Non-OA Retirement Visa from the United States: Step-by-Step e-Visa Application

The Non-Immigrant O-A (long stay) visa lets people aged 50 and over live in Thailand for up to a year without working. You arrange it before you leave the United States. All Thai visas are now applied for online at thaievisa.go.th, so you don't post your passport to a consulate. This guide covers the process for Americans: which Thai mission handles your state, what to prepare (including the FBI check), the money test, and what happens once you arrive.

This is general information, not immigration, tax or legal advice. The document list shown in the e-Visa portal for your chosen mission is the authoritative one, so follow that list.

Step 1: Check you're eligible

The Royal Thai Embassy in Washington DC and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs list these conditions for the O-A:

• Aged 50 or over on the day you apply
• Not planning to work. Employment of any kind is prohibited
• No criminal record in Thailand or in your country of nationality or residence
• None of the prohibited diseases in Ministerial Regulation No. 14 (B.E. 2535): leprosy, tuberculosis, drug addiction, elephantiasis and third-stage syphilis
• A national or resident of the country where you apply

Non-O, Non-OA or LTR?

Americans have the same three retirement routes as everyone else:

	Non-O + retirement extension	Non-OA (this guide)	LTR – Wealthy Pensioner
Where you start	Apply for a Non-O abroad, then extend in Thailand	Apply abroad, get a 1-year stay	Apply to Thailand's Board of Investment (BOI)
Money	800,000 THB / 65,000 THB a month (shown in Thailand)	800,000 THB / 65,000 THB a month (shown to the consulate)	US$80,000 a year of passive income, or US$40,000 plus US$250,000 invested in Thailand
Health insurance	Not required for the Non-O extension	Required (3M THB / US$100,000)	Required, under BOI rules
Background check	Not normally needed for the Non-O	FBI check plus medical certificate	BOI checks
Length	1 year at a time	1 year (renewable by extension)	Up to 10 years (5 + 5)

Our visa comparison covers each route in depth. The MFA also notes that a spouse who doesn't qualify for an O-A can usually get a Non-O to accompany the O-A holder, using a notarised marriage certificate.

Step 2: Choose the right mission (by state)

On the e-Visa portal you pick the Thai mission that covers the state you live in. These are the jurisdictions the missions published:

Mission	States and territories
Royal Thai Embassy, Washington DC	AL, DC, DE, FL, GA, LA, MD, MS, NC, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV, Puerto Rico
Consulate-General, Los Angeles	AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, NM, OR, UT, WA, WY, and the Pacific territories
Consulate-General, New York	CT, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, VT
Consulate-General, Chicago	AR, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, MI, MN, MO, NE, ND, OK, SD, WI

Thailand also has honorary consulates in some US cities. For an O-A, apply online to the embassy or consulate-general that covers your state. You'll also upload a document showing your current location, such as a driver's license, a bank statement or proof of stay.

Step 3: Gather your documents

This list comes from the Washington DC and Los Angeles O-A pages, both updated 1 September 2026. Chicago's page lists the same medical and insurance requirements.

Document	Details
Passport	Bio-data page; valid for at least 18 months from your travel date
Photo	Taken within the past 6 months
Proof of current location	Driver's license, bank statement or proof of stay in the mission's jurisdiction
Financial evidence	At least 800,000 THB on deposit for the last three months, or income of at least 65,000 THB a month, or a combination totalling 800,000 THB a year. In practice the DC and LA pages ask for bank statements with an ending balance of at least US$30,000, or proof of at least US$2,500 a month income plus a current bank statement showing it arriving. A bank guarantee letter (original) is required if you rely on a bank statement
FBI criminal record certificate	Issued within 3 months. An online record without an authorized signature is not accepted
Medical certificate	On the mission's own form, signed and stamped by your doctor or hospital, and under 3 months old
Health insurance	Cover of at least 3,000,000 THB / US$100,000 a year for the whole stay, including COVID-19. A foreign insurer must complete the Foreign Insurance Certificate

The FBI check

The FBI's Identity History Summary (often called a "rap sheet", or proof that you don't have one) costs US$18 per person. You can request it:

• online at edo.cjis.gov, giving fingerprints at a participating US Post Office. The FBI says results come within about 48 hours of the fingerprint visit,
• by mail with an FD-1164 fingerprint card, which takes up to about 15 days plus postage time, or
• through an FBI-approved channeler (a private company, extra fee).

The certificate must be less than 3 months old when you apply, and the consulates reject online records without an authorized signature. So time the request carefully.

Apostille or authentication? The US Department of State's Office of Authentications issues apostille and authentication certificates for federal documents like the FBI check. The DC, LA and Chicago O-A pages we read don't mention either. The MFA's general O-A page says the criminal record and medical certificates should be notarised. Requirements vary between these sources, so check the portal checklist for your mission. If it's unclear, email the consulate before you pay for authentication.

The medical certificate

Download the mission's own form from its O-A page or the portal. DC, LA and Chicago all say only their form is accepted. Your doctor signs it and adds the hospital or clinic stamp. It is valid for 3 months.

Health insurance: Medicare won't count

Medicare usually doesn't cover health care outside the US. Medicare.gov says you pay all costs in most cases abroad, and Medicare drug plans don't cover prescriptions bought outside the US. Medicare alone therefore won't meet the O-A insurance rule. You need either:

• a policy from a Thai insurer listed at longstay.tgia.org, or
• a foreign (including US-based international) policy with at least US$100,000 cover, plus the Foreign Insurance Certificate completed and stamped by the insurer.

Read our Non-OA insurance guide before you buy.

Proving income: no more embassy affidavit

The US Embassy in Bangkok stopped issuing income affidavits for Thai visas on 1 January 2019. You prove income with your own documents. Typical examples are an SSA benefit verification letter (downloadable from your my Social Security account), pension statements, and bank statements showing the deposits. The embassy still offers general notarial services in Bangkok (US$50 per seal), but these don't replace the income evidence Thai immigration asks for.

Converting dollars to baht

Thai thresholds are set in baht. The DC and LA pages give dollar guidance (US$30,000 / US$2,500 a month), but immigration in Thailand assesses later extensions in baht at the current rate. Leave a margin for currency moves. Our rates panel shows the current indicative USD rate.

Step 4: Apply online

The e-Visa manual describes the process:

1. Create an account at thaievisa.go.th.
2. Choose the visa category (Non-Immigrant O-A, long stay), and the United States and your mission (DC, Los Angeles, New York or Chicago).
3. Enter your details, checking every auto-filled field against your passport.
4. Upload documents as large, clear JPEG or PDF files.
5. Pay the fee online. Washington DC lists US$200 for the O-A. The fee is non-refundable.
6. Submit. Be careful: you generally can't edit an application once submitted.

Step 5: Wait for a decision

• Washington DC asks you to apply at least 20 working days before travel. Los Angeles and Chicago say at least 15 working days.
• The mission may ask for more documents.
• If approved, the e-Visa is emailed to you. Print it for the airline and Thai immigration.

Step 6: Arriving and staying

• The O-A normally gives one year of stay on entry.
• File 90-day reports while you're in Thailand. See our 90-day reporting guide.
• Make sure your landlord or hotel files your TM30 address notification. See our TM30 guide.
• Get a re-entry permit before any trip out of Thailand, or you lose your permission to stay.
• Extending in Thailand: retirement extensions are a year at a time at your local immigration office. You need 65,000 THB a month income, or 800,000 THB in a Thai bank, or a combination. The deposit must be held 2 months before you file and 3 months after, and never drop below 400,000 THB afterwards. O-A-based extensions also need health insurance (US$100,000 / 3M THB). See our 800k vs 65k extension guide.

Social Security in Thailand

Thailand is not on SSA's restricted-country list, so Social Security retirement benefits can continue while you live there. Use SSA's Payments Abroad Screening Tool to check your case. Thailand is also an international direct deposit country. You enrol with form SSA-1199-OP107, and benefits go into a Thai bank account in baht at the exchange rate on the day. US-based services for residents of Thailand are handled through the Federal Benefits Unit at the US Embassy in Manila. Many retirees keep their US account too.

Taxes: you still file with the IRS

US citizens are taxed on worldwide income wherever they live, so moving to Thailand doesn't end your IRS filing. Two points to know:

• FBAR (FinCEN Form 114): if your foreign accounts (for example, your Thai bank account holding the 800,000 THB) together exceed US$10,000 at any point in the year, you must file an FBAR. It's due 15 April, with an automatic extension to 15 October, and filed electronically with FinCEN rather than with your tax return.
• US–Thailand tax treaty: a 1996 income tax treaty exists. How it applies to Social Security, pensions and IRA withdrawals, and how Thailand's rules on remitted foreign income apply to you, depends on your circumstances.

Our Thai tax on foreign income guide explains the Thai side. It was written for Australians, but the Thai remittance rules are the same. Get a US-qualified expat tax adviser for the IRS side.

Register with the US Embassy (STEP)

Enrol in the State Department's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) at step.state.gov so the US Embassy in Bangkok (or the Consulate in Chiang Mai) can contact you in an emergency. The embassy provides passport, notarial and citizen services. It can't help with Thai visa decisions.

Just visiting first?

Since 15 September 2026, US passport holders get 30 days visa-free for tourism, down from 60. That's enough for a scouting trip, not for retirement. You can't apply for a retirement extension from visa-exempt status the way you can from a Non-O, so plan your visa before you move.

Common mistakes

• FBI check too old, or an unsigned online printout. It must be under 3 months old with an authorized signature.
• Wrong medical form. The missions want their own form, stamped.
• Relying on Medicare for the insurance requirement.
• Wrong mission for your state.
• Applying too late. Allow at least 15 to 20 working days.
• Exchange-rate shortfall on the 800,000 THB test.
• Forgetting the FBAR once your Thai account passes US$10,000.

Summary

• Apply online at thaievisa.go.th through the mission covering your state: Washington DC, Los Angeles, New York or Chicago.
• You need to be 50+, with 800,000 THB (about US$30,000 on the consulates' guidance) or 65,000 THB a month (about US$2,500), plus an FBI check and medical certificate (each under 3 months old) and insurance of US$100,000 / 3M THB.
• DC lists a US$200 fee and asks you to apply 20 working days ahead.
• Once in Thailand: 90-day reports, TM30, re-entry permits, yearly extensions, SSA direct deposit, FBAR and STEP.

What we couldn't verify

• Authentication or apostille of the FBI check. The consulate O-A pages don't mention it, while the MFA page says the certificates should be "notarised". Check your mission's portal checklist or email the consulate.
• New York's O-A page. We read the DC, LA and Chicago pages. New York's specific O-A requirements, fee and processing time weren't confirmed.
• Fees at LA, New York and Chicago. Only DC's US$200 was confirmed. Check the portal.
• Bank guarantee letter. It's unclear how US banks are expected to provide this. Ask your bank and the consulate.
• Bangkok Immigration's site blocked our checks. The extension figures come from THAILAND.GO.TH and earlier official guidance. Confirm locally.
• How the US–Thailand treaty applies to your Social Security, pension or IRA income. Ask a qualified tax adviser.