Retiring overseas at 60 to 66, before the Age Pension

The order of decisions for you

You have more choice in these years than you’ll have later. You’re likely retired or close to it, more insurance policies will still take you, and no pension travel rules apply yet. Every month away before 67 comes out of your own money, though.

1. Know your bridge to 67. Each year until 67 runs on your own money, so a plan that works at 61 has to keep working at 66. Our guide to retiring overseas before 67 sets out the gap years.
2. Choose a way to try it. A winter away is one way, or a long stay, a trial year or two bases. With no pension rules in play, five or six months away is simpler now than it will be at 70.
3. Get health cover quotes while they’re easier to get. Ask an insurer what happens at renewal as you age, and whether the policy can continue if you later move.
4. Check the visa against the stay. TTG Asia reported from Thailand’s Royal Gazette that Thailand cut visa-free entry for Australians to 30 days from 15 September 2026. A Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs checklist says its retirement visa (Non-O) starts at 50 and needs a bank balance of 800,000 baht (about A$35,650) or an income of 65,000 baht a month (about A$2,900). Malaysia allows longer without applying: Smartraveller says it gives a 90-day visa on arrival in most cases.
5. Know the house rules before anyone decides. If you rent it out, the rent is income. If you sell while you’re a foreign resident for tax, you generally lose the main residence exemption from capital gains tax. Once you’re on the Age Pension, other rules apply to the home as well. A registered tax agent and a licensed financial adviser can explain what applies to you.
6. Shortlist two or three places. These suit this age group:
   • Chiang Mai: Thailand’s retirement visa starts at 50, and a month for a couple is about A$2,790 (our estimate).
   • Penang: 90 days on arrival is long enough for a proper trial without applying for a visa.
   • The Algarve: Portugal has a social security agreement with Australia, so a pension claim from there works differently.
7. Plan your 67th birthday. If you’re living in a non-agreement country, you generally need to be back in Australia, living here, to claim. You can submit the claim in the 13 weeks before. Once the pension starts, so do the 6, 12 and 26-week travel rules.

A worked example

An example, not a real person.

Helen is 63, single and retired, and owns her home in Newcastle outright. For the next four years she plans to spend each Australian winter in Chiang Mai and the rest of the year at home.

	Per month
A month in Chiang Mai for one person, rent included (our estimate)	about A$1,950
For comparison: ASFA “comfortable” for a single person in Australia	about A$4,680

How we worked out our estimate: Numbeo’s living costs for one person (without rent), plus a one-bedroom city-centre rent, plus 30% for eating out, local trips and extras. For a couple we multiply living costs by 1.8. We converted at the Reserve Bank of Australia’s average exchange rate for the 12 months to September 2026 (A$1 = 22.44 baht, for example). Health insurance isn’t included. Numbeo’s Chiang Mai page was last updated 15 October 2026. The ASFA figure is A$56,166 a year for homeowners aged 65 to 84 (June quarter 2026).

What changes for Helen:

• The visa. Thailand now gives 30 days visa-free, so a three-month winter needs a visa. She qualifies by age for the Non-O retirement visa. The money test is harder: 800,000 baht is about A$35,650 at the RBA’s 12-month average rate.
• No pension rules yet. Because she isn’t on the pension, she can stay three, four or five months and no supplement stops.
• The house. She lives in it most of the year and keeps strong ties here. Whether that keeps her an Australian resident for tax is a question for a registered tax agent.
• Turning 67. She plans to be in Newcastle in the 13 weeks before her 67th birthday so she can claim from Australia.

What to ask a professional

• Licensed financial adviser: “How might I fund the years from now to 67?” “Does living overseas for part of the year change anything about how I can draw my super?”
• Registered tax agent: “Would spending part of each year overseas change my tax residency?” “If I rent out my home while I’m away, how is that rent taxed?”
• Insurance broker: “Which policies cover a three to five month stay at my age, with my conditions declared, and what happens at renewal after 70?”
• The country’s embassy or a licensed visa agent there: “What do I need to show for a retirement visa at my age, and how long does it take?”

Book a free planning session on Zoom. Once we know your situation, we can tell you which of these people to start with.