Thailand · Residency by investment
Long-Term Resident Visa — Wealthy Global Citizen
Open and materially improved. BOI Announcement No. Por. 3/2568 of 4 February 2025 REMOVED the previous USD 80,000 annual income requirement for this category. Qualification is now purely asset-based plus the Thailand investment.
The LTR is the only instrument in Thailand that solves the remittance problem. Royal Decree No. 743 exempts Wealthy Global Citizen, Wealthy Pensioner and Work-from-Thailand LTR holders from Thai tax on foreign income remitted to Thailand — the exact exposure that Por. 161/2566 created for everyone else. A Thai-resident family without an LTR pays up to 35% on remittances; the same family with one pays nothing. That single fact dominates every other consideration.
Qualifying routes
At least USD 1m in total assets, of which at least USD 500,000 must be invested in Thailand — Thai government bonds with 5+ years remaining maturity, Thai company shares, SET-listed shares, or Thai property
The facts
- Minimum investment
- $1M
- Total landed cost
- USD 500,000 committed to Thailand plus THB 50,000 visa fee (about USD 1,400) per person; legal fees typically USD 3–10k
- Timeline
- 2–5 months — BOI qualification endorsement then visa issuance; generally faster than most RBI programmes
- Physical presence
- None — no minimum stay to maintain the LTR. But note that 180+ days makes you Thai tax resident, which is when the Royal Decree 743 exemption becomes relevant
- Family
- spouseup to three children under 20 (dependants beyond that require separate arrangements)
- Permanent residency
- no direct route; Thai permanent residency is a separate, quota-limited process requiring three consecutive years of extensions
- Citizenship
- no realistic route for most; Thai naturalisation requires PR plus five years, Thai language ability and is heavily discretionary
- Language test
- Thai language required for naturalisation (including singing the national and royal anthems)
- Dual citizenship
- Permitted
- Requirements
- At least USD 1,000,000 in total assets, evidenced through investment portfolios with licensed institutions, regulated bank deposits, or overseas property with title deed and land-register extractAt least USD 500,000 invested in Thai government bonds (5+ years remaining maturity), Thai company shares, SET-listed shares or Thai propertyHealth insurance with at least USD 50,000 coverage, or Thai social security, or a USD 100,000 bank deposit held 12+ monthsNo minimum annual income requirement since BOI Announcement Por. 3/2568 of 4 February 2025
- The USD 500,000 Thailand investment must be maintained. Thai government bonds are the conservative choice; Thai property brings foreign-ownership restrictions (no freehold land, 49% condominium quotas) and thin resale liquidity.
- The BOI expressly EXCLUDES cryptocurrencies, tokens, gold futures, amulets, works of art, designer items, watches and jewellery from the USD 1m asset test. Crypto-heavy balance sheets do not qualify.
- Royal Decree 743 covers foreign income only. Thai-source income — rent from your Thai condo, salary under a digital work permit — is taxed normally at up to 35%.
- The exemption is a Royal Decree, which a future government can amend. It is stronger than a departmental instruction but it is not constitutional.
- The visa is 10 years but issued as 5+5: the second five years requires that you still meet the criteria. An asset decline below USD 1m at renewal is a real risk.
- Thailand's political environment is volatile — the House was dissolved ahead of a February 2026 general election, which is precisely why the tax amendment stalled. Policy continuity is not guaranteed.
- The Highly-Skilled Professional LTR category gets a 17% flat rate but is NOT covered by the Royal Decree 743 foreign income exemption. Choosing the wrong LTR category is an expensive mistake.