Thailand LTR Visa: Categories, Money Tests and Reporting

The LTR visa has four categories: Wealthy Global Citizen, Wealthy Pensioners, Work-from-Thailand Professionals and Highly-skilled Professionals. It is a renewable 10-year visa, 5 years first and 5 more if you still qualify. Income tests are USD 80,000 a year, and the visa fee is THB 50,000.

By Vincent Nguyen and team

The BOI runs the LTR visa. Four categories exist, and each has its own money test. Start with the table, then read your row.

The four categories at a glance

Every condition must be maintained for the length of the visa, including investment amounts, employment status, bank balances and insurance. The 10-year visa is 5 years first, extendable by 5 more years if you still qualify.

Privileges include a fast-track service at international airports in Thailand and a multiple re-entry permit. LTR holders also report once a year instead of every 90 days, and are exempt from re-entry permits.

Money tests by category

Wealthy Global Citizen

You need at least USD 1 million in assets. You also need at least USD 500,000 invested in Thailand, in your own name: government bonds, Thai company shares or Thai property.

The investment must already be made, and the assets held, before you apply. Government bonds count with a remaining maturity of no less than 5 years, in your name.

Wealthy Pensioners

This category is for retirees aged 50 years and older with an annual pension or stable passive income. You need passive income of at least USD 80,000 a year at the time of application.

If passive income is lower than USD 80,000 but not lower than USD 40,000, you also need an additional investment of USD 250,000. Passive income includes pension, rental, realised capital gain, dividend and interest payments.

Monthly withdrawals of principal that are not clearly from retirement accounts, private pensions or provident funds do not count. If you live in a tax-free country, you must provide legal documentation showing it is tax-free, along with evidence of income.

Work-from-Thailand Professionals

You need a minimum average personal income of USD 80,000 a year in the past two years. You must be a remote worker for a well-established overseas company.

One accepted employer type is a private company with at least 3 years of operation and combined revenue of USD 50 million in the last 3 years. If your income is lower than USD 80,000 but not lower than USD 40,000, you also need a master’s degree or higher.

You cannot engage in work or activities with Thai employers that generate income in Thailand.

Highly-skilled Professionals

You need a contract with a Thai or foreign company whose activities fall under the targeted industries, or proof of expertise in the fields BOI specifies. The income test is the same USD 80,000 a year over the past two years.

If your income is lower than USD 80,000 but not lower than USD 40,000, you also need a master’s degree or higher in sciences and technology. The Highly-skilled category carries a 17% personal income tax rate.

Health insurance and dependants

All four categories need one of three things. Either health insurance covering a minimum of USD 50,000, or social security benefits in Thailand, or a deposit of at least USD 100,000. The insurance is a required document, so prepare it before submitting or provide an alternative that meets the criteria.

The dependant category covers the spouse and children under 20 years old of an LTR visa holder. An LTR visa currently covers up to 4 dependants per holder.

Thailand has approved extending dependants to parents with no cap on numbers. The extension is not in force yet. Check ltr.boi.go.th before planning to bring a parent.

Dependants must be the legal spouse or children of the holder.

• Without insurance or social security, a dependant needs a deposit of at least USD 25,000 per dependant held for no less than 12 months.
• Same-sex marriages are now recognised as eligible under the dependant category.
• Partnerships are currently not recognised under Thai law and are therefore not eligible.
• Each dependant creates a separate account, one account per person.

How to apply

The application must be submitted online only, through ltr.boi.go.th. The BOI charges no fee for the qualification endorsement when you apply on its online system. Applicants are notified of the result within 20 working days.

1. Submit the application and wait for the endorsement. Do not terminate your current visa while it is in process.
2. Submit more documents for the pre-approval step, which takes 1-3 working days.
3. Book a visa appointment within 60 days from the issuance date of the letter.
4. Collect the visa at a Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate-General overseas, or at the One Stop Service Center for Visa and Work Permit in Bangkok.

Only documents translated by a certified translator, a notary public, or through a notary translation by an embassy or consulate are accepted.

Beware of fraudulent entities that claim to be authorised agencies for the Smart Visa or LTR visa. The LTR Visa Unit sits at the Thailand Investment and Expat Services Center in Bangkok, and its email is ltr@boi.go.th.

What it costs

The processing fee is THB 50,000 per person for the 10-year multiple-entry visa when collected in Thailand. Collecting the visa at a Thai embassy, consulate or by e-visa can cost considerably more than THB 50,000, depending on the exchange rate.

Application and processing on the BOI side are free. Full payment is due on the appointment date at the Immigration Bureau office in Bangkok. A dependant must collect the visa at the same place as the main applicant.

Work permit and tax

Wealthy Global Citizens, Wealthy Pensioners, Highly Skilled Professionals and dependants can apply for a work permit. Work permits are not granted to Work-from-Thailand Professionals, who work remotely for a foreign employer.

A holder working for a Thai entity pays a work-permit processing fee of THB 3,000 per year. The Highly-skilled category carries a 17% personal income tax rate.

Reporting from Phuket

A holder who stays 1 year without leaving files TM.95, the 1-year report, instead of TM.47, the 90-day report. The report is due yearly, from 15 days before to 7 days after the date on the 1-year report notification card.

The report goes to the Immigration Bureau at the Thailand Investment and Expat Services Center in Bangkok, in person or through an authorised person. Use form TM.95 with the passport and the arrival record.

If you re-enter the Kingdom, the report is due 1 year from the date of the latest arrival. With a visa issued at an embassy there is no notification card, and the report is due 1 year from the latest arrival date.

Two duties stay: TM30 notification by the house owner or hotel manager is still required, and the TDAC is required on every entry.

For day-to-day immigration matters in Phuket, the office is Phuket Immigration, 482 Phuket Rd., Talad Yai, Mueang, Phuket 83000. The phone is 0 7622 1905.

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If your passport carrying the LTR visa expires or is lost, transfer the visa to the new passport before the old one expires, otherwise it is invalid.

Related guides

• Thailand re-entry permit: fees and forms
• Phuket address report: window, online filing, late fine

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Not confirmed: Whether Phuket Immigration takes the one-year address report: the BOI page names the Bangkok centre.

General information checked against the sources listed above, not legal advice for your situation. Rules and office practice change; confirm with the immigration office or a licensed adviser before you act. See how guides are checked.

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