Panama: every long stay route with the current math on the Panama country page.
Guide
Retirement Visa Income Thresholds in 10 Countries, Compared
The minimum monthly pension or passive income needed for the main retirement route in 10 countries, shown in the currency the law uses, with yearly totals, dependent add-ons, and the day counts that make you a tax resident.
Published: 2026-10-16 · Last verified: 2026-10-16 · Numbers apply to US passport holders
Rules change. Confirm the current rules with the official sources linked below before you apply, pay a fee, or book travel around a date in this guide.
How to read the numbers
Each figure below is the minimum monthly income the retirement route requires from the main applicant, as the official source states it. Five countries write the figure in USD: Panama, Costa Rica, Ecuador, the Philippines, and Indonesia. The other five use a local currency, or a multiple of a local wage or index: Colombia, Thailand, Malaysia, Portugal, and Mexico. For those five we give the legal figure and the math behind it, and we do not convert to USD. Consulates test the local amount at the exchange rate on the day you file, so a fixed USD number would be wrong within weeks. Yearly figures are the monthly figure times 12 unless the source sets a yearly test of its own.
The reference table
- Panama, Pensionado: USD 1,000 per month (USD 12,000 per year) of lifetime pension, plus USD 250 per month for each dependent. The floor drops to USD 750 per month (USD 9,000 per year) if you own Panamanian real estate bought for more than USD 100,000 in your own name.
- Costa Rica, Pensionado: USD 1,000 per month (USD 12,000 per year) from abroad. The pension must be monthly, permanent, and for life.
- Colombia, M Pensionado: 3 SMMLV per month. At the 2026 SMMLV of COP 1,750,905, that is COP 5,252,715 per month, or COP 63,032,580 per year.
- Ecuador, Jubilado: 3 SBU per month. At the 2026 SBU of USD 482, that is USD 1,446 per month, or USD 17,352 per year, plus USD 250 per month for each dependent.
- Thailand, Non-Immigrant O and O-A (age 50 and over): THB 65,000 per month of income (THB 780,000 per year), or a THB 800,000 deposit in a Thai bank, or a mix of income and deposit totaling THB 800,000. For the 90 day O visa, the Royal Thai Embassy in Washington asks for USD 2,500 per month of income or a USD 30,000 balance.
- Malaysia, Sabah MM2H: RM10,000 per month of offshore income (RM120,000 per year), or RM15,000 per month with dependents. Sarawak MM2H uses the same monthly pension figures. Federal MM2H has no income test.
- Philippines, SRRV Classic: USD 800 per month of lifetime pension for a single applicant (USD 9,600 per year), or USD 1,000 per month with dependents (USD 12,000 per year). The pension only unlocks a smaller deposit; it is not required.
- Portugal, D7: EUR 920 per month for the main applicant (EUR 11,040 per year), plus EUR 460 per month for a spouse and EUR 276 per month for each child.
- Mexico, permanent residence for retirees: 1,140 days of UMA per month. At the 2026 UMA of MXN 117.31, that is MXN 133,733.40 per month, or MXN 1,604,800.80 per year.
- Indonesia, Retirement KITAS E33F (age 55 and over): USD 1,500 per month (USD 18,000 per year) under the retirement regulation, but the current checklist reportedly asks for USD 3,000 per month (USD 36,000 per year).
Lowest to highest, USD routes only
Of the five routes set in USD, the Philippines has the lowest pension figure at USD 800 per month. Panama with qualifying property comes next at USD 750, but only after a property purchase over USD 100,000. Panama and Costa Rica follow at USD 1,000. Ecuador is USD 1,446, and Indonesia is USD 1,500 or USD 3,000 depending on which figure immigration applies. If you plan around Indonesia, budget for the higher figure.
Index-linked thresholds move every year
Four of the 10 tests are written as multiples of a national wage or index, not as fixed amounts. Ecuador uses 3 SBU, Colombia uses 3 SMMLV, Portugal uses 1 times the minimum wage, and Mexico uses 1,140 days of UMA. When the base changes, the threshold changes with it, usually at the start of the year. The 2026 figures above are 3 x USD 482 = USD 1,446 for Ecuador, 3 x COP 1,750,905 = COP 5,252,715 for Colombia, 1 x EUR 920 for Portugal (Decree-Law 139/2025), and 1,140 x MXN 117.31 = MXN 133,733.40 for Mexico. A pension that passes in 2026 can fail a 2027 test without the pension itself changing.
Mexican consulates also publish their own rounded amounts, and those amounts differ. The Consulate General in Washington's 2025 retiree document lists MXN 139,400 per month of pension, which is higher than the formula figure. Use the amount your own consulate publishes.
Alternatives to the income test
- Mexico: an average monthly balance of 45,850 days of UMA over the last 12 months, MXN 5,378,663.50 at the 2026 UMA, replaces the pension test. If you are below the permanent residence threshold, the temporary residence solvency test is 680 days of UMA per month, MXN 79,770.80, with 4 years of temporary residence before permanent residence.
- Thailand: the O-X long stay visa uses a THB 3,000,000 fixed deposit, or THB 1,800,000 plus THB 1,200,000 of annual income (THB 100,000 per month). The LTR Wealthy Pensioner needs USD 80,000 per year of passive income (USD 6,666.67 per month), or USD 40,000 per year plus a USD 250,000 investment in Thailand.
- Philippines: with no pension, the SRRV Classic deposit is USD 30,000 at age 50 and over, against USD 15,000 with a qualifying pension. At ages 40 to 49 the figures are USD 50,000 and USD 25,000.
- Malaysia: federal MM2H tests a fixed deposit (USD 150,000 for Silver, USD 500,000 for Gold, USD 1,000,000 for Platinum) plus a compulsory property purchase. It has no monthly income figure.
- Panama: the Rentista Retirado route requires USD 2,000 per month of interest from a fixed term deposit at the Banco Nacional de Panama or the Caja de Ahorros, held for at least 5 years.
Tax residency triggers
A retirement visa does not decide your tax residence. Presence does, and in some countries a home does. The lines differ:
- Panama: more than 183 days in a calendar year or the preceding year, or a permanent home. Panama taxes only Panamanian source income, so a foreign pension is not taxed there.
- Costa Rica: more than 183 days in the fiscal period, counting entry and exit days.
- Colombia: more than 183 calendar days in any 365 consecutive days, counting entry and exit days. Residents are taxed on worldwide income.
- Ecuador: 183 or more calendar days in a fiscal year. A temporary tax residence election limits tax to Ecuadorian source income for up to 5 years.
- Thailand: more than 180 days in a calendar year. Residents are taxed on foreign income brought into Thailand.
- Malaysia: 182 days or more in a basis year. MM2H terms state participants pay no tax on foreign income.
- Philippines: no day count makes an alien a tax resident. Aliens are taxed only on Philippine source income, and SRRV holders are exempt on pensions and annuities.
- Portugal: more than 183 days in any 12 month period, or a home kept as a habitual residence. Short stays before you get residence count against the Schengen 90 in 180 limit; check them with the Schengen calculator.
- Mexico: no day count. Tax residence follows establishing a home in Mexico.
- Indonesia: more than 183 days in any 12 month period, domicile, or intention to reside. Residents are taxed on worldwide income.
Before you apply
Every threshold here was checked against the official sources listed below as of October 16, 2026. Index-linked figures reset each year, and consulates can publish their own rounded amounts. Before you file, confirm the current figure, the documents accepted as proof of pension, and any dependent add-on with the official source or the consulate handling your application. Treat the Indonesia figure as unsettled until immigration confirms it in writing.
Country pages
Costa Rica: every long stay route with the current math on the Costa Rica country page.
Colombia: every long stay route with the current math on the Colombia country page.
Ecuador: every long stay route with the current math on the Ecuador country page.
Thailand: every long stay route with the current math on the Thailand country page.
Malaysia: every long stay route with the current math on the Malaysia country page.
Philippines: every long stay route with the current math on the Philippines country page.
Portugal: every long stay route with the current math on the Portugal country page.
Mexico: every long stay route with the current math on the Mexico country page.
Indonesia: every long stay route with the current math on the Indonesia country page.
Official sources
- Panama, Decreto Ejecutivo 320 (migration regulation), Articles 196 to 203
- Costa Rica, Ley 8764, Ley General de Migracion y Extranjeria (DGME)
- Colombia, Resolution 5477 of 2022 visa requirements (SUIT)
- Ecuador, temporary residence visa for pensioners (jubilado) guide
- Thailand, Government Public Relations retirement visa information
- Thailand Board of Investment, Long-Term Resident visa
- Malaysia, MM2H program overview (MOTAC)
- Sabah MM2H terms and conditions
- Sarawak MM2H application guide (MTCP)
- Philippine Retirement Authority, Processing of SRRV Application (revised September 2025)
- Portugal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, means of subsistence
- Mexico, Consulate General in Washington, permanent resident retiree requirements 2025
- Mexico, consular services solvency requirements (SRE)
- Indonesia, Directorate General of Immigration e-visa portal
Facts in this guide last verified against the sources: 2026-10-16