Thailand LTR visa: requirements, benefits and how to apply
Ten years of residence, annual reporting and real tax privileges, if you fit one of the BOI's four categories.
The short answer: Thailand’s Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa is a 10 year residence visa run by the Board of Investment (BOI) for four groups: wealthy investors, pensioners with strong passive income, remote professionals and highly skilled specialists. The government fee is 50,000 THB per person, one time, for the full 10 years. It replaces 90 day reporting with a single annual report and carries real tax privileges. Rule changes in January 2025 made the LTR visa in Thailand far easier to qualify for, and many guides still show the old thresholds. Here is how it works now.
- 10 years issued 5 + 5
- 50,000 THB one-time government fee
- Annual reporting, not 90-day
- 17% flat tax (Highly-Skilled)
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The LTR visa explained
The LTR visa is Thailand’s long-stay offer for what the government calls high-potential foreigners. The BOI handles qualification and endorsement, then the visa itself is issued by a Thai embassy abroad or in Thailand. It runs for 10 years in total, issued as a 5 year stamp that is extended for 5 more once your qualifications are re-verified.
It is a different animal from the yearly extension cycle most expats know. You report to immigration once a year instead of every 90 days, and holders who work get a digital work permit through the same BOI channel. For anyone who qualifies, it is the closest thing Thailand offers to settled residence without permanent residency.
The latest rule changes
The Cabinet approved a package of LTR relaxations on 13 January 2025, confirmed on the BOI’s One Stop Service announcement. Four things changed. Wealthy Global Citizens no longer face a minimum income test. The employer revenue bar for remote professionals dropped from US$150 million to US$50 million. The 5 year work experience requirement for that category was scrapped entirely. And the cap of 4 dependants per holder was removed.
Most LTR articles online still quote the old rules. If a page tells you remote workers need a US$150 million employer or five years of experience, it predates January 2025.
The four LTR categories
Every LTR visa applicant qualifies under exactly one of four categories, each with its own evidence list. Check the category you fit before you gather a single document, because the requirements barely overlap.
Wealthy Global Citizen
This is the investor track. You need at least US$1,000,000 in total assets, and at least US$500,000 of that invested in specified Thai assets such as government bonds, property or foreign direct investment. Since the January 2025 revision there is no minimum annual income requirement for this category. The old US$80,000 income test is gone.
Wealthy Pensioner
For applicants aged 50 or over with pension or passive income of at least US$80,000 a year. If your passive income sits between US$40,000 and US$79,999, you can still qualify by investing at least US$250,000 in Thai government bonds, foreign direct investment or Thai property. If neither bar is realistic, the conventional retirement visa route is the fallback most over-50s use.
Work-from-Thailand Professional
The remote worker track. You need income of US$80,000 a year, averaged over the past 2 years, from a foreign employer. If your average sits between US$40,000 and US$80,000, the BOI’s published criteria accept a master’s degree or higher as a supplementary qualification. That employer needs combined revenue of at least US$50,000,000 over the last 3 years, cut from US$150 million in the 2025 revision. Publicly listed companies are exempt from the revenue test, and wholly owned subsidiaries may use their parent company’s financials. The old 5 year work experience requirement no longer applies. Remote workers earning below the US$40,000 line usually look at the DTV visa instead.
Highly-Skilled Professional
For specialists employed by Thai entities in targeted industries. The income bar is US$80,000 a year, or US$40,000 with a master’s degree or equivalent expertise. The 2025 revision broadened the eligible sectors beyond the original STEM list to include fields such as educators, sustainability and disaster management. This is the only category taxed at the special 17 percent flat rate on Thai employment income.
Benefits, and why people pick the LTR
The LTR visa’s appeal is that it bundles privileges that other Thai visas hand out separately or not at all:
- 10 years of residence from one application, issued 5 plus 5.
- Annual reporting instead of the standard 90 day report.
- A digital work permit at 3,000 THB per year, exempt from the usual rule requiring 4 Thai employees per foreign hire.
- 17 percent flat personal income tax on employment income for Highly-Skilled Professionals, under Royal Decree No. 743 (2022).
- A personal income tax exemption on foreign-sourced income for the other three categories, under the same decree. How that interacts with Thailand’s wider rules on foreign income is covered in our guide to income tax for foreigners.
- Dependants can be included, and same-sex spouses are eligible following the Marriage Equality Act. One caveat: the January 2025 announcement removed the cap of 4 dependants and extended eligibility to parents and legal dependents, but the BOI’s own LTR portal still lists a maximum of 4, covering spouses and children under 20. Confirm your dependant list with the BOI before you build plans around it.
Common requirements across all categories
Whichever LTR visa category you apply under, you need health cover. The standard route is health insurance with at least US$50,000 of coverage and at least 10 months of validity remaining. Two alternatives are accepted: coverage under Thai social security, or a bank deposit of at least US$100,000 held for 12 months or more.
Beyond that, the evidence is category-specific: asset and investment proof for Wealthy Global Citizens, income and age evidence for pensioners, employment contracts and employer financials for the two professional tracks. The BOI reviews all of it before any visa is issued.
What the LTR visa costs
The government fee is 50,000 THB per person for the full 10 year visa, paid once. That is the entire visa fee, not an annual charge, which makes the LTR unusually cheap per year of stay for a premium visa. Applicants processing through a Thai embassy pay the local equivalent, for example the Royal Thai Embassy in London lists the 10 year Long-Term Resident visa on its fee schedule.
If you will work, the digital work permit costs 3,000 THB per year on top. Agents and law firms charge separately for handling the paperwork, and their fees vary widely. An agent is optional. The BOI process is designed to be done directly, but the evidence packs are document-heavy, and mistakes cost you weeks.
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How to apply through the BOI
The LTR visa application runs through the BOI’s official LTR portal and follows one sequence:
- Register and submit evidence online
For your category, through the LTR portal.
- BOI pre-qualification review
The BOI checks your evidence against the category criteria. The official processing time is 20 working days from a complete submission.
- Endorsement letter issued
Once you qualify, with pre-approval taking a further 1 to 3 working days.
- Visa issuance
Either at a Thai embassy or consulate abroad, or in Thailand. Book your issuance appointment within 60 days of the endorsement being issued.
- 5 year stamp, extended to 10
You receive 5 years first, extended by another 5 when your qualifications are re-verified.
The common failure points are documentary. Insurance policies with less than 10 months of validity remaining get bounced. Work-from-Thailand Professionals trip on the income test because it is an average over 2 years, not a single payslip. And employer financials cause delays when a subsidiary applies without its parent company’s statements, which the rules allow since 2025.
LTR vs retirement visa vs DTV vs Thailand Privilege
Most readers land on this page mid-comparison, so here is the honest sorting logic.
If you are over 50 but your passive income is under US$40,000 a year, the LTR pensioner track is out of reach and the retirement visa is the route to compare seriously. If you work remotely but earn under US$80,000, or your employer fails the US$50 million revenue test, the DTV is built for exactly that gap. And if you simply want long-term entry without proving income or investments at LTR levels, Thailand Privilege is the paid-membership alternative, compared in full in our Thailand Privilege guide.
The LTR wins on running costs and privileges for those who qualify: 50,000 THB once for 10 years, annual reporting, a work permit path and the Royal Decree 743 tax treatment. The other routes exist because its entry bars are high. Qualify for the LTR visa and it is usually the best value long-stay option Thailand offers.
What to do next
Work out your category first, using the income, asset and age tests above. Then assemble your evidence to match that category’s list exactly, with your insurance validity and 2 year income history checked before you submit. Apply through the BOI’s LTR portal, and treat the endorsement letter as the milestone that matters.
Frequently asked questions
What changed in the 2025 LTR rule relaxation?
Four things, effective from the Cabinet approval of 13 January 2025: the minimum income test for Wealthy Global Citizens was removed, the employer revenue requirement for Work-from-Thailand Professionals was cut from US$150 million to US$50 million over 3 years, the 5 year work experience requirement for that category was dropped, and the removal of the 4 dependant cap was announced. On that last point, the BOI's LTR portal still lists a maximum of 4 dependants, so confirm with the BOI if you have a larger family.
Can LTR holders work in Thailand?
Highly-Skilled Professionals work for Thai entities in targeted industries. Work-from-Thailand Professionals work remotely for their foreign employer. Working holders use the digital work permit, which costs 3,000 THB per year and is exempt from the 4 Thai employees per foreigner ratio.
Do LTR holders pay Thai tax on foreign income?
Wealthy Global Citizens, Wealthy Pensioners and Work-from-Thailand Professionals have a personal income tax exemption on foreign-sourced income under Royal Decree No. 743 (2022). Highly-Skilled Professionals pay a 17 percent flat rate on Thai employment income under the same decree.
Do I still do 90-day reporting on an LTR?
No. LTR visa holders report once a year instead of every 90 days.
Is the LTR really 10 years?
Yes, in two halves. The visa is issued as a 5 year stamp and extended for another 5 years after your qualifications are re-verified. Fail the re-check and the second 5 years is not automatic.
LTR Wealthy Pensioner vs O-A retirement visa, which is better?
The LTR pensioner track needs US$80,000 a year in passive income (or US$40,000 plus a US$250,000 Thai investment) but gives 10 years, annual reporting and the foreign income exemption. The retirement route has far lower financial bars. If you clear the LTR income requirement, the LTR is generally the stronger visa. Our retirement visa guide covers the other side of the comparison.
Can my family join me?
Yes. Spouses and children under 20 qualify as dependants, and same-sex spouses are eligible following the Marriage Equality Act. The January 2025 announcement removed the cap of 4 dependants and added parents and legal dependents, but the BOI's LTR portal still lists a maximum of 4, so confirm larger family arrangements with the BOI directly.
How long does the BOI approval take?
The BOI's published timeline is 20 working days for the qualification endorsement once your submission is complete, then 1 to 3 working days for pre-approval. After that you have 60 days to book your visa issuance appointment. Incomplete evidence resets the clock, which is why most delays are documentary rather than bureaucratic.