Retirement to Thailand from Australia

Hi, I'm 55 and would like to retire to Thailand from Australia. I want to do the 65000 baht a month process rather than the 800000 deposit.
I've read a fair bit about visas etc but Im still a little confused.
My first question is does the 65000 a month need to be deposited in a Thai bank account? If so can I just transfer it myself each month from Australia?

I understand I need to have proof from the embassy of this income. Which embassy is that? The Thai embassy in Australia? How many months do I need to show that I've been receiving it? As it is coming from renting my apartment out it will start only once I leave Australia.

Should I apply for a 90 day visa in Australia before I go? Then I just renew it? Or do I apply for the retirement one within the 90 days?

If I am planning to apply for retirement visa do i still need to show proof of an onward bound flight? How does that work? I book it then cancel it?

Sorry for so many questions but it's a major life changing decision and I feel very daunted and unclear about all of this.
-@Ken Oath

Those 65k per month must officially be deposited into a Thai bank account by your pension provider each month. Personal transfers are not accepted and you might have to show proof of the source, meaning a document showing that you are officially retired. The Australian Embassy doesn't issue income letters since Jan 2019. It means you need bank statements from your Thai bank showing 12 months of pension income deposits every year when applying for 1 year extensions. I would think twice about going the monthly deposit  route because of the non-existing income letter. You should seek advice from Aussies and see how they are doing it.

@Leeds forever! Hi thanks for the reply. I won't have a pension. It's income from renting my apartment. We don't get a pension in Australia till 67 years old. Are you saying I cannot get retirement visa if I'm self funded? I must have a government pension? That's odd.  There is no document proving official retirement. I mean if you have a superannuation fund and you want it in a lump sum at 60 then you can longer work but I don't have superannuation.  Just income from rent.

Also how do I show income of 12 months in Thai bank account if I'm not allowed to stay in Thailand for 12 months in the first place??

@Leeds forever! Hi thanks for the reply. I won't have a pension. It's income from renting my apartment. We don't get a pension in Australia till 67 years old. Are you saying I cannot get retirement visa if I'm self funded? I must have a government pension? That's odd. There is no document proving official retirement. I mean if you have a superannuation fund and you want it in a lump sum at 60 then you can longer work but I don't have superannuation. Just income from rent.
Also how do I show income of 12 months in Thai bank account if I'm not allowed to stay in Thailand for 12 months in the first place??
-@Ken Oath

When going for the monthly deposit method and coming from the US,UK and Australia, there are no longer any income letters from those countries embassies. Income letters shows how much your pension is per month after tax, we're talking about documented numbers from the government and other pension providers. Expats with income letters showing they meet the financial requirements can transfer money themselves when ever they want, not even on a regular basis. This is how it officially works, and it's not odd at all. Why is there no official document showing you're retired? Of course there is, but you're not retired, so how would you know? You can't do this without the income letter and If you haven't got any pension and IF the local immigration office asks for the source of the money, and they normally want a document showing you're retired,then it's game over. This is the reason for the 800k in the bank method. And about showing a 12 months bank statement. A 90-days Non-immigrant O Visa + 9 months into a 1 year extension is 12 months. Starting with a 90-days Non-immigrant O based on retirement is maybe the most common way to start,but If the Thai embassy or consulates in Australia asks for evidence of being retired,then that route is not possible. Is Australia on the Thai E-Visa list?

  I believe the reply from Leeds United is incorrect. I receive multiple pensions which are paid into my UK bank and I transfer them using WISE into my Thai account each month. I have been using this route without problem for a nu,ber of years.

It all depends upon the policy of your local Immigration office

I believe the reply from Leeds United is incorrect. I receive multiple pensions which are paid into my UK bank and I transfer them using WISE into my Thai account each month. I have been using this route without problem for a nu,ber of years.
It all depends upon the policy of your local Immigration office
-@Norfolkboy

I'm talking about official requirements for citizens from the UK,US and Australia and my reply was 100% correct. I also said it's up to the local immigration office and they have the right to ask for the source of the money and documents showing you're retired. There are 77 provinces in Thailand and several of them have no clue when requirements changes, like they did January 1 2019, and some don't care about asking for documents showing you're retired.

@Leeds forever!  You're just confusing me more. YES I AM retired but as I said I don't get a government pension. We don't get pension till age 67. Superannuation fund is not available till 60 but as I already said I have no superannuation.

I am no longer working and will have passive income from rental property which is more than 65000.  No pension.   Are you saying that the only people who can get retirement visa must have a pension??? This does not sound right at all.  A lot of people are self funded like me with passive income. 

@Norfolkboy  I don't have pension. Can anyone actually read what I'm asking around here. I've said it multiple times. I will have passive income from rental property. Not pension.

This is ridiculously hard and confusing. Why can I not find the information I need? It's getting to the point where I'm just gonna give up.

@Leeds forever! You're just confusing me more. YES I AM retired but as I said I don't get a government pension. We don't get pension till age 67. Superannuation fund is not available till 60 but as I already said I have no superannuation.
I am no longer working and will have passive income from rental property which is more than 65000. No pension.  Are you saying that the only people who can get retirement visa must have a pension??? This does not sound right at all. A lot of people are self funded like me with passive income.
-@Ken Oath

Sorry, but It seems you have problem with reading. You are not "officially" retired. "A lot of people are self funded like me with passive income." Yes,but if coming from those 3 countries I mentioned, mostly prior to January 1 2019 when requirements "officially" changed. I also said that everybody using the monthly deposit method together with an income letter from an embassy or consulate are "officially" retired. That's what the income letter is about. A documented income of at least 65k per month (or a combination of pension and money in the bank) from a pension provider, government or other provider(s). Is this so hard to understand? The keyword is "officially". What works in one province might not work in another province. There are many countries where you can't apply for a Thai E-Visa. You must apply at an embassy or consulate the old fashion way. In several countries you can't even apply for the 90-days Non-immigrant O Visa based on retirement if you're not "officially" retired. In some countries the Thai embassy just asks for a specific amount of money in your bank account the last three months. Let's say you're applying for a 90-days Non-immigrant O based on retirement in Australia and it's successful, your problem will be the next step, the 1 year extension at the local immigration office. You can't go for the monthly deposit method, because you have nothing to show immigration when it comes to income. They don't actually care how much money you eventually will have every month in the future (according to you), they want to see monthly deposits in a Thai bank account the previous year. Earlier at some immigration offices 3 months of at least 65k was accepted. I don't know IF that still works. I haven't heard about it for a long time. There's a saying, "This is Thailand". It means you'll never know 100% what will work.

@Leeds forever! Err yes this is "so hard to understand" !!  You keep talking about pension. I keep saying I don't have one and won't have one until Im eligible at the age of 67.  I will have passive income instead.  There's no official retirement here. You just quit work or your business when you can afford it if you want to. It's not like anyone officially retires with a special piece of paper saying 'retired'.   So what you're saying makes zero sense to me.

I have the funds but it's not a pension. The Thai government only allowing people to get a visa if they have a pension seems absolutely ludicrous. What you're saying is that anyone else with passive income can't get it?!?

@Leeds forever! Err yes this is "so hard to understand" !! You keep talking about pension. I keep saying I don't have one and won't have one until Im eligible at the age of 67. I will have passive income instead. There's no official retirement here. You just quit work or your business when you can afford it if you want to. It's not like anyone officially retires with a special piece of paper saying 'retired'.  So what you're saying makes zero sense to me.
I have the funds but it's not a pension. The Thai government only allowing people to get a visa if they have a pension seems absolutely ludicrous. What you're saying is that anyone else with passive income can't get it?!?
-@Ken Oath

What are you rambling about? Do you even understand what you're saying? There's no "official retirement"? That must be the most stupid thing I've read in a very long time. Every western country has an official age when you can quit working and retire and get your state pension or government pension or whatever you call it. In the UK and in Australia it's 67. In other countries in Europe it's between ~62 and 67. You can also retire early,maybe 5 years and get your pension but maybe a bit less,but you're still officially retired. Understand?

This topic is about getting a visa based on retirement and annual extensions based on retirement,right? Do you think that's the only way to stay here? You can also apply for a visa based on married to a thai. But you're not married to a thai,so that won't work. If you were, you would need 400k in the bank or an average income of 40k/month.

I repeat,and read slowly and you might understand: Every expat in Thailand with an income letter from an embassy or consulate using monthly deposits are officially retired. To get that income letter they need an official document from each pension provider back home (signed and stamped) if they have more than one provider. For most people, the largest part is the state pension/government pension. On top of that you might have money from insurance companies and your bank. I have 4 pension providers, my state pension, 2 insurance companies and the smallest part from my bank. If  I go for the monthly deposit method, I request a (signed and stamped) document from each provider. I then take those 4 documents to my consulate which is not very far away and they transfer the total income after tax to a form, the income letter, which I hand over to immigration when I do my annual extensions. That income letter is valid 6 months and it shows that I'm officially retired. I can also use the money in the bank method, 800k baht in a Thai bank account if I want and I prefer that. It's smoother and no need for income letters and visits to my consulate which is boring.

Why do you think the 90 days Non-immigrant O Visa based on retirement and the 1 year extension based on retirement includes the words "based on retirement"?  Think about it for a minute or two. You are not retired, you quit working, it's not the same thing. If you can't use the money in the bank method, you won't be able to obtain a 1 year extension. BUT, you can always use a visa agent in Thailand. You pay them, and they pay immigration. Problem solved,but it's not free. Thousands and thousands of expats are using visa agents because they don't meet the financial requirements.

@Leeds forever! You're not even from Australia so you actually have no clue.

Retirement here just means you no longer work. For many people that is when they can get a government pension. For others it's when they have enough super to live on.

For others like me it's savings and passive income.  Retirement just means no longer working. I'm not working anymore ever again ie I'm retired.

I have savings and a rental property which earns an income that is more than the required amount.

***

Hello everyone,

@Ken Oath, there's a misunderstanding here  due to the use of the word  "retirement" and how you define it.

We understand that you have  stopped working but you are not yet "Age Pension age" I believe that's what they call it in Australia.

https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/wh … text=22526

For some other parts of the world retirement is used when you officially reach the age where according to law you no longer need to work (not by choice but by law).

Anyway, I would suggest that you read the whole thread again and contact the Thai Consulate in Melbourne for official info : https://www.thaiconsulatemelbourne.com/

Till then, if an expat from Australia is on the forum, it would be great if he could provide some infos.

All the best

Bhavna

@Bhavna  Doesnt matter what it means I am above the required age to apply for a visa..

@Bhavna Doesnt matter what it means I am above the required age to apply for a visa..
-@Ken Oath

You can apply for the 90 days Non-immigrant O Visa based on retirement in Australia, but you won't be able to apply for the 1 year extension in Thailand based on retirement if using monthly deposits. Just because you have no income letter from an embassy/consulate or any previous monthly deposits in a Thai bank account.

@Ken Oath  Wny not simplify life and do 800K?   I believe most do it that way while they wait for pension. 

@Leeds forever! I'm an American who lived in Thailand from 2016-2020. I did the retirement visa myself two times but it's a bitch and I said screw it. Immigration Office Jomtien, which also handles Pattaya as well.There are a few dozen fixers who arrange everything with Immigration Police. I maybe paid $150 well-worth it dollars. My fixer took me to a bank to open an account that showed the required baht needed at that time. I didn't put in a cent but it was officially my account. She kept the book for officials. She filled in all forms and got all pix. We went into Immigration Hall stuffed with foreigners. I took no number, I waited in no lines. We went from desk to desk with her, asking people already seated to wait a second, so officials put in a variety of stamps on the documents, then I was led to top official for interrogation test. Who knew how fast he worked for normal, but I was immediately seated, but he said not a word with me. He was talking on phone. After he finished his talk, a lowly immigration official came over with camera. Big Guy stood up and we both smiled for camera as we shook hands, proof the tough interrogation took place, and boom, I had my one year visa, retirement.

Now, the Thais have been changing so many laws but immigration cops get rich with this system, with non govt workers paid by us doing all the work.  Some are sharks. All speak English. Ask around. Mine was a single lady with little tourist agency about 130 ft from Immigration. Big sharks have their offices right next to immigration. The pandemic made Thais go crazy. Who knows the rules now. The Immigration Police will get a streamlined system set up again where the only work they do is accept cash.

@Leeds forever! I'm an American who lived in Thailand from 2016-2020. I did the retirement visa myself two times but it's a bitch and I said screw it. Immigration Office Jomtien, which also handles Pattaya as well.There are a few dozen fixers who arrange everything with Immigration Police. I maybe paid $150 well-worth it dollars. My fixer took me to a bank to open an account that showed the required baht needed at that time. I didn't put in a cent but it was officially my account. She kept the book for officials. She filled in all forms and got all pix. We went into Immigration Hall stuffed with foreigners. I took no number, I waited in no lines. We went from desk to desk with her, asking people already seated to wait a second, so officials put in a variety of stamps on the documents, then I was led to top official for interrogation test. Who knew how fast he worked for normal, but I was immediately seated, but he said not a word with me. He was talking on phone. After he finished his talk, a lowly immigration official came over with camera. Big Guy stood up and we both smiled for camera as we shook hands, proof the tough interrogation took place, and boom, I had my one year visa, retirement.
Now, the Thais have been changing so many laws but immigration cops get rich with this system, with non govt workers paid by us doing all the work. Some are sharks. All speak English. Ask around. Mine was a single lady with little tourist agency about 130 ft from Immigration. Big sharks have their offices right next to immigration. The pandemic made Thais go crazy. Who knows the rules now. The Immigration Police will get a streamlined system set up again where the only work they do is accept cash.
-@fredkiel

I live in Jomtien since many years and I personally think doing annual extensions is a walk in the park. I did my last extension March 30, a Thursday around 11am, and it took me a few minutes at my bank (90 meters from immigration) to wait for the bank letter. I already had my copies of this and that and it took 3 minutes inside immigration. I was the only one at retirement desk 8. The problem you have at immigration as an American citizen is the non-existing income letter from your embassy if using monthly deposits. If you're using the 800k in the bank method,then it can't be any easier. I have never paid one baht to anyone to help me,and I never will. I have had bank accounts in three provinces and opening them was a breeze. I also think you haven't got a clue about immigration offices in Thailand. Jomtien immigration is considered to be one of the easiest to deal with and no strange requirements, There haven't been any major changes in immigration laws incl rules at for example Jomtien immigration in many years, so I don't understand what you're talking about.

This is a good thread with good information. I just wanted to comment to find this easier in the near future.

@Ken Oath

@Ken Oath mate, get a tourist visa in Oz before you come. It's valid for 60 days then you reapply when here after 60 days and they will give you the other 30 days. 90 in total. You can apply for the retirement visa when you get here. Plus you need to open a Thai bank account which can be done.

How this retirement visa application pans out depends on where you are in Thailand and which immigration office you go thru.

I'm in Chiang Mai. A 1 yr retirement visa can be successfully processed here bypassing all the blah blah blah, pay money upfront roughly 54000 bht about $2380 Aud , 2 days of running around, none of YOUR money needed in bank account. Guaranteed.

I'm told this is also possible to be done in Jomtein/Pattaya and Bangkok, depending.

Business is business in Thailand so everything can be done in Thailand.

If you want to know more post a return email here and I'm happy to send you EXACT details of how to do this in Chiang Mai. It's all above board and guaranteed.

Fellow Aussie here been in CM the last 5 yrs..... cheers mate