THIRD AVENUE VARIABLE ANNUITY (THIRD AVENUE VARIABLE ANNUITY) THIRD AVENUE VARIABLE ANNUITY THIRD AVENUE VARIABLE ANNUITY MSCI_World_Index_reflects_no_deductions_for_fees_expenses_or_taxes MSCI World Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes) Standard_Poors_500_Index_SP_500_reflects_no_deductions_for_fees_expenses_or_taxes Standard & Poor’s 500 Index (S&P 500) (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes) Other Expenses Expense Limitation Adjustment Management (Advisory) Fee Annual Portfolio Expenses after Expense Limitation Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses Year 1 Year 1 Year 3 Year 3 Year 10 Year 5 Year 10 Year 5 Expense Example, No Redemption, By Year, Column [Text] Component3 Other Expenses DEPRECATED AverageAnnualReturnAfterTaxesOnDistributionsAndSalesYear10 Series [Axis] Expense Footnotes [Text Block] Performance Table Closing [Text Block] DEPRECATED AverageAnnualReturnAfterTaxesOnDistributionsAndSalesSinceInception Expense [Heading] Expense Example, No Redemption: Maximum Account Fee (as a percentage of Assets) Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination Risk/Return Detail [Table] Highest Quarterly Return, Label Performance Table Footnotes Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years Expense Example, With Redemption [Table] Expenses: DEPRECATED Market Index Return, Label Form N-1A: Redemption Fee (as a percentage of Amount Redeemed) DEPRECATED AverageAnnualReturnAfterTaxesOnDistributionsSinceInception Performance Table Section: Bar Chart Closing [Text Block] DEPRECATED AverageAnnualReturnAfterTaxesOnDistributionsAbstract Performance One Year or Less [Text] Performance Table Explanation after Tax Higher Series Operating Expenses Column [Text] Annual Return 1996 Risk Section: Bar Chart Closing: Amendment Description Document Creation Date Document Effective Date Risk/Return [Heading] Expense Example, No Redemption, By Year, Caption [Text] Annual Return 2006 Strategy Section: Risk Lose Money [Text] Expenses Range of Exchange Fees [Text Block] Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees Prospectus Date Annual Return 1991 Central Index Key Expense Breakpoint Discounts [Text] Expense Example Narrative [Text Block] Expense Exchange Traded Fund Commissions [Text] Performance Table Narrative Risk Column [Text] Annual Return 2002 Money Market Seven Day Yield Phone Annual Return 2012 Risk [Heading] Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text] DEPRECATED Market Index Return, Since inception Annual Return, Column [Text] Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years Performance Table Footnotes, Reason Performance Information for Class Different from Immediately Preceding Period [Text] DEPRECATED 10 Years Distribution or Similar (Non 12b-1) Fees 5 Years Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, Based on Estimates [Text] Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year Bar Chart, Reason Selected Class Different from Immediately Preceding Period [Text] Annual Return 1999 Annual Return 2009 After Taxes on Distributions Operating Expenses Caption [Text] Expense Example Closing: Performance Narrative: Redemption Fee Maximum Cumulative Sales Charge (as a percentage) Performance Additional Market Index [Text] Performance Table Heading Label Money Market Seven Day Yield Thirty Day Yield Caption Performance Availability Website Address [Text] Exchange Fee Prospectus: Prospectus Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years Lowest Quarterly Return, Date Inception Date Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes [Text] DEPRECATED Market Index Return, Inception Date Bar Chart [Table] Risk Not Insured Depository Institution [Text] Entity [Text Block] Expense Example Closing [Text Block] Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) Expense Example [Heading] Risk Footnotes [Text Block] Objective [Heading] Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year Expense Footnotes: Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading] DEPRECATED AverageAnnualReturnAfterTaxesOnDistributionsYear10 Objective Section: Entities [Table] Bar Chart, Year to Date Return Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years Column Annual Return 1994 Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text] Highest Quarterly Return Annual Return 1993 Shareholder Fees Column [Text] Portfolio Turnover, Rate Performance Table Market Index Changed Performance Narrative [Text Block] Annual Return 1990 Share Class [Axis] DEPRECATED AverageAnnualReturnAfterTaxesOnDistributionsInceptionDate Other Expenses, New Fund, Based on Estimates [Text] Registrant Name Bar Chart, Returns for Class Not Offered in Prospectus [Text] Risk Caption Annual Fund Operating Expenses [Table] DEPRECATED 5 Years Expenses Explanation of Nonrecurring Account Fee [Text] Annual Return 2004 Document Type Money Market Seven Day Yield, Caption [Text] Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage of Offering Price) Portfolio Turnover: Performance [Table] Shareholder Fees Caption [Text] Since Inception Expense Example Footnotes [Text Block] Annual Return 2000 Annual Return 2014 Expenses Deferred Charges [Text Block] Before Taxes Bar Chart Narrative: Bar Chart Narrative [Text Block] Annual Return 2013 After Taxes on Distributions and Sales Annual Return 2005 Annual Return, Inception Date Portfolio Turnover [Text Block] Performance Table One Class of after Tax Shown [Text] Operating Expenses: Shareholder Fees [Table] Annual Return 2007 DEPRECATED 1 Year Maximum Account Fee Expense Example, No Redemption [Table] 1 Year Net Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): Annual Return 2008 Bar Chart Footnotes [Text Block] Money Market Seven Day Yield Column [Text] Trading Symbol Exchange Fee (as a percentage of Amount Redeemed) Lowest Quarterly Return, Label Annual Return 2001 Prospectus [Line Items] Expense Breakpoint, Minimum Investment Required [Amount] Money Market Seven Day Tax Equivalent Yield Risk Closing [Text Block] Annual Return Caption [Text] Annual Return 2010 DEPRECATED AverageAnnualReturnAfterTaxesOnDistributionsAndSalesYear05 Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate Highest Quarterly Return, Date Document Period End Date DEPRECATED AverageAnnualReturnAfterTaxesOnDistributionsAndSalesYear01 Strategy Narrative [Text Block] Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years DEPRECATED AverageAnnualReturnAfterTaxesOnDistributionsLabel Expense Example by, Year, Caption [Text] Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): Strategy Portfolio Concentration [Text] Objective, Primary [Text Block] Expenses Restated to Reflect Current [Text] Shareholder Fee, Other Thirty Day Yield Annual Return 2003 Expense Example: Year to Date Return, Label DEPRECATED AverageAnnualReturnAfterTaxesOnDistributionsAndSalesAbstract Performance Availability Phone [Text] DEPRECATED AverageAnnualReturnAfterTaxesOnDistributionsYear05 Expenses Other Expenses Had Extraordinary Expenses Been Included [Text] DEPRECATED AverageAnnualReturnAfterTaxesOnDistributionsYear01 Risk Nondiversified Status [Text] Component1 Other Expenses Caption Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years Objective, Secondary [Text Block] Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred Amendment Flag Portfolio Turnover [Heading] Lowest Quarterly Return Maximum Cumulative Sales Charge (as a percentage of Offering Price) Average Annual Return: Expense Example by Year [Heading] Expenses Not Correlated to Ratio Due to Acquired Fund Fees [Text] Thirty Day Yield Phone Risk Money Market Fund [Text] Expense Narrative [Text Block] Thirty Day Yield Column [Text] Other Expenses over Assets: Risk [Text] Expense Example, No Redemption Narrative [Text Block] Bar Chart, Year to Date Return, Date Strategy [Heading] Market Index Return: Document [Axis] Market Index Performance [Table] Bar Chart and Performance Table Section: Expense Example, By Year, Column [Text] Annual Return 1992 Annual Return 1997 Annual Return 1998 DEPRECATED AverageAnnualReturnAfterTaxesOnDistributionsAndSalesLabel Performance Measure [Axis] Expense Example Narrative: Component2 Other Expenses Expenses Represent Both Master and Feeder [Text] Risk Narrative [Text Block] Bar Chart Table: Performance Table Does Reflect Sales Loads DEPRECATED AverageAnnualReturnAfterTaxesOnDistributionsAndSalesInceptionDate Share Classes Annual Return 1995 Bar Chart [Heading] Annual Return 2011 Maximum Sales Charge on Reinvested Dividends and Distributions (as a percentage) Risk/Return: Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) 10 Years Shareholder Fees: Bar Chart Does Not Reflect Sales Loads [Text] Thirty Day Tax Equivalent Yield Performance Table Closing: