Thailand retirement visa for Australians: age, bank deposit and the new 30-day rule

How long can I stay in Thailand without a visa?

30 days, for entries from 15 September 2026. It used to be 60. According to TTG Asia, the change was published in Thailand’s Royal Gazette on 31 August 2026 and the new 30-day stay is for tourism. Anyone who entered up to 14 September still got the 60 days.

Visasnews reports that you can ask a Thai immigration office for one extension of up to 30 days, for a fee of 1,900 baht (about A$85). The officer can say no. If they say yes, you have 60 days in total.

Smartraveller lists a few more things to have sorted before you land:

• Your passport must be valid for more than 6 months when you arrive.
• Be ready to show where you are staying, enough money for your stay and an onward or return ticket.
• You must fill in the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) online within 3 days before you arrive. It is free. Smartraveller warns of fake websites that charge for it.

There is also a cap on how often you can come and go. Smartraveller says you may only be allowed 2 visa-free entries each calendar year without a justifiable reason, and Thai consular pages limit visa-exempt entries over land borders to 2 a calendar year.

This changed on 15 September 2026. If you planned a winter away in Thailand on the old 60-day rule, check your dates again. A 12-week winter no longer fits in a visa-free stay, even with an extension.

What is the retirement visa age in Thailand?

Age 50. The Non-O, the Non-O-A and the 10-year O-X all need you to be at least 50 years old. So does the “Wealthy Pensioner” stream of the Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa.

What is the difference between the Non‑O and the Non‑O‑A?

Both are for people aged 50 and over, and the money rule is the same. The Non-O-A is a one-year visa you get before you go, with more paperwork (health insurance among it). The O-X runs for 10 years and asks for far more money in a Thai bank. The LTR is something else again: a 10-year visa with a much higher income rule.

	Non-O (retirement)	Non-O-A (long stay)	O-X (long stay, 10 years)	LTR “Wealthy Pensioner”
Youngest age	50	50	50, for citizens of 14 countries, Australia among them	50
Where you apply	A Thai embassy or the Thai e-visa system, then extend in Thailand	A Thai embassy or the Thai e-visa system, before you go	A Thai embassy or the Thai e-visa system, before you go	Thailand’s Board of Investment
How long	90 days, then extended to 1 year at Thai immigration	1 year	10 years (5, then extended for 5 in Thailand)	10 years (5, then renewed for 5)
Money	800,000 baht (about A$35,650) in the bank, or 65,000 baht a month of income (about A$2,900)	800,000 baht, or 65,000 baht a month, or a mix adding up to 800,000 baht a year (about A$35,650 or A$2,900 a month)	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)	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)
Health insurance	Listed by some embassies: the Kuala Lumpur embassy asks for 400,000 baht inpatient and 40,000 baht outpatient cover (about A$17,830 and A$1,780)	At least 3,000,000 baht or US$100,000 (about A$134,000 or A$145,000) of cover	A policy 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)	US$50,000 of cover (about A$72,260), or US$100,000 (about A$145,000) kept in a bank account for at least 12 months
Other papers	Passport, photos, bank statement or income letter; some embassies also ask for a police check and a medical certificate	A police check and a medical certificate	A police check and a medical certificate, each issued within 3 months	As listed by the Board of Investment
Fee	Ask the embassy	Ask the embassy	Ask the embassy; Tokyo charges 52,000 yen (about A$480)	50,000 baht a person (about A$2,230) to issue the visa in Thailand

The Non-O details come from the Thai embassy in Kuala Lumpur (December 2023) and the Non-O-A details from the Thai embassy in Oslo (September 2026). The O-X details come from the Thai embassies in Oslo and Tokyo. Embassies can differ, so check the Royal Thai Embassy in Canberra’s current list before you apply.

What does the 800,000 baht bank deposit rule mean?

It means showing 800,000 baht (about A$35,650) in a bank account in your name. Instead of the deposit, you can show 65,000 baht a month of income (about A$2,900), such as a pension. For the Non-O-A, the Oslo embassy also accepts a mix of the two that adds up to 800,000 baht a year (about A$35,650).

When you extend your stay inside Thailand, Thai immigration decides how long the money has to stay in the account. Ask the embassy or Thai immigration for the current rule. And check the A$ amount on the day, because the baht moves. Our A$ figures use the RBA’s 12-month average rate.

What are the health insurance requirements?

The Non-O-A needs a health insurance policy of at least 3,000,000 baht or US$100,000 (about A$134,000 or A$145,000) for your whole stay, according to the Thai embassy in Oslo. The O-X asks for a policy 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). Some embassies list insurance for the Non-O as well. The Royal Thai Embassy in Canberra can tell you its current figure.

For the Non-O-A, the policy that fits is usually international health insurance rather than travel insurance for a single trip. Smartraveller says your age and health affect the cost and type of policy you need. It also warns that policies can be costly and may not cover pre-existing conditions.

In your 70s, get a quote before you apply for the visa, since that’s how you find out whether cover is on offer at all. Our guide to international health insurance by age has more. Questions to ask an insurance broker:

1. Will this policy meet the Thai visa amount, in baht, for a full year?
2. Is there an age limit for new members, and for renewal?
3. Does it cover conditions I already have?
4. Does it pay to fly me home to Australia if I need it?

If you’d like to talk it through first, book a free planning session on Zoom.

What is the O-X visa?

It is Thailand’s 10-year long-stay visa for people aged 50 and over who don’t intend to work there. Only citizens of 14 countries can apply, and the Thai embassies in Oslo and Tokyo both list Australia.

The first stay is 5 years from the day you enter. After that, the Oslo embassy says you can apply in Thailand for an extension of 5 more years.

The money has to sit in a Thai bank. You need 3,000,000 baht there (about A$134,000), or 1,800,000 baht (about A$80,210) plus income of 1,200,000 baht a year (about A$53,480). Anyone using the smaller deposit must build it up to 3,000,000 baht (about A$134,000) within a year of arriving, the Oslo embassy says.

That embassy also says none of the money can be withdrawn for the first year. In the following year at least 1,500,000 baht (about A$66,840) must stay there, and it can only be spent in Thailand.

Health cover has to come from an insurer in Thailand: at least 400,000 baht inpatient and 40,000 baht outpatient (about A$17,830 and A$1,780). Both embassies also ask for a police check and a medical certificate, each issued within 3 months.

A married spouse of any age can apply too, with the marriage certificate. Embassies list the fee in their own currency, and Tokyo’s is 52,000 yen (about A$480). The Royal Thai Embassy in Canberra can give its figure. Our page on retiring in Thailand puts the O-X beside the other visas.

What is the LTR visa, and how is it different?

It is a 10-year visa run by Thailand’s Board of Investment, and its “Wealthy Pensioner” stream is for people aged 50 and over. The money bar sits well above the retirement visas, at US$80,000 a year of passive income (about A$116,000). If your passive income is between US$40,000 and US$80,000 a year (about A$57,810 and A$116,000), you also need US$250,000 (about A$361,000) invested in Thai government bonds, a Thai company or Thai property.

You also need US$50,000 of health cover (about A$72,260), or US$100,000 (about A$145,000) kept in a bank account for at least 12 months. The fee to issue the visa in Thailand is 50,000 baht a person (about A$2,230).

What about the Destination Thailand Visa (DTV)?

Thai embassies describe it as a 5-year visa allowing up to 180 days per entry, with at least 500,000 baht in funds (about A$22,280). It is meant for remote workers and freelancers, and for people coming for things like Muay Thai or Thai cooking courses, sports training or medical treatment. Retirement isn’t on that list, so check carefully whether you fit before you apply.

An example, not real people

Ray is 64, single, and wants to spend November to February in Chiang Mai: about 16 weeks.

Option	Days it gives him	Does it cover 16 weeks?
Visa-free entry	30	No
Visa-free plus one extension (reported by Visasnews)	60	No
Non-O retirement visa	90, then extendable to a year	Yes
O-X long-stay visa	5 years, then extendable for 5 more	Yes, but it needs 3,000,000 baht in a Thai bank (about A$134,000)

The Non-O covers the whole stay with the smaller money test, and at 64 he is old enough for it. He would need 800,000 baht (about A$35,650) in the bank, or 65,000 baht a month of income (about A$2,900). He isn’t on the Age Pension yet, so its overseas rules don’t touch him this year.

Does my Age Pension keep paying in Thailand?

Yes. Services Australia says your Age Pension can keep paying overseas, subject to the 6, 12 and 26-week rules. But Thailand has no social security agreement with Australia, so you can’t claim the pension from there, and Medicare won’t pay for treatment in Thailand. For costs, prices and visas in one place, see retiring in Thailand.

What this means for you depends on

• Your age, and your partner’s age if you are going together. The O-X takes a married spouse of any age; for the other visas, ask the embassy how a younger partner can come with you.
• Whether you can show 800,000 baht (about A$35,650) in the bank, or 65,000 baht a month of income (about A$2,900). The O-X asks for 3,000,000 baht (about A$134,000), or a smaller deposit plus income.
• How long you want to stay. Thirty days, a winter and a whole year each need something different.
• Health insurance at your age that meets the Thai amount.
• Further changes after October 2026. Check with the Royal Thai Embassy in Canberra, or Thai immigration, before you book.