจ้าหน้าที่ ณ ที่ทำการตรวจคนเข้าเมืองซึ่งตั้งอยู่ในท้องที่ที่บ้าน เคหสถาน หรือโรงแรมนั้นตั้งอยู่ภายในยี่สิบสี่ชั่วโมงนับแต่เวลาที่คนต่างด้าวเข้าพักอาศัย ถ้าท้องที่ใดไม่มีที่ทำการตรวจคนเข้าเมืองตั้งอยู่ให้แจ้งต่อเจ้าพนักงานตำรวจ ณ สถานีตำรวจท้องที่นั้น ในกรณีที่บ้าน เคหสถาน หรือโรงแรมที่คนต่างด้าวเข้าพักอาศัยตามวรรคหนึ่งตั้งอยู่ในเขตท้องที่กรุงเทพมหานคร ให้แจ้งต่อพนักงานเจ้าหน้าที่ ณ กองตรวจคนเข้าเมือง การแจ้งตามวรรคหนึ่งและวรรคสองให้เป็นไปตามระเบียบที่อธิบดีกำหนด

ตรงตามข้อความในราชกิจจานุเบกษา / สำนักงานคณะกรรมการกฤษฎีกา (Verbatim from the Royal Gazette / Office of the Council of State)

ข้อความทางการ

มาตรา 76 พระราชบัญญัติคนเข้าเมือง พ.ศ. 2522

ข้อความเต็ม

คนต่างด้าวผู้ใดไม่ปฏิบัติตามมาตรา ๓๗ (๒) (๓) (๔) หรือ (๕) ต้องระวางโทษปรับไม่เกินห้าพันบาทและปรับอีกไม่เกินวันละสองร้อยบาท จนกว่าจะปฏิบัติให้ถูกต้อง

ตรงตามข้อความในราชกิจจานุเบกษา / สำนักงานคณะกรรมการกฤษฎีกา (Verbatim from the Royal Gazette / Office of the Council of State)

ข้อความทางการ

มาตรา 77 พระราชบัญญัติคนเข้าเมือง พ.ศ. 2522

ข้อความเต็ม

ผู้ใดไม่ปฏิบัติตามมาตรา ๓๘ ต้องระวางโทษปรับไม่เกินสองพันบาท แต่ถ้าผู้นั้นเป็นผู้จัดการโรงแรม ต้องระวางโทษปรับตั้งแต่สองพันบาทถึงหนึ่งหมื่นบาท

ตรงตามข้อความในราชกิจจานุเบกษา / สำนักงานคณะกรรมการกฤษฎีกา (Verbatim from the Royal Gazette / Office of the Council of State)

ข้อความทางการ

Français

Article 35 Immigration Act B.E. 2522

Séjour maximal : 30 jours, 90 jours, 1 an ou 2 ans selon l'article 34 ; durée nécessaire pour 34 (1), (2) ; fixée par le BOI pour 34 (7). Le directeur général peut prolonger ces quatre durées d'1 an maximum par fois. Le demandeur reste en attendant.

résumé non officiel

Texte officiel

Article 37 Immigration Act B.E. 2522

L'étranger en séjour temporaire ne peut travailler sans autorisation, doit résider à l'adresse déclarée, signaler tout changement sous 24 heures, tout séjour de plus de 24 heures dans une province sous 48 heures, et déclarer sa résidence tous les 90 jours, en personne ou par écrit.

résumé non officiel

Texte officiel

Article 39 Immigration Act B.E. 2522

Quitter le territoire met fin au séjour temporaire. Si l'étranger a obtenu avant son départ une autorisation de retour et revient sans être frappé d'interdiction selon l'article 12, il peut rester pour la durée restante.

résumé non officiel

Texte officiel

Article 38 Immigration Act B.E. 2522

Le chef de maison, le propriétaire ou occupant du logement, ou le gérant d'hôtel qui héberge un étranger en séjour temporaire doit le déclarer sous 24 heures au bureau d'immigration local, à défaut à la police locale, et à Bangkok à la Division de l'immigration.

résumé non officiel

Texte officiel

Article 76 Immigration Act B.E. 2522

L'étranger qui ne respecte pas l'article 37 (2), (3), (4) ou (5) encourt une amende d'au plus 5 000 bahts, plus au plus 200 bahts par jour jusqu'à régularisation.

résumé non officiel

Texte officiel

Article 77 Immigration Act B.E. 2522

Le manquement à l'article 38 est puni d'une amende d'au plus 2 000 bahts ; pour un gérant d'hôtel, de 2 000 à 10 000 bahts.

résumé non officiel

Texte officiel

Sources

• Immigration Act B.E. 2522, retrieved 31 October 2026

Which Visa Do You Need Before a Retirement Extension in Thailand?

There are several ways to apply for a retirement visa. This text aims to help you. Immigration rules can be confusing and may differ from one office to another.

If you have not chosen a route yet, our guide to the financial requirements of the three retirement routes compares the Non-Immigrant O extension, the O-A and the O-X on how much money each one locks up and for how long. That comparison is the decision most people get wrong before they ever reach this page.

1. Applying for Non-Immigrant O-A (long stay) your home-country

From your home country or where you live, you can apply for a Non-Immigrant O-A visa. This visa allows you to stay in Thailand for one year. You need to show proof that you are 50 years old or older. You also need to meet the financial eligibility criteria.

The rules for extending an OA Visa for retirement and an O-retirement Visa are the same. The only difference is the new health insurance requirement.

An OA Visa is valid for a full year (Visa validity date). When you enter Thailand on an OA Visa you will be stamped in for a full year.  Each time you re-enter Thailand before your visa expires, you will get a new stamp. This stamp allows you to stay for a full year.  It is therefore recommended to exit and re-enter Thailand just before your Visa validity expires.

In the second year after your Visa expires, you need a re-entry permit. This permit is required when you leave and come back to Thailand. It helps keep your permission to stay valid until your current date. And it is only at the end of the permission to stay, that you need to apply for an extension of stay.

What Documents Do You Need for a Retirement Extension in Thailand (TM7 Form)?

What is mentioned below is typically required, but requirements differ dependent on country of application. Be careful: many people talk about “retirement visa Thailand”. In Thailand, you will need to “extend your visa” every year, extend the first visa or permission you had when you entered. The following documents are required:

1. Passport with at least 18 months’ validity

2. Three copies of the completed visa application form

3. Three passport-sized photos (4x6cm) taken within the past 6 months

4. Personal information form (a CV or resume; the rules do not list it, but immigration can ask for any relevant document)

5. Copy of your bank statement showing an amount of 800,000THB or more, OR a certificate proving that you have a monthly income

You need a pension of 65,000 THB or more. Alternatively, you can show a mix of bank deposits and monthly income. This total must be at least 800,000 THB. Certain consulates or embassies can ask to notarize your bank account again verify with them.

6. Letter of guarantee from your bank (to guarantee bank statement accuracy)

IMPORTANT: The letter of guarantee for the funds deposited and relevant bank statements must be certified by a commercial bank in Thailand and should be recent (normally few days old only) This is not necessary everywhere, and would actually be difficult when applying from abroad for the OA Visa.

7. Notarized letter from your home country (or official country of residence) stating that you have no criminal record.

8. Medical certificate from a hospital in the country where you submit your application

it should show that you have no prohibitive diseases. The certificate should be recent (valid for not more than 3 months) and might have to be notarized. A letter or statement signed by your doctor is also acceptable in some countries.

9. Insurance

Health insurance is mandatory for the Non-Immigrant O-A visa. It is not a statutory requirement for a retirement extension based on a Non-Immigrant O entry, though we recommend cover regardless. The requirement runs on two tracks: at issuance abroad the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has accepted Thai or non-Thai insurers since 31 October 2019, with the 3,000,000 THB / USD 100,000 COVID layer added from 1 October 2021; at extension inside Thailand, criterion 2.22(6) of the table annexed to Immigration Bureau Order No. 12/2568 of 23 January 2025 permits Thai or non-Thai cover of not less than USD 100,000 or 3,000,000 THB. A foreign policy needs either a certification from the embassy of that country in Thailand or a notarised certificate of the signature on the document from your own Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in the form the Ministry of Public Health prescribes: item 5.2 of the same table gives both routes, and the embassy route is usually the shorter one for someone already in Thailand. That condition first applied inside Thailand on 1 October 2022, under Order of the Royal Thai Police No. 654/2564 (signed 27 December 2021, Government Gazette volume 139, special part 17 Ngor, page 16, 24 January 2022), which was repealed with its parent order on 26 September 2023. Criterion 2.22(6.1) requires a Thai policy to be bought online through the website below, and item 5.1 makes the same site the place to verify an approved Thai policy. Approved Thai insurers are listed at:

https://longstay.tgia.org/

The policy must cover the entire stay in Thailand. It must provide total coverage of at least 3,000,000 THB, or USD 100,000. This replaced the old split requirement of 40,000 THB outpatient and 400,000 THB inpatient, for new applications from 1 October 2021 and, at extension inside Thailand, from 1 October 2022 under Order of the Royal Thai Police No. 654/2564.

Who the O-A insurance requirement applies to

This only applies to people who have a 1-year Non-Immigrant O-A visa.  You will be permitted to stay only for the length of the insurance coverage and not exceeding one year.

Overseas insurance is accepted. However, your insurer must give you a filled-in and signed Foreign Insurance Certificate.  This visa is granted for 1 year.

2. Non-Immigrant O for reason of retirement (if available in your country)

The second option is to apply for a Non-Immigrant ‘O’ visa. You must apply online since 1st January 2025. There are many reasons to apply for a non-O visa. For example, being married to a Thai person can change your financial obligations. It can also affect the documents you need to submit.

You must be 50 or older. You also need bank statements that show an income of at least 65,000 THB per month. Alternatively, you can show a total account balance of 800,000 THB when you apply.

If you are already in Thailand and want to stay, you can change your visa. You can apply to change your 30-day visa exemption or 60-day Tourist Visa. This can be done at any local immigration office in Thailand that provides the service.

The same requirements will apply. When applying in Thailand, you also need to prove that the funds on your Thai bank-account originated from abroad >

Be careful, changing a visa is not easy and must be done at least 15 days before your visa expires.

3. Extending Your Visa (see the immigration link below) or what we call extension based on retirement in Thailand

It is advisable to apply for an extension one month before your visa expires. You should check with your local immigration office. They will tell you when to apply for an extension. Some offices (e.g. Chiang Wattana, government complex in Bangkok) allow up to 45 days.

However, you can apply up to actual permission to stay expiry date.  It is best to file about a month before, not in the last days. This way, if your application is incomplete, you can provide any extra documents needed.

To do this, you need to file a TM7 Extension of Stay form just like you would for the Non-Immigrant O visa above. This time, you need to show 800,000 THB in a Thai bank account. Criterion (4) says the deposit must sit in a commercial bank account located in Thailand, and criterion (5) says the same of the deposit part of the combined route, so money held abroad does not satisfy an extension. Showing funds in your home country is only an option when you apply for the visa itself from abroad. Alternatively, you can prove a monthly income of 65,000 THB. You can also use a mix of both to reach 800,000 THB or more. This is what we call an “Extension based on retirement in Thailand”.

You need to submit to extend your visa based on retirement:

1) TM.7 application form, which is the form for an extension based on retirement in Thailand or any other extension of stay.

2) Application fee of 1,900 THB

3) Original passport with signed photocopies of each page (2 copies outside of Bangkok)

4) 1 passport-sized photo (2 outside Bangkok)

5) Map to your residence (must be hand-drawn)

6) Financial proof (as discussed above)

Furthermore, when showing 800,000 THB in a Thai bank account, the funds must be seasoned before you file. The Immigration Bureau publishes that figure, and we have now read it. Its bilingual criteria sheet for clause 2.22, Criteria for Consideration of Granting an Alien’s Extension of Stay in the Kingdom for Retirement, states at criterion (4) that the 800,000 THB must sit in a commercial bank account in Thailand for not less than 2 months before the filing date, and for not less than 3 months after permission is granted. The Thai text says the same: ก่อนยื่นคำขอไม่น้อยกว่า ๒ เดือน และหลังจากได้รับอนุญาตไม่น้อยกว่า ๓ เดือน. After those three months you may draw on the account, provided the balance never falls below 400,000 THB.

So the two-month figure is not a rumour; it is what the Bureau itself publishes. We previously told readers to plan on three months because we had not read the primary text, and that reason has gone. Two months before filing is the published requirement. Three months is still the safer margin where your dates allow it, because offices apply the criteria with some latitude and an older three-month-before-filing reading of Order No. 327/2557 is still widely repeated.

⚠️ Currency note, 15 September 2026: both police orders named below are repealed. Order 327/2557 and its amendments, which is the wording Immigration Bureau Order No. 242/2566 uses in its own recital, were repealed on 26 September 2023 by Order of the Royal Thai Police No. 542/2566, so Order 654/2564 went with the parent order. The criteria then passed to Immigration Bureau Order No. 242/2566 (30 September 2023) and now sit in the table annexed to Immigration Bureau Order No. 12/2568 of 23 January 2025. We have read clause 2.22 of that table and the two-month and three-month periods and the 800,000 and 400,000 baht figures are unchanged, so what this page describes still stands and only the citation has moved. The Immigration Bureau sheet described below remains the practical document your office works from.

Source note: this is not only an administrative sheet. The criteria for clause 2.22 were re-issued as the annex to Order of the Royal Thai Police No. 654/2564, published in the Government Gazette at volume 139, special part 17 Ngor, page 16, on 24 January 2022, and criterion (4) of that annex sets the same 2 month and 3 month periods and the same 800,000 and 400,000 THB figures. The Immigration Bureau’s own bilingual sheet, document 7-6 NON-O, states it in Thai and English to the same effect; immigration.go.th refuses requests that arrive from other websites, so that sheet cannot be linked from here and we read it as archived on 4 August 2024. Confirm the current sheet at your own immigration office before you move money.

After 3 months, some money can be withdrawn. But you have to keep at least 400,000THB throughout the duration of permitted stay.

For a monthly income of 65,000 THB, you need evidence of that income: a Letter for Proof of Income where your embassy still issues one, or the 12 months of Thai bank statements in the checklist above. Sadly, the embassies of the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and other countries no longer offer this service. You will need to obtain Proof of Income from your home country. Please consult your embassy as to whether or not they can provide you with a Proof of Income letter.

There are 3 ways of proving that you meet the financial requirements for an Extension based on retirement in Thailand:

• Money-in-bank method (800,000 THB before filing, 400,000 THB kept afterwards, as described)
• Monthly deposits (minimum 65,000 THB every single month with proof that it originated from abroad)
• Income statement or income certificate (with no need to prove money in a Thai bank) or whatever document the immigration bureau requires at its discretion.

On top of that there is the combination method (money at bank + incomes)

Some offices ask to see twelve months of bank statements. That is office practice rather than what the Order requires, and the difference matters if you are on the deposit route. Criterion (4) sets periods, not a deposit history: the 800,000 THB must stand in the account for not less than 2 months before you file and for not less than 3 months after permission is granted. The twelve-month frame belongs to the other two routes, where an annual figure is what you are proving.

Criterion (3) is evidence of income of not less than 65,000 THB a month. Criterion (5) is income over the year together with a deposit in a commercial bank in Thailand, calculated together at not less than 800,000 THB as at the date you file. On that combined route the deposit must stand before you file and after permission is granted, exactly as on the deposit-only route. 🔴 What is NOT the same is how far you may draw it down. Criterion (4), the deposit-only route, sets a flat floor of 400,000 THB. Criterion (5), this combined route, requires the account to keep not less than half of the deposit (กึ่งหนึ่งของจำนวนเงินฝาก), which is a proportion and not a fixed sum. On a 700,000 THB deposit that is 350,000, so a retiree who drew down to 400,000 on the strength of the other route would be comfortably above it; on a 300,000 THB deposit it is 150,000. ⚠️ The order this page used to cite was silent on the point: Order 654/2564 states a residual figure only in criterion (4), and the half-the-deposit rule is express in the current table, not inherited from it.

7) Purchase a health insurance policy (Only for Non-OA visa) to cover your extension of stay for up to one year from one of the participating companies.

Overseas insurance can be accepted, but you will need to complete the form at this link:

https://longstay.tgia.org/document/overseas_insurance_certificate.pdf

4. Applying for Extension based on retirement in Thailand when you are already here:

4.1 You can apply for a Non Imm O visa. Please note that starting January 1, 2025, you cannot apply at embassies or consulates. You apply online at the Thai website : https://www.thaievisa.go.th/ and you will get the answer by email.

You can must follow the rules and requirements.

The non-O visa does not require insurance like the Non-OA visa. However, most other requirements are similar. So if you do not wish to meet the requirement for insurance, you should switch your Non-OA visa for Non-O.

5. Staying in Thailand on a valid Visa or permission to stay

5.1      90-day reporting requirement

If you have a visa or extension in Thailand, you must report to Immigration every 90 days. This rule applies unless you leave Thailand before the 90 days are up. You file the TM.47 form for the 90-day report, which shows that you are still in Thailand and living at the same address.

There is no fee for these check-ins. You can also file the TM47 form at an immigration office from 15 days before your 90-day due date until 7 days after it, or online only within the 15 days before it. Report later than that and you are fined under section 76. There are several options to report your 90 days notice, and the Thai immigration website described them

5.2       Need for re-entry permits in Thailand

If you want to leave Thailand and come back after your visa has expired, you need a permit. This applies if you have a one-entry visa or are on an extension of stay. If you are on an extension, you must buy a single re-entry permit for 1,000 THB. A multiple re-entry permit will cost you 3,800 THB.

You can do this at any local IO or in the departure halls of major Thai airports. Make sure to complete it before leaving Thailand. The single and multiple re-entry permits are done with the TM8 form. If your Visa has expired, get the re-entry permit before you leave: without it, your permission to stay ends when you leave. This permit allows you to keep the permission to stay that your Visa gave you.

5.3       TM30 requirement

Separately from the 90-day report, the place where you live must be notified to immigration on form TM.30. This has nothing to do with the 90 days: it is due when you move in.

The duty is not yours but your host’s. Under section 38 of the Immigration Act the householder, the owner or occupier of the dwelling, or the hotel manager who takes you in must notify the immigration office for that area within 24 hours of your moving in (in Bangkok, the Immigration Bureau); it can be filed in person or online. Section 77 fines a householder or owner up to 2,000 THB for failing to do so, and a hotel manager from 2,000 to 10,000 THB. Whether a fresh TM.30 is needed each time you come back from another province is office practice and varies.

After the property owner submits the form they will receive a receipt regarding your residence. This receipt must be kept safe with you. You can easily staple it into your passport.

This receipt is very IMPORTANT. DO NOT LOSE IT. You will need it for re-entering the kingdom or for when you need another Non-Immigrant O-A visa extension.

Do note that local immigration office do not follow the same rules for TM30.

In addition to the 1-year Non-Immigrant O-A visa based on retirement, there is a 5-year option as well.

6.      FIVE YEARS NON-IMMIGRANT O-X VISA

The Non-Immigrant O-X visa for retirees runs for 10 years, issued as an initial 5 years and renewable for a further 5. It is open to nationals of 14 specified countries. It shares much with the 1-year O-A visa but carries materially different financial and insurance obligations.

They are as follows:

1. A deposit of 3,000,000 THB in a Thai bank account, or a deposit of 1,800,000 THB plus annual income of not less than 1,200,000 THB. The official texts express the income limb as an annual figure of 1,200,000 THB, which works out at 100,000 THB a month. Once you have entered Thailand, the full 3,000,000 THB must be accumulated in a Thai bank account within one year.
2. Health insurance. The O-X base requirement is a Thai policy approved by the Office of Insurance Commission at not less than 40,000 THB outpatient and 400,000 THB inpatient per policy year. Since 1 October 2021 several consular posts have additionally applied the 3,000,000 THB / USD 100,000 COVID layer to O-X, and at least one post accepts foreign insurers using the Foreign Insurance Certificate. The base instrument has not been amended to match the O-A figure: the O-X category was created by a Ministry of Interior Notification made under the Cabinet resolution of 22 November 2016, published in the Government Gazette at volume 134, special part 157 Ngor, page 33, on 12 June 2017, and clause 1(5) of that notification still reads 40,000 THB outpatient and 400,000 THB inpatient. Official sources are not uniform, so confirm with the post handling your application. Do not assume the O-X and O-A thresholds are identical.

An additional requirement is that you must obtain a re-entry permit after the visa has been approved.

Watch the O-X revocation conditions, which are rarely written about. Permission is revoked if the balance falls below 3,000,000 THB at the end of the first year, or below 1,500,000 THB at the end of the second year, or if the money is spent outside Thailand. That third limb is an independent trigger, not a gloss on the balance test. Withdrawals after the first year are expected to be for domestic expenses such as medical treatment, housing, a vehicle or children’s education.

Likewise, you may need to provide a police clearance certificate in Thailand or background check, and/or a medical certificate as well.

This is a new class of Non-Immigrant visa and not much is currently well-understood about the entire process.

Helpful Hints

You must now apply online for your visa and once in Thailand, you extend your visa. Do understand the difference between a visa and an extension.

Some offices may require you submit a copy of your passport legalized by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs. That is rare but each immigration office has discretion to require some documents. Before you submit any paperwork be sure to get a current list of requirements from your local immigration office.

To be exact, because this one is often garbled: a retirement extension lets you stay a year at a time, and the 90 day rule is a reporting duty, not a limit on your stay. Section 37(5) of the Immigration Act B.E. 2522 requires an alien who is permitted to stay temporarily and who remains in the Kingdom beyond 90 days to notify the immigration officer of their address once the 90 days are complete, and again every 90 days after that. Permanent residents are outside this duty. The penalty is in section 76: a fine of not more than 5,000 THB, and a further fine of not more than 200 THB for each day until you report.

Employment is prohibited on the retirement visa and Extension based on retirement in Thailand.

For over-50s, the retirement visa and extensions based on retirement are great options. They help you stay in Thailand long-term and enjoy this beautiful country. If you have the money and keep your paperwork organized, you can use the retirement extension. This will help you create a great life after work in Thailand.

For policy updates and announcements please check https://www.immigration.go.th/announce

While they are in the Thai language, many often have an English translation in the PDF reader. Look for announcements with the words “non-immigrant” in the heading.

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If you never did an extension of visa and live in Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, there are tons of agencies doing that. But once you do it once by yourself, think that each year will be similar. We encourage you to learn the process so you will save money. The first time is the most difficult but after, it should be exactly the same. Do not wait the last day to apply for your extension.

You can apply 30 days in advance so if something is missing, you have plenty of time to correct the problem. If you really want us to help, we can do extensions in Bangkok and several other places for about 20,000 baht. Contact us at info@thailawonline.com

• Immigration Bureau, Visa Extension, item 22 In the case of retirement. The Bureau refuses requests that arrive from other websites, so it cannot be linked directly; search for Visa Extension on immigration.go.th, or read the archived copy of 4 August 2024

Agents, borrowed bank balances, and what the Penal Code actually says

Every year some applicants are offered a shortcut: an agent who will “season” a bank account, or lend a balance for the weeks the rule requires, or simply file paperwork that says the money was there. It is worth being precise about what that is, because the exposure is not the visa. It is the criminal code, and it attaches to the applicant, not only to the agent.

Three provisions do the work, and the figures below are the current ones as amended in 2560 (2017). Many Thai-language summaries still quote the pre-amendment fines of 1,000 and 6,000 baht.

• Penal Code section 137, giving a false statement to an official where it may cause damage: imprisonment not exceeding six months, or a fine not exceeding 10,000 baht, or both.
• Penal Code section 267, causing an official to record a falsehood in a public or official document intended to be used as evidence: imprisonment not exceeding three years, or a fine not exceeding 60,000 baht, or both.
• Penal Code section 144, offering money or a benefit to an official to induce them to act improperly: imprisonment not exceeding five years, or a fine not exceeding 100,000 baht, or both.

The form and the interview can be two offences, not one. In Decision 2752/2519 a candidate wrote a false military rank on an election application handed to the provincial governor, and then repeated it when the governor took his statement on qualifications. The Supreme Court held these were separate acts: submitting the false form was one offence, and causing the false entry in the record of the investigation was another. Assume a false financial declaration and the questions asked across the counter are treated the same way.

What section 267 needs, and where it fails. Section 267 bites when the official actually records the falsehood in the document. In Decision 1430/2537 a director filed a report of a shareholders meeting that had never taken place so the registrar would record a change of directors, and that was section 267. Decision 4048/2528 shows both sides of that line in a single case. The defendant, a Vietnamese national, had a false entry made in a house registration saying he was of Thai nationality and had moved from an address where he had never been registered: that was section 267, because the falsehood was written into the register. The same defendant also told a district registrar he was Thai in order to obtain an identity card, and there section 267 failed, because the card the official issued carried no statement of nationality at all, leaving only the section 137 offence. The distinction is whether the lie ends up written into the document. The same decision adds a point worth knowing if you are ever questioned: a denial given in the capacity of an accused person is not a false statement to an official, even if what you say is untrue.

Belief matters, and so does timing. In Decision 1047/2514 a village headman relayed to the police what a villager had told him, in the course of his duties and believing it true, and was acquitted: honest belief defeats the intent these offences require. That case was charged under sections 172 and 174, which cover a false report of an offence rather than section 137, but the point about intent is the same. That is genuinely useful to the applicant who miscalculates a pension in a moving exchange rate rather than setting out to deceive. It will not help the applicant who knows better. In Decision 1955/2546 defendants who knew perfectly well their father had sold the land reported the title document lost so they could obtain a replacement, and the court found intent, not its absence. And under Decision 2141/2532 the offence is complete on the day the false statement is made, not on the day anyone discovers it.

Forgery is the heavier charge, and it is the one being laid. Sections 137, 267 and 144 are about what you say. A bank letter or statement that an agent manufactures is a forged document, and that is a different and heavier set of offences. Making one is section 264: imprisonment not exceeding three years, or a fine not exceeding 60,000 THB, or both. Using or citing it is section 268, which carries the penalty of the section forged, so filing the document is punished like making it. Forgery of an official document or a document of right is section 265, six months to five years and a fine of 10,000 to 100,000 THB. Where an official seal is faked, section 251 covers making it and section 252 using it, at one to seven years and a fine of 20,000 to 140,000 THB. Read those last two carefully: the prison terms are minimums rather than maximums, and the fine is additional to the term, not an alternative to it. The Immigration Bureau has publicised raids on agencies preparing forged bank paperwork, most recently in August 2026, and the offences announced in those cases are these forgery sections rather than the false statement ones.

The practical rule is short. Meet the test with your own money, on your own timeline, or use a route you actually qualify for. If the numbers do not work this year, the honest options above are cheaper than a criminal record and a blacklist.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Retirement extension: the financial requirements and permit fees described on this page.

Requirement	Amount	Notes
Bank deposit route	800,000 THB in a Thai bank account	800,000 THB for 3 months after permission is granted, then at least 400,000 THB for the rest of the permitted stay
Monthly income route	65,000 THB per month	Needs evidence of income: an embassy letter or 12 months of Thai bank statements
Combined route	Deposit plus income totalling 800,000 THB	Same seasoning as the deposit route, but the drawdown floor is half the deposit, not 400,000 THB
Health insurance	Non-Immigrant O extension: none. O-A: at least 3,000,000 THB, or USD 100,000	An extension following a Non-Immigrant O entry carries no insurance condition. The requirement attaches to the O-A visa, and applies at extension inside Thailand under criterion 2.22(6) of the table annexed to Immigration Bureau Order No. 12/2568, a condition that has applied inside Thailand since 1 October 2022
Re-entry permit, single	1,000 THB	Needed to keep the extension alive when leaving Thailand
Re-entry permit, multiple	3,800 THB

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A retirement extension brings ongoing obligations with it, starting with the 90 day report. Our Thai immigration overview explains how the extension sits alongside the rest of them. Need advice on your situation? Book a one-hour online consultation for 2,000 THB or see our fixed-fee services. Meetings are by appointment only.