The LTR Visa, Explained: Which Category Fits and How to Apply

Checked as of October 2026. Exchange rate: ฿33.5 = $1. Criteria are from BOI Announcement Por. 3/2568 (4 February 2025), the current rules.

Thailand markets the LTR to remote workers. Remote workers are not the ones getting it.

From launch in September 2022 to the end of February 2026, the Board of Investment (BOI) endorsed 9,006 LTR applications. The biggest group was Wealthy Pensioners: 3,325, more than half of the main applicants. Work-from-Thailand Professionals, the category built for people employed by a company abroad: 890. Under 10%.

Source: BOI presentation, 10 March 2026. Americans were the second-largest group after Europeans, with 1,796.

Read the criteria and the split makes sense.

What the LTR gets you: ten years, an annual report instead of 90-day reports, no Thai tax on foreign income you bring in for three of the four categories, and a work permit for some of them. The catch: the bars are high, and the paperwork is real. Tax returns, audited company financials and insurance certificates, all checked by the BOI before you get near a visa.

The short version

Ten-year visa, five-year stamp. And every condition has to hold for the life of the visa: the income, the employer, the insurance, the investments.

The 2025 update made the LTR easier. The remote-worker employer bar dropped from $150 million to $50 million. The experience rule went. Parents became eligible dependants, with no cap.

One warning. Parts of the official portal, ltr.boi.go.th, still show the pre-2025 rules: an $80,000 income test for Wealthy Global Citizens, five years' experience for Highly-Skilled Professionals, a maximum of four dependants. That text is out of date. The criteria below are from Por. 3/2568, which replaced it.

The four categories

All income tests are an average over the two years before you apply, unless stated.

Wealthy Global Citizen

For people with serious assets, at any age.

• At least $1 million in total assets, Thai and foreign (about ฿33.5M)
• At least $500,000 already invested in Thailand in your own name (about ฿16.75M), before you apply. It counts toward the $1M. The options: Thai government bonds with at least 5 years to maturity, direct investment in a Thai company or an SEC-registered VC or private-equity fund, and property
• No income test. It was removed in 2025
• No age limit

Property has to be in your name. A condo titled to your spouse doesn't count, co-owned property is split pro rata, and a leasehold needs at least 10 years left.

Tax: foreign income you bring in is exempt. Work permit: available if you take a job in Thailand.

Wealthy Pensioner

The category most people actually get.

• Age 50 or over, and retired
• Passive income of at least $80,000 a year (about ฿2.68M): pension, rent, dividends, interest, realised gains. Salary doesn't count
• Or $40,000–80,000 a year plus $250,000 invested in Thailand (about ฿8.4M), using the same bond, company or property options

Drawing down savings isn't income. The BOI says monthly withdrawals of principal that aren't clearly from retirement accounts, private pensions or provident funds don't count. Unchanged in 2025. Retiring in Thailand: the visa options

Tax: foreign income you bring in is exempt. Work permit: available if you take a job in Thailand.

Work-from-Thailand Professional

For employees of established companies abroad who work remotely.

• Income: an average of at least $80,000 a year over the last 2 years (about ฿2.68M). Or at least $40,000 (about ฿1.34M) plus one of: a master's degree or higher in any field, IP you own, or Series A funding of at least $1 million
• Employer: it needs no presence in Thailand. It does need to be one of:
  • listed on a stock exchange, anywhere in the world
  • private, operating for at least 3 years, with at least $50 million in combined revenue over the last 3 years (it was $150 million before 2025)
  • a 100%-owned subsidiary of either
• No experience requirement. The old rule of 5 years in the last 10 was dropped in 2025
• No age limit

You need an employment contract with a qualifying company. Practical guides say contractors to big clients get scrutinised. Freelancers and founders of small or young companies don't fit.

Tax: foreign income you bring in is exempt. Work permit: no. You work for your foreign employer only. Any Thai work, even part-time, means switching category.

Highly-Skilled Professional

The only category where the job is in Thailand.

• Work in Thailand under an employment or service contract with a Thai or foreign company, or a Thai university, research or training institute, or government agency
• In one of 15 targeted industries, including digital, medical, automotive, electronics, logistics and International Business Centers. An "other industries" group covers expertise such as R&D, teaching, applied AI and digital systems planning
• Income: at least $80,000 a year, or at least $40,000 plus a master's or higher in science and technology, or expertise in your field of work in Thailand. Public-sector jobs waive the income test
• No experience requirement since 2025

Note the $40,000 route. It isn't the same as Work-from-Thailand's. No IP route, no Series A route, and the master's has to be in science and technology. A lot of guides merge the two.

Tax: a 17% flat rate on qualifying employment income, with conditions (below). No foreign-income exemption. Work permit: yes. A digital work permit in 3–5 working days, ฿3,000 (about $90) a year. Your employer is also exempt from the rule of four Thai staff per foreigner.

Which category are you?

Not sure what kind of move you're making? Start with which kind of expat you are.

Health insurance

Every category needs one of three:

1. Health insurance covering treatment in Thailand of at least $50,000 (about ฿1.68M), with at least 10 months left on the day the endorsement letter is issued. It must cover hospitalisation and treatment. Group policies are fine at $50,000 per person
2. Thai social security that covers medical treatment. Realistically, that's only for people already employed in Thailand
3. A deposit of at least $100,000 (about ฿3.35M), in a Thai or overseas account, held for at least 12 months when you apply. Add $25,000 per dependant

What doesn't count: travel insurance, and life insurance without health cover. Neither does a policy under $50,000 or one with less than 10 months to run.

You can upload it later, but must produce it the moment it's asked for. Keep it for the life of the visa; it's re-checked at renewal. Health insurance and hospitals in Thailand

Tax: who gets what

Most LTR content gets this wrong. Two different perks, for different people.

The foreign-income exemption: three categories. Wealthy Global Citizens, Wealthy Pensioners and Work-from-Thailand Professionals. Under Royal Decree 743, foreign income you bring into Thailand is exempt. The Revenue Department's own February 2026 presentation lists exactly those three. Not Highly-Skilled Professionals. Not dependants.

Three limits:

• It covers foreign income only. Thai rent, Thai dividends and Thai clients are taxed normally.
• It's suspended in any tax year you stop meeting the LTR conditions.
• It's why the LTR matters for tax. Since 1 January 2024, Thai tax residents (180+ days a year) are taxed on foreign income they bring in, whenever it was earned. The LTR exemption is the main carve-out from that rule. How it applies to your income, and how it sits with US tax, is a question for a tax professional. I'll stop there.

The 17% flat rate: Highly-Skilled Professionals only. It's withholding on employment income from a company in a targeted industry. Not all income. Conditions: your employer notifies the Area Revenue Office, and the rate applies from when the office acknowledges it. You file a PND 95 return. You can't claim a refund or credit for the tax withheld. For comparison, Thailand's top marginal rate is 35%.

One pending change. A proposal to exempt foreign income brought in the year it's earned, or the year after, for all residents was still a draft as of October 2026. If it becomes law, the LTR's tax edge shrinks. Do I owe Thai tax? For the money side of living here, see earn in dollars, live in baht.

How to apply, step by step

1. Apply on the BOI portal

Online only, at ltr.boi.go.th, and free. One account per person: the main applicant files first, then each dependant files under that application. VFS Global is a BOI-certified agency if you'd rather pay someone.

2. Upload the documents

The checklists are by category, dated 6 November 2025. For Work-from-Thailand:

• [ ] Passport with at least 6 months' validity and 2 blank pages, plus every page with a Thai stamp in one PDF
• [ ] Formal photo
• [ ] TDAC (digital arrival card) or TM.6, if you're in Thailand
• [ ] Criminal-record letter under 3 months old, or a Thai police certificate. This one can come later
• [ ] Tax returns for 2 years, as filed. For Americans, Form 1040 and W-2
• [ ] CV
• [ ] Employer letter under 3 months old, with written permission to work remotely from Thailand
• [ ] Full employment contract
• [ ] Company proof: the stock-exchange listing, audited financials showing $50M over 3 years, or the 100% ownership chain
• [ ] Health insurance, Thai social security or the $100,000 deposit
• [ ] Certified or notarised translations of anything not in English or Thai

Other categories swap the employment documents for their own. Check your category's list.

3. Screening and review

About 3 working days of screening, then "Application Registered." Immigration runs a blacklist check. Other agencies see your file only if needed.

4. Endorsement: 20 working days

The BOI commits to 20 working days once your file is complete. If they ask for a document, you have 30 days to answer, or the application may be rejected. Requests add time.

When it says "Qualification Approved," fill in the pre-approval details. Don't cancel your current visa until the BOI emails you to.

5. Get the visa within 60 days

Two options:

• In Thailand: Immigration at TIESC (Thailand Investment and Expat Services Center), 6th–7th floor, One Bangkok, Parade Zone, MRT Lumphini. ฿50,000, paid by Thai mobile-banking QR or cash, stamped in your passport. Some portal pages still give the old Chamchuri Square address. Wear business attire; they can refuse service otherwise.
• Abroad: a Thai embassy or consulate, as an e-Visa. Fee in local currency.

Clean documents mean roughly one to two months from submission to visa.

6. Afterwards

• Work permit (not Work-from-Thailand): through the LTR system, 3–5 working days. You can work while it's processing.
• Reporting: an annual report only if you stay 12 months straight. Leave and come back, and the clock resets. Landlords still file TM.30, and you still fill in the TDAC on every entry.
• Bank accounts: the BOI says Bangkok Bank and Kasikorn open accounts for LTR holders. Some branches ask for more.

Why applications stall or get refused

From the official documents. These are the rules people trip on:

1. Missing the 30-day deadline on a document request.
2. The wrong income proof. The BOI wants tax returns as filed, not just an employer letter. From a country with no income tax, you need payslips, bank statements and proof the country has no income tax.
3. Employer proof that isn't proof. The $50M needs audited financials, a listing or a documented 100% chain. The employer letter needs the remote-work permission and has to be under 3 months old.
4. The traps covered above. Travel or life-only insurance, investments made after applying, pension drawdowns counted as income.
5. Translations that aren't certified. Third-country marriage certificates must be notarised and under 6 months old.
6. Unmarried partners. They can't be dependants. Same-sex spouses can.
7. Cancelling your current visa too early.

What practical guides report (not verified, not official):

• A self-issued revenue or HR letter isn't enough for the $50M test.
• Citing group revenue when your employer isn't a 100%-owned subsidiary, or isn't the company on your contract.
• Income that doesn't line up across the two years: bonus-inflated years, currency-conversion mismatches, gaps between jobs. Tax returns and employer letters must match.

Decisions are final. You can reapply from the same account.

LTR vs DTV vs Thailand Privilege

At the Thai-issued prices, ฿50,000 over ten years is ฿5,000 a year. The DTV is ฿2,000 a year. The difference is the tax line, the reporting and the bank account. Thailand Privilege: is it worth it?

The DTV is the better choice if:

• You're a freelancer, a contractor with several clients, or paid through your own small company
• Your employer is private, under $50M over three years, and not a 100%-owned subsidiary of a bigger one
• You earn under $80,000 and don't have a master's, IP or Series A funding
• You won't spend 180 days a year here. If you're not a Thai tax resident, the LTR's tax perk matters less

If you clear the LTR bar and plan to live here most of the year, the LTR is the stronger visa. If you're still choosing where, start with the best cities in Thailand for expats.

Before you go

This is information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change, and these were checked as of October 2026.