Thailand's Long-Term Resident visa is not a tourist extension or an annual renewal. It is a 10-year visa issued by the Board of Investment for people who meet specific financial and professional criteria. If you qualify, it is the most stable and convenient long-stay option available in Thailand.
What the LTR Visa Is
The Long-Term Resident visa was introduced by the Thai government in 2022 as part of a strategy to attract high-value foreign residents. It is managed by the Board of Investment (BOI), not the Department of Consular Affairs, which gives it a different application process and a different set of conditions compared to most Thai visas.
The LTR visa is granted for a 10-year period, structured as two consecutive 5-year stamps. Holders must report to immigration once per year (not every 90 days), can receive a multiple-re-entry permit, are eligible for a BOI fast-track service at major airports, and can apply for work permits under a simplified process. Dependants including spouses, children under 20, parents, and legal dependants can apply for the same visa at a reduced fee, with no limit on the number of dependants (2025 update).
The Four Qualifying Categories
The LTR visa has four distinct categories. You must qualify under exactly one of them. The categories have different income, asset, and employment requirements, and one of them (Highly Skilled Professional) also carries a specific tax benefit.
Wealthy Global Citizen
For high-net-worth individuals with significant investable assets. No personal income requirement (2025 update). Requires at least USD 500,000 invested in Thailand (government bonds, companies, or property) and total worldwide assets of at least USD 1 million.
Full requirements →Wealthy Pensioner
For retirees aged 50 or over. Option 1: USD 80,000 per year in passive income. Option 2: USD 40,000 per year plus a minimum USD 250,000 in qualifying Thai investments (government bonds, company shares, or property).
Full requirements →Work-from-Thailand Professional
For employees of overseas companies working remotely from Thailand. Requires USD 80,000/year in employment income (or USD 40,000/year with a Master's degree, IP ownership, or Series A funding of at least USD 1M), and employment with a company that has been operating for at least 3 years with combined revenue of USD 50 million over 3 years. Includes a tax exemption on overseas income.
Full requirements →Highly Skilled Professional
For professionals working in Thailand in targeted industries in one of 15 BOI-designated sectors. Requires USD 80,000 per year in income (Option 1), or USD 40,000 per year with a Master's degree in science or technology (Option 2). The work experience requirement was removed in the 2025 update. This category carries a 17% flat personal income tax rate on Thai-source employment income.
Full requirements →Key Benefits of the LTR Visa
- 10-year visa Issued as two 5-year stamps. No annual renewal, no re-application every year.
- Annual reporting only Standard Thai visas require 90-day reporting to immigration. LTR holders report once per year instead.
- Multiple re-entry permit included You can leave and re-enter Thailand as many times as you like without losing your visa status.
- Dependant visas Spouses, children under 20, parents, and legal dependants can all obtain the same LTR visa at 10,000 THB per person. No limit on the number of dependants (2025 update).
- BOI fast-track at airports Access to a dedicated lane at Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket, and Chiang Mai airports.
- Simplified work permit (Category 4) Highly Skilled Professionals can obtain a work permit under an expedited BOI process.
- 17% flat PIT rate (Category 4 only) Highly Skilled Professionals employed in Thailand pay a flat 17% personal income tax rate rather than the progressive rate (which reaches 35%).
- Foreign income tax exemption (WFT, WGC, and Wealthy Pensioner categories) Under Royal Decree 743 (2023), LTR visa holders in these three categories pay 0% Thai personal income tax on foreign-source income remitted to Thailand. Note: this exemption does not apply to the Highly Skilled Professional category, which instead benefits from the 17% flat rate on Thai-source employment income.
Who This Visa Is For
The LTR visa is not designed to be accessible to everyone. It is intentionally aimed at a specific segment: high-income retirees, remote professionals employed by overseas companies earning above $80k USD, and technology/finance professionals working for Thai or international organisations in targeted sectors.
If you are a digital nomad or freelancer earning below the income thresholds, the Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) is almost certainly a better fit. If you are retired but below the $40k pension threshold, the Retirement Visa (Non-OA) is the more accessible option. The LTR offers more than those alternatives, but requires considerably more to qualify.
Costs Overview
The government fee for the LTR visa is 50,000 THB per primary applicant, paid to the BOI. This fee is non-refundable if your application is rejected. Dependant fees are 10,000 THB per person. The total cost of obtaining the visa including health insurance, document preparation, and optional agent fees typically runs between 70,000 and 250,000 THB depending on your situation.
Full LTR visa cost breakdown →
How to Apply
LTR visa applications are submitted through the BOI's online portal at ltr.boi.go.th. The process is self-service by design, though many applicants use a visa agent for document preparation. Applications typically take 20 business days to process after all documents are submitted. The full step-by-step process is covered in the application guide below.
Step-by-step application guide →
All LTR Visa Guides
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