Visas and residency

The routes to a long stay, compared.

Route	Stay	Cost	Work	Property counts	Best for
DTV	Up to 180 days per entry on a five-year, multiple-entry visa	Set by each embassy: GBP 300 in London. Financial evidence of THB 500,000 is also required.	Not permitted	No	Remote workers and owners who use their property for long seasonal stays and have no need to work for a Thai employer
Investment	Up to one year at a time, renewable while the investment is held	THB 1,900 for each annual extension, on an investment of at least THB 10 million	Not permitted	Yes, toward qualifying	Buyers under 50 placing THB 10 million or more in a condominium who do not meet the LTR asset test
LTR	10 years: five years on issue, extended by five if you still qualify	THB 50,000 per person, paid on issue. The BOI's qualification review is free.	Permitted, with conditions	Yes, toward qualifying	Buyers investing USD 500,000 or more in their own name, and high earners who want a work permit and a 10-year horizon
Retirement	One year at a time (O and O-A), or five years renewable once (O-X)	THB 1,900 for each annual extension, plus the embassy visa fee and, for O-A and O-X, health insurance	Not permitted	No	Buyers aged 50 or over who will live in Thailand for most of the year and do not need to work
Privilege	5 to 20 years depending on tier, with up to one year per entry	THB 650,000 to THB 5,000,000 as a one-off membership fee	Not permitted	No	Buyers under 50, or anyone who wants a long stay without tying up capital or proving income

Thresholds and fees change. Each page cites the official source and its review date.

Visa pathfinder

Which route fits your plans?

Five questions on age, time in the country, work and assets.

Your age

Time in Thailand each year

Spending 180 days or more in a calendar year makes you a Thai tax resident, whichever visa you hold.

Will you work?

A job with a Thai employer needs a work permit as well as a visa.

Assets or investment available

Count savings, investments and property you can show in your own name.

What matters most

Closest match

Thailand Privilege: membership tiers, prices and what you get

Fit out of 100

Why this route

You are 50 or over, plan up to six months a year in Thailand and do not intend to work, so this route is the closest fit: it asks for the least paperwork of the five, and it lets you come and go for long stays without reapplying.

Stay: 5 to 20 years depending on tier, with up to one year per entry
Cost: THB 650,000 to THB 5,000,000 as a one-off membership fee
Suits: Buyers under 50, or anyone who wants a long stay without tying up capital or proving income

Read the Privilege guide

The other routes, ranked

Thailand investment visa: the THB 10 million route explained
Your assets can cover the investment it requires.
Thailand retirement visa from age 50: O, O-A and O-X
You meet its age test of 50 or over, but it means a renewal with proof of funds every year, and 90 day reporting.
Thailand LTR visa: who qualifies and how property counts
From 50 its wealthy pensioner category is open if your pension or other passive income passes the BOI test, but qualifying takes a substantial file of documents, reviewed by the BOI.
Destination Thailand Visa (DTV): who qualifies, cost, limits
Each entry allows a stay of up to 180 days, which matches your time in Thailand, but without remote work you would need a qualifying activity, such as a course or medical treatment.

Buying property does not by itself give a right to stay.

General guidance, not immigration advice. The fit scores are our own reading of each route's published rules against five answers, and they leave out income, nationality and health insurance tests. Rules, fees and thresholds change: check the official source linked from each guide, or ask us.

Next step

Send me the ranking

Your five answers and the routes ranked against them, by email. An adviser will talk you through the application and the homes that fit your plans.

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Where should we send it?

Up to 180 days per entry on a five-year, multiple-entry visa

Destination Thailand Visa (DTV): who qualifies, cost, limits

The DTV is a five-year, multiple-entry visa giving 180 days per stay to remote workers and people on approved activities. Who qualifies, the fee and the limits.

Read the guide

Up to one year at a time, renewable while the investment is held

Thailand investment visa: the THB 10 million route explained

Thailand's investment visa is a one-year extension of stay for THB 10 million placed in a condominium, bonds or a fixed deposit. The rule and its limits.

Read the guide

10 years: five years on issue, extended by five if you still qualify

Thailand LTR visa: who qualifies and how property counts

The four LTR visa categories, the current BOI thresholds after the 2025 changes, how Thai property counts toward the investment, the tax treatment and the fee.

Read the guide

One year at a time (O and O-A), or five years renewable once (O-X)

Thailand retirement visa from age 50: O, O-A and O-X

Thailand's retirement visas start at age 50. The THB 800,000 deposit or THB 65,000 income test, O-A insurance, the 10-year O-X, 90-day reporting and renewal.

Read the guide

5 to 20 years depending on tier, with up to one year per entry