No matter how you intend to spend your time in Thailand unless your a Thai citizen your going to need a visa. (In some cases a Thai citizen needs a visa if they carry another passport). For people who want to live permanently in Thailand you’ll need to take special care with your Visa application. There is a saying amongst expats living in Thailand. “Everyone has problems in Thailand, but none more so than the dreaded Visa Run“.
Getting the proper visa is essential to living in Thailand, and if you don’t get the right visa it will cost you money, time, and aggravation. Tourist Visa’s can only give you up to 6months after that you’ll need some sort of visa that gives you status of permanent residence.
Visa Waiver in Thailand
The visa waiver also known as the Visa on Arrival grants you stay in the country for up to 30 days. After that you’ll need to cross the border and come in. If you walk over the border you get 15 days, if you fly you get 30.
Retirement Visa in Thailand
Retirement Visas are for those over the age of 50 and who have no criminal record. You’ll need to get a health check which is easy to do if your in thailand, i’ve even heard of doctors giving you one without even looking at you, it’s not uncommon. You’ll also need about 800,000 baht in a thai bank 3 months before you apply, that money has to stay at that level the entire time you intend to stay here. you can’t touch it! Otherwise you can get proof that you earn 65,000 baht a month.
Education Student Visa in Thailand
Most people who intend to stay in thailand permanently start off with an education visa. the Education visa is a great and easy way to stay in Thailand. If you intend to live here learning the language can be very benificial and you can make some great friends too. Courses typically cost around the 25,000 baht mark. If you apply while your in Thailand you’ll have to go to Malaysia and come back, but after that you’ll never have to leave thailand again and can renew your studies for a further 9 years, by that time you should be able to apply for the retirement visa!
If you decide to do the ED Visa for up to 9 years, every 3 years you must leave the country and return and do a test with the Ministry of education.
A quirk with the ED Visa is this, if you live in Chiang mai or Phuket you only have to pay 1900 baht a year to renew your visa. However if you live in Bangkok or Pattaya you have to pay and renew your visa every 3 months. Makes for living in Chaing Mai or Pattaya a lot cheaper.
Work Visa In Thailand
The work visa is another great way to live in thailand, more often than not you’ll be a teacher wanting to teach english in Thailand. This visa is difficult to get for the company not so much for you. Most places who have hired foriegn workers already know what to do. You’ll still need to leave the country every year.
Business Visa
The business Visa is a good visa to have but you must leave the country every 3 months which gets annoying and you’ll have to go back to your country every year. It’s a good star though and the cheapest visa you can get that let’s you stay in the country for a year.
I am curious as to what test needs to be taken at the 3 year mark for the ED visa.
Also in Pattaya the ED visa does not need to be renewed every three months, you can obtain an extension for up to 1 year. At that point you only need to report to immigration every 3 months to report your address. As for the cost I don’t remember paying 1900 baht last year, I’m sure I paid something but don’t think it was that much. I will extend again in November so will see then what the cost is.
I havn’t done the test yet, I don’t know the details yet but all I know is that the language schools I called said that this is what you have to do. I think it depends on what school and location you are depends on how long a ED visa you get. For example in Bangkok at Walen you have to do an extention every 3 months but at Walen in Chiang Mai you don’t. But whenever you do an extention it does cost 1900 baht no matter where you are. I say the best thing to do is consult your language school regarding how long they can give you.
that has been revised now….you’ll get full 1 yr ed visa, at 18thousand….
Ah ok, I guess the test is for people that just pay the school for the visa and don’t attend class. I shouldn’t need to do that since I am on ED visa as university student not for Thai language. I suppose the letter the school writes that says how long your classes are will determine if you can get the 1 year extension or limited to 3 months.
Hi Chris-
I am curious to know what type of visa that you have? Obviously you have an extended visa, but you do not qualify for a retirement visa. I am guessing that you enjoy a student visa. The reason I ask is because I am 40, and I am looking for a way to come and stay in Thailand for an extended period of time. I have heard that Thailand is clamping down on “border runs”, so that would make the normal tourist visa less viable. Any suggestions?
Student Visa, the easiest thing to do.
so do you still go to all your classes then, if you are already fluent in thai? like you i’m going to put in alot more time and try have the language mastered asap, so where does that leave me or you with schooling, do you just not turn up? or go to class and pretend its all very interesting…
They no longer have classes for me because I’ve finished all their books which were quite easy so now I’m just doing study from home with includes reading a lot of thai websites 🙂
so the school still grants you the education visa to study from home? what happens after your 9 years is up, is that the max time you can stay on the ed visa? we will only be 40 then! i know its a long time away but do you still see youreslf staying in thailand after that? sorry for all the questions, its just most people living over there, from what i can gather, are generally alot older than us and its good to get an insight from someone my age with seemingly similar pursuits. thanks again
I don’t really know what i’ll be doing in 6months let alone 6 years but I think you’ve raised an excellent question. Let’s say you’ve been living in Thailand for 9 years and your forty years old, if you havn’t made enough money to either start a business or get a job in that time, I myself would say it’s time to move on. You can get a visa if you start a business or get a job and that would take care of that. Business is a good thing I’m thinking about starting a business where I hire someone to cook for me, someone to be my secretary, and a companion or more likely start a real business.
fair enough. hey if you get your ed visa, do you have to do it all in one hit, or can you go for a year then come back to aus and then still be granted your ed visa again? i actually wont be working at all while i’m there, well im not planning to anyway. do you think its possible for a 31 yr old to live over there having no work to do? im not talking financially, thats covered, just simply living over there with nothing to do except go fishing, play golf, travel and nail as much se asian pussy as possible? you live there, do you think i might have too much spare time to play with?
Why would you want to go back to Aus? If you left the school you would have to reapply, i don’t think that’s a problem at all but can be expensive. You really should find something to do here though you’ll get lazy if you don’t.
ha ha fair call, why would i want to go back. mainly my expensive taste in fishing holidays, was thinking about going back for a couple of months each year to do some work and top the funds back up. plus to get a real fishing fix, im obsessed and i dont think the thai fishing scene is quite gonna cut it for me. as for doing something in thailand… well i obviously dont want a full time job, that defeats the purpose of my going there! but your right and i am worried about having too much spare time, especially as i love a beer or 3, and ive never been the type to just lay around the pool or beach all day. i’d go crazy. any suggestions, bearing in mind that i wouldn’t have a work visa and dont need to be earning any serious money but a bit extra would always help. even any non profit suggestions to occupy the ample spare time i will have.
If you haven’t already read it, The four hour work week is a great book it’s focus is on making money from as little work as possible. I found it good for a different reason, when you have lots of time for yourself what do you do with it? The book can help you find your answers.
Hi chris
Im going to thailand to study Muay thai, I’m going for 4 weeks just on a Visa on Arrival and was thinking i might stay for a few more weeks. Can i get a study visa when I’m over their if i plan to stay longer cheers thanks.
You can only get an ED visa (outside) of Thailand. So if that’s what you decide to do you’ll need to leave the country and come back in, which you’ll have to do anyway if your on visa on arrival. it’s not a hassle go check out Loas to get it!
hi Chris,thanks for your time and letting us pick your brain.
im planning on going to thailand i would like to retire there but an only 46 so cant do the retirement visa yet,have to do the student visa,how long can you stay on a student visa without leaving?im not going to be working there i will be able to live off my rental money.how much in dollars do you need to show in the bank and if i can do that do i still have to leave every so often on the visa or can i just keep applying and stay? Thanks so much.
No worries mate, actually all that information is covered in my book Blueprint for living in Thailand, if you’re not VIP and are concidering moving to Thailand I highly recommend you get a copy.
“The business Visa is a good visa to have but you must leave the country every 3 months which gets annoying and you’ll have to go back to your country every year. It’s a good star though and the cheapest visa you can get that let’s you stay in the country for a year.”
If you are referring to the one year multi entry non immigration type “O” Visa (for volunteers, marriage and Business purposes) it actually lasts 15 months. If you do your border run the day before it expires you get an additional 90 days.
Source: I´m currently enjoying my 90 “bonus” days.
Hi Chris
I am planning to leave SA for Thailand, though being a bit worried about the “1 jahr only” on the retirement visa. isnt that a lot of hassle and lots of monies to renew it all the time? I am 49, should I rather go for the student visa? Since, I want to take my dog with me, I am really concerned that this permanet renewing of visa might not work out in the end.
Can someone give me some honest advise pls. Thank u Alex