Retirement visa age requirements by country: what Australians need

What is the youngest age for a retirement visa?

It depends on the country. Thailand’s retirement visas start at 50. The Philippines’ SRRV starts at 50 at its standard deposit and takes people from 40 if they put down a higher one. Indonesia’s two retirement visas start at 55, and Malaysia’s MM2H at 25. Portugal and Spain set no minimum age in the rules we found, and test your income instead.

So if you are in your late 50s, you can already apply in several countries. Under 50, Thailand’s retirement visas are closed to you.

Age and money rules, country by country

Here are the youngest age and the money rule for each visa as at October 2026, with every figure taken from a government or embassy page in the sources.

Country	Visa	Youngest age	Money rule
Thailand	Non-O (retirement)	50	800,000 baht in a bank (about A$35,650), or 65,000 baht a month of income (about A$2,900)
Thailand	Non-O-A (one year, applied for from outside Thailand)	50	800,000 baht (about A$35,650), or 65,000 baht a month (about A$2,900), or a mix adding up to 800,000 baht a year; plus health insurance of at least 3,000,000 baht (US$100,000, about A$134,000), a police check and a medical certificate
Thailand	O-X (10 years, for citizens of 14 countries including Australia)	50	3,000,000 baht in a Thai bank (about A$134,000), or 1,800,000 baht there (about A$80,210) plus 1,200,000 baht a year of income (about A$53,480); plus health insurance from an insurer in Thailand with at least 400,000 baht inpatient and 40,000 baht outpatient cover (about A$17,830 and A$1,780), a police check and a medical certificate
Thailand	LTR “Wealthy Pensioner” (10 years)	50	US$80,000 a year of passive income (about A$116,000), or US$40,000 a year (about A$57,810) plus a US$250,000 investment in Thailand (about A$361,000)
Malaysia	MM2H Silver (5-year pass)	25	US$150,000 fixed deposit (about A$217,000), and a home bought for RM600,000 or more (about A$214,000)
Malaysia	MM2H Gold (15 years) and Platinum (20 years)	25	US$500,000 (Gold) or US$1 million (Platinum) fixed deposit (about A$723,000 or A$1.4 million), and a home bought for RM1 million or RM2 million or more (about A$357,000 or A$714,000)
Malaysia	MM2H special economic zone tier (10 years)	21	US$65,000 fixed deposit (about A$93,940), or US$32,000 (about A$46,250) if you are 50 or over
Philippines	SRRV Classic	50 (40 to 49 pay more)	US$15,000 deposit (about A$21,680) with a pension of at least US$800 a month, or US$1,000 with dependants (about A$1,160 or A$1,450), or US$30,000 (about A$43,360) without a pension
Indonesia (Bali)	Second Home (E33, up to 5 years)	No age rule found	US$130,000 (about A$188,000) in a state-owned Indonesian bank in your own name, or property worth US$1,000,000 (about A$1.4 million); fee IDR 13,000,000 (about A$1,090)
Indonesia (Bali)	Retirement (E33F, up to 1 year)	55	A sponsor, bank statements showing at least US$2,000 (about A$2,890) over the last 3 months, and income of US$3,000 a month (about A$4,340); fee IDR 7,000,000 (about A$590)
Indonesia (Bali)	“Silver Hair” (E33E, up to 5 years)	55	US$50,000 (about A$72,260) in a state-owned Indonesian bank, and income of US$3,000 a month (about A$4,340)
Portugal	D7 (passive income)	No age rule found	Income of at least Portugal’s minimum wage, €920 a month in 2026 (about A$1,540), plus 50% for a second adult
Spain	Non-lucrative visa	No age rule found	€2,400 a month (about A$4,030), which is €28,800 a year (about A$48,350), plus €7,200 a year (about A$12,090) for each family member

Thailand’s O-X runs 5 years, then 5 more, and the Thai embassies in Oslo and Tokyo both list Australia among its 14 countries. The Oslo embassy says a married spouse of any age can apply with the holder.

Malaysia’s official MM2H guidelines say participants under 50 must spend at least 90 days a year in Malaysia. The Philippine SRRV also has a US$1,500 processing fee (about A$2,170) and a US$360 annual fee (about A$520).

Indonesia’s figures are from its official e-Visa site (Directorate General of Immigration), checked 20 October 2026. Both Indonesian retirement visas want income of US$3,000 a month (about A$4,340 at the RBA’s 12-month average rate), which is more than the most a couple gets from the Age Pension in Australia (about A$4,040 a month).

Rules changed in the last year. Thailand cut its visa-free stay from 60 to 30 days for entries from 15 September 2026, as published in its Royal Gazette on 31 August 2026 (reported by TTG Asia). Figures for the SRRV of US$10,000 or US$20,000 (about A$14,450 or A$28,910), which still appear on older pages, do not match the Philippine Retirement Authority’s site. Portugal’s D7 income test follows its minimum wage, which rose to €920 a month (about A$1,540) on 1 January 2026.

Do I need a retirement visa for a winter away?

Usually not. A winter away of 6 to 12 weeks fits inside a visitor stay in several of these countries. Thailand’s is the one to watch: 30 days is shorter than 6 weeks.

Country	Visitor stay for Australians (October 2026)
Thailand	30 days visa-free, from 15 September 2026; one 30-day extension at Thai immigration is reported by Visasnews
Malaysia	90 days on arrival, in most cases
Vietnam	eVisa before you go, up to 90 days
Indonesia (Bali)	30 days on arrival, extendable once by 30 days
Philippines	30 days visa-free, extendable with the Bureau of Immigration
Portugal and Spain	90 days in any 180 across the Schengen area

The Thai, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Philippine and Schengen stays are from Smartraveller’s pages for each country, apart from the Thai day count.

Is there an upper age limit?

We found no top age for any visa in the table. In practice, health insurance sets the limit. Thailand’s Non-O-A needs a policy, and so does the O-X, which wants one from an insurer in Thailand. The LTR needs a policy or a large bank balance, and some Thai embassies list insurance for the Non-O as well. Smartraveller says your age and health affect the cost and type of policy you need.

In your 70s, get a quote before you pay for a visa application. It tells you whether cover is available at all. Our guide to international health insurance by age lists the questions to ask.

What counts as income for these visas?

Each country decides for itself. Some want a deposit sitting in a local bank, and others want a monthly income that keeps coming in, such as a pension. The Philippines wants a deposit either way, and a bigger one if you have no pension.

Questions to ask the embassy or immigration office, or a licensed visa agent in that country:

1. Does my Age Pension count as income for this visa?
2. Does an income stream from my super fund count?
3. Does rent from my house in Australia count?
4. How long must a deposit sit in a local bank before and after I apply?

An example, not real people

Margaret is 56, single, and still a few years from deciding. She wants to know which countries she could use today.

Country	Can she apply at 56?	What she would need
Thailand (Non-O)	Yes, she is over 50	800,000 baht in a bank (about A$35,650), or 65,000 baht a month (about A$2,900)
Philippines (SRRV)	Yes, she is over 50	US$30,000 deposit (about A$43,360), because she has no pension yet
Bali (E33F retirement visa)	Yes, she is over 55	A sponsor, and income of US$3,000 a month (about A$4,340)
Portugal (D7)	No age rule found	At least €920 a month of passive income (about A$1,540)
Spain (non-lucrative)	No age rule found	€2,400 a month (about A$4,030)

At 56 she clears the age bar in Thailand, the Philippines and Bali, and we found no age rule in Portugal or Spain. What she can show in the bank, or coming in each month, will narrow the list.

Where do I check the rules before I apply?

With the country’s embassy or immigration office, or a licensed visa agent there. Smartraveller warns that some third-party websites charging a fee to lodge your visa are scams, so apply through the links or organisations the embassy recommends. Our guide to overseas retirement scams covers the warning signs.

Thailand’s Long-Term Resident visa is run by its Board of Investment. The Philippine Retirement Authority runs the SRRV, and Malaysia’s MM2H has its own official site. For more on Thailand, see the Thailand retirement visa.

What this means for you depends on

• Your age, and your partner’s if you are going together.
• Whether you can show a lump sum in a local bank, a monthly income, or both.
• How long you want to stay each year. A visitor stay may already cover it.
• Health insurance at your age, for the whole stay.
• The exchange rate, because most of these rules are set in baht, US dollars or euros.
• Changes after October 2026. Visa rules move often, so check with the embassy before you commit.