Thailand Long-Term Resident Visa (LTR)
Ten years, and four separate ways in: high earner, retiree, remote professional, skilled specialist. Thailand built the LTR to hold on to people who would otherwise leave after a few years.
Start here
| Need | Best page |
|---|---|
| Work out which of the four tracks fits you | LTR guide |
| Compare the tracks side by side | Four LTR tracks compared |
| Understand the application stages | LTR timeline and documents |
| Plan family, tax and renewals | LTR family and tax |
| Compare against the DTV | LTR versus DTV |
Programme snapshot
| Item | Current rule |
|---|---|
| Main audience | High income remote workers, wealthy individuals, retirees 50+, skilled specialists |
| Visa family | Non-immigrant long stay, not permanent residence |
| Validity | 10 years, granted as 5 plus 5 |
| Extension | 5 years if qualifications still met |
| Threshold | Depends on track: USD 80,000 income for the pensioner track up to USD 1,000,000 of assets for the wealthy global citizen track (2026) |
| Work permit | Digital work permit for highly skilled track. None for work-from-Thailand |
| Reporting | 90 day reporting replaced by annual reporting |
| Re-entry | Multiple re-entry included |
| Tax | 17 percent personal income tax for highly skilled. Overseas income exempt |
| Family | Spouse and children under 20, maximum four dependants |
| Settlement | None directly. Counts toward nothing |
| Processing | 4 to 8 weeks through BOI |
The four tracks
Highly Skilled Professionals. Experts in targeted industries, employed by a Thai or foreign entity, university, research centre or government agency. USD 80,000 average annual income over two years, or USD 40,000 to 80,000 plus a master’s degree or higher in science and technology. Health insurance of USD 50,000, or Thai social security, or USD 100,000 on deposit for twelve months. Gets a digital work permit and the 17 percent tax rate.
Work-from-Thailand Professionals. Remote workers for well established overseas companies. Same USD 80,000 income bar, same USD 40,000 to 80,000 fallback with a master’s degree. The employer must be a listed public company, a private company operating at least three years with USD 50 million combined revenue over three years, or a wholly owned subsidiary of either. No work permit is granted on this track.
Wealthy Global Citizens. At least USD 1,000,000 in assets held in the applicant’s name, plus USD 500,000 invested in Thailand through government bonds with five years remaining, direct investment in Thai companies, or Thai property in the applicant’s own name.
Wealthy Pensioners. Age 50 or over with USD 80,000 a year in passive income at application. Pension, rent, realised capital gains, dividends and interest count. Salary does not. If passive income is USD 40,000 to 80,000, an additional USD 250,000 investment is required.
Application flow
- Confirm which track you qualify for, because the evidence sets do not overlap.
- Assemble financial evidence for the two year lookback period.
- Submit the LTR application through the BOI portal.
- BOI screens qualifications and issues an endorsement.
- The endorsement goes to Immigration for the visa.
- Collect the visa and, on the highly skilled track, the digital work permit.
- Report annually instead of every 90 days.
Good fit
People earning above USD 80,000 who are tired of 180 day cycles and want a single ten year permission with annual rather than 90 day reporting. Retirees over 50 with genuine passive income above the threshold. Wealthy individuals who want Thai residence without running a business. Specialists in targeted industries who want the 17 percent tax rate and a work permit that does not require the 4 to 1 Thai employee ratio.
Poor fit
People whose income is between USD 40,000 and 80,000 without a master’s degree in a science or technology field. People employed by small companies, since the work-from-Thailand employer test excludes them. Anyone hoping the LTR leads to permanent residence, because it does not. People who cannot maintain the qualifying investment, income or insurance for the full ten years, because every condition has to hold throughout.
Watchpoints
- Every condition must be maintained for the whole visa. Income, investment, insurance and bank balances are all continuing obligations, not entry tests.
- Work-from-Thailand gives no work permit. Remote work for a foreign employer is the only permitted activity. This is the single most expensive misunderstanding in Thai immigration.
- The employer test is narrow. Small and mid-sized foreign employers fail it even when the salary is high.
- Passive means passive for pensioners. Salary does not count toward the USD 80,000.
- Insurance minimum is USD 50,000, not USD 100,000. The higher figure is an alternative to insurance, not the requirement.
- Ten years is not permanence. The LTR does not feed permanent residence or citizenship.
- BOI warns about fake agents. Only the TIESC centre and the official portal are legitimate.
Sources
- Board of Investment, LTR programme and four track criteria. Checked 2026-10-22.
- thaievisa.go.th, LTR visa category. Checked 2026-10-22.
- BOI, TIESC one-stop service centre. Checked 2026-10-22.