The Long-Term Resident visa is the only Thai visa built for wealthy and highly paid foreigners that also recognises a property purchase. It is run by the Board of Investment (BOI), which sets its criteria in US dollars.
Buying property does not by itself give a right to stay in Thailand. Under the LTR rules, property is one of three permitted forms of investment, and the investment is only one of several tests.
The four categories
| Category | Main financial test | Other conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Wealthy Global Citizen | USD 1 million in assets, including USD 500,000 invested in Thailand | No income test since February 2025 |
| Wealthy Pensioner | Passive income of USD 80,000 a year, or USD 40,000 plus USD 250,000 invested in Thailand | Aged 50 or over. Salary does not count |
| Work-from-Thailand Professional | Income of USD 80,000 a year over the past two years | Employer listed on a stock exchange, or private with three years of operation and USD 50 million of combined revenue over three years |
| Highly Skilled Professional | Income of USD 80,000 a year over the past two years | Employed in a targeted industry or field of expertise |
Both professional categories allow an income of USD 40,000 to USD 80,000 if the applicant holds a master's degree or higher. For Highly Skilled Professionals the degree must be in science or technology.
Every applicant must also hold health insurance of at least USD 50,000, or Thai social security cover, or a bank balance of USD 100,000 held for at least 12 months.
What changed in 2025
BOI Announcement No. Por. 3/2568 took effect on 4 February 2025. It made four changes:
- Wealthy Global Citizens no longer need a personal income of USD 80,000 a year.
- For Work-from-Thailand Professionals, the employer revenue test fell from USD 150 million to USD 50 million over three years, and wholly owned subsidiaries may rely on the parent's accounts.
- The work experience requirement was removed for both professional categories.
- Dependants were widened to include parents. Whether the cap of four dependants still applies is unclear, so confirm it with the BOI before you apply.
The Wealthy Pensioner criteria did not change.
How property counts
A Wealthy Global Citizen must invest at least USD 500,000 in Thailand. The BOI accepts Thai government bonds with five or more years to maturity, direct investment in Thai companies, Thai property, or a mix of the three. A Wealthy Pensioner using the lower income route needs USD 250,000 in the same assets.
Property qualifies as follows:
- Freehold: a condominium, building or house in the applicant's name. For most foreign buyers that means a condominium within the foreign quota.
- Leasehold: a condominium, building, house or land leased in the applicant's name, with at least 10 years of the lease remaining on the application date.
- Joint ownership: where a unit is co-owned with a spouse, the officer divides the value equally or by the number of names on the title.
- Not counted: property in the name of a spouse, a child or a company. The applicant must be the owner.
The investment must be complete before you apply, so an off-plan unit that has not been transferred will not support an application. The rules do not say whether value is measured by the contract price or the Land Department appraisal. Ask the BOI before relying on a purchase close to the threshold, and keep the foreign exchange evidence with the title.
For villa buyers, who hold on a registered lease of up to 30 years, the remaining term is the point to watch.
Your age
Time in Thailand each year
Will you work?
Assets or investment available
What matters most
Closest match
Thailand Privilege: membership tiers, prices and what you get
80
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
The other routes, ranked
Your assets can cover the investment it requires.
You meet its age test of 50 or over, but it means a renewal with proof of funds every year, and 90 day reporting.
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.
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.
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.
Email me the ranking
Tax treatment
There are two tax benefits. Wealthy Global Citizens, Wealthy Pensioners and Work-from-Thailand Professionals are exempt from Thai tax on overseas income. Highly Skilled Professionals pay personal income tax at a flat 17% on their Thai employment income.
Neither benefit touches income that arises in Thailand. Rent from a Thai condominium or villa is Thai income and is taxed under the ordinary rules, set out in our guide to rental income and tax. Take advice on how the exemption interacts with tax at home.
Work, reporting and other rights
LTR holders report their address to Immigration once a year instead of every 90 days, need no re-entry permit, and may use the fast-track lanes at Thai international airports.
Wealthy Global Citizens, Wealthy Pensioners, Highly Skilled Professionals and dependants may apply for a digital work permit once they have a Thai employer. Work-from-Thailand Professionals may not: the category is for remote work for an overseas employer.
The visa gives no extra right to own land: see can foreigners buy property in Thailand.
Fee and process
- Register and apply online with supporting documents. The BOI's review is free and takes 20 working days once the file is complete.
- If endorsed, have the visa issued within 60 days, at the Thailand Investment and Expat Services Center at One Bangkok or through a Thai embassy by e-Visa.
- Pay THB 50,000 per person on issue. The first permission runs for five years or to the expiry of your passport.
- At five years, the BOI checks that you still qualify and extends for five more. There is no second visa fee.
What to weigh
- You must keep qualifying. Selling the property that supports the visa, or letting a lease run below the level the BOI expects, puts the second five years at risk.
- The thresholds are in dollars, while Thai property is priced in baht.
- A USD 500,000 purchase is not required to live in Thailand. Compare Thailand Privilege, the retirement visa and the older investment visa.
