Transcript of the above video: 

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing the O Retirement Visa, posing the question 'is it the easiest of all the Retirement Visa options?'

As we have discussed in many other videos especially in the last roughly year-and-a-half, 2 years, there have been all kinds of new visas promulgated, some of them with some degree of usage, some of them with very little degree of usage, especially if you look back in the last five to six years going back and looking at like the 10-year O-X Retirement Visa which as a practical matter, we haven't seen much of any activity with. Then there's also things like the so-called LTR Visa - the Long-Term Residence Visa - which as we've discussed does not actually confer Residence but is sort of a long-term Visa; that may be an option for certain retirees. Other folks have also looked at things like the Thailand Elite Visa especially in light of the fact that Thailand or Thailand Elite, Thailand Privilege, the company that maintains the Elite Visa, is now offering a limited time discounted Elite Visa, the Elite Bronze Visa, as we have discussed in other videos. But going back, is the O Retirement Visa, the standard O Retirement Visa if you will, sort of the easiest Retirement Visa option? 

I thought of making this video after reading a recent article from the Pattaya Mail, that is pattayamail.com, the article is titled: Should Thai retirees escape to the Philippines to avoid income tax. Quoting directly: "Although there are many Retirement Visa options in Thailand for those 50 years plus, the easiest without doubt is the Non-Immigrant O type." Yeah, I would tend to agree with that notion and it's worth pointing out that there is a difference between the O Retirement Visa and the O-A Retirement Visa. As we have discussed in other videos, O-A Retirement Visa is generally applied for at an Embassy or Consulate abroad. As we have discussed here recently, that means starting in 2025 it is going to be mandatory, you have to deal with that digitally through their online system. But one big component of the O-A Retirement Visa that we have discussed at length in other videos, is the insurance component. There is an insurance requirement associated with the O-A Retirement Visa. There is not an insurance requirement associated with the O Retirement Visa. 

So yet again, for a variety of different reasons, the O Retirement Visa is probably going to be one of, if not the most efficient option for most folks coming to Thailand to retire. Now again I reiterate, most folks, because each case is different. Those who seem to be or those who may be a little bit overwhelmed by the rather Byzantine nature of the Thai Immigration system, it may not be a terrible idea to contact a legal professional, gain some insight and guidance into how best to proceed.