Thailand’s Long-Term Resident (LTR) Visa

10 years’ residency and a wide range of benefits

What is the Long-Term Resident visa?

The LTR is a 10-year residency and work visa that is intended to attract financially independent and/or highly skilled expats to Thailand. It targets three categories of applicants:

The LTR visa offers many advantages for expats wanting to reside in Thailand long term. The benefits and application procedures will be explained below.

Baan Thai Immigration Solutions is your single source of LTR expertise: Our bilingual counselors will help you through every step of the application process.

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Benefits of the LTR visa

Applying for Thailand’s LTR visa

Eligibility

The LTR visa is an initiative by Thailand’s Board of Investment (BOI). The BOI’s stated mission is the development of Thailand through innovation, technology, and increased competitiveness, and it offers several work visas for expats to achieve this mission. New for 2022 is the revised LTR visa with four applicant categories. One of the categories is highly skilled professionals who are expected to boost Thailand’s industrial and educational capabilities. These LTR holders will work in universities, research institutes, and government agencies.

However, the Thai government’s primary objective with the LTR visa is to attract foreign residents who will “contribute to domestic spending and investment while supporting economic growth.” The visa therefore openly targets high-net-worth individuals and families who are expected to bring overseas wealth into the Thai economy.

You will frequently see the term “wealthy” associated with the LTR visa. Note that this is relative to the local incomes and cost of living in Thailand, which means the financial requirements will be within reach for many developed countries’ citizens.

The BOI lists the following categories and criteria for LTR applicants:

Wealthy Global Citizen

Wealthy Pensioner

OR
Have a personal yearly income of at least USD40,000 and invest at least USD250,000 in Thai government bonds, foreign direct investment, or property

Work-from-Thailand global professional

OR

Have a personal yearly income of at least USD40,000 and a graduate degree or own intellectual property or receive Series A funding

Highly Skilled Professional

OR
Have a personal yearly income of at least USD40,000 and a graduate degree or special expertise relevant to the job assignment in Thailand
In addition to the above criteria, all applicants must hold health insurance or social security benefits with at least USD50,000 coverage, or pay a USD100,000 deposit.

Note: LTR visa applications became available September 1, 2022. Applications are handled by the BOI's One Stop Service Center in Bangkok. Some details and procedures are still being finalized by the BOI, and this page will be updated accordingly.

Process

The BOI lists four steps for applying for the LTR visa:

The Thai government has an English language BOI website with an online E-submission portal.

Challenges

The biggest challenge with the LTR visa is that almost every criteria depends on the ability to demonstrate income or wealth. The clear motivation for this visa is to attract wealthy expatriates who will spend and invest in the Thai economy.

A more general challenge is that the BOI’s visa application processes are complex, time-consuming, and demanding for those who try to apply on their own. It can be difficult to understand exactly which documents will satisfy the requirements of the LTR visa and how they should be presented.

It is also often a challenge to understand BOI official decision-making. Our experience with the BOI lets us create a strategy for your LTR visa application and ensure that every box is checked. And our long-standing relationships with authorities ensure that your application and review is handled with respect.

BAAN THAI IMMIGRATION SOLUTIONS

LTR Experts

We are an international law firm based in Bangkok that specializes in helping expats establish lives and livelihoods in Thailand. We also help international firms set up operations in the Kingdom and hire overseas staff.

Our team of bilingual counselors have years of experience and close connections with Thailand’s BOI offices. We will help with all phases of your LTR visa application, from explaining your options to reviewing your supporting documents to helping with the application process.

Contact us for a free consultation.

As the founder of a business in Thailand, I know my team can handle any challenge Thai officialdom throws at us.

Mark Friedman
Managing Director
Baan Thai Immigration Solutions

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FAQ

The LTR is valid for 10 years, whereas regular Thai work visas and permits are valid for only one or two years, depending on the type. The LTR also offers substantial benefits such as far fewer immigration-reporting obligations, fast-track services at airports, and the ability to sponsor dependents. Companies are also not constrained by the 4:1 Thai/expat hiring quota if the employee has the LTR.

And of course, two LTR categories — Wealthy Global Citizen and Wealthy Pensioner — do not involve employment.

The LTR visa is valid for 10 years, whereas the retirement visa must be renewed every year. Also, the retirement visa does not permit employment in Thailand. On the other hand, the criteria for the retirement visa are easier.

PR has the benefit of being a lifetime work and residency visa. It is seen as fully embracing Thai society and language, and a step toward citizenship. Accordingly, the application process takes much longer (up to a year) and requires demonstrating Thai language skills in an interview and other long-term commitments to the culture. The LTR visa is much quicker and easier to obtain if you qualify financially.

Those who can work remotely can certainly make use of the LTR visa to live in Thailand while drawing an income from anywhere in the world. In fact, one of the applicant categories is “Work-from-Thailand global professional.” However, unlike popular digital nomad countries like Serbia or Cambodia, Thailand’s LTR visa is targeting wealthier individuals and families. The criteria could be considered demanding for some.

To be a digital nomad on the LTR visa, you must be working for a public firm registered on a stock exchange or a private firm with revenue of at least USD150 million for the last three years. And you will need to show a yearly salary for yourself of USD80,000, or USD40,000 if you have a graduate degree.

Thailand has overseas BOI offices in Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, Germany, France, Sweden, Australia, and the USA. These are tasked with promoting Thai business and industry abroad.

The main BOI office in Thailand is in Bangkok, and seven regional offices are located around the country. Note that LTR visas and digital work permits are processed at the BOI’s office in central Bangkok, not at the Immigration Center on the outskirts of the city.

We are ready to answer your questions about Thailand’s Long-Term Resident visa.

Our dedicated and experienced team is ready to help you as we have so many others. Contact us today for your free consultation.