LTR Visa Thailand

WHAT IS LTR VISA

Thailand is introducing a new visa called “Long-Term Resident (LTR) Visa” which is a program that provides a range of tax and non-tax benefits to enhance the country’s attractiveness as a regional hub for living and doing business for ‘high-potential’ individuals. Today, Thailand is already home to multinational corporations from all over the world and one of the most important tourist destinations in Asia.

Thailand presents itself as a very attractive location for “work from anywhere” professionals. This new visa program is expected to attract new foreign residents, technologies and talents contributing to domestic spending and investment while supporting economic growth. The Thai government has set the target of attracting one million wealthy or talented foreign residents into the country over the next five years.

WHAT PRIVILEGES WILL BE OFFERED TO LTR VISA HOLDERS

10* years renewable visa Permission will be granted to stay in Thailand the first time for five years which can be extended for 5 more years if qualifications are met.

Exemption from 4 Thais to 1 foreigner employment requirement ratio

Fast Track Service at International Airports in Thailand

90-day report extended to 1-year report and exemption of re-entry permit

Multiple re-entry permit

Permission to work in Thailand (Digital Work permit)

17% Personal income tax for Highly-skilled professionals

Tax exemption for overseas income

Immigration and work permit facilitation services at One Stop Service Center for Visa and Work Permit

TYPES OF LTR VISA

LTR visas will be offered to four categories of individuals: Wealthy Global Citizens, Wealthy Pensioners, Work-from-Thailand Professionals, and Highly-Skilled Professionals. Spouses and dependents of LTR visa holders will also qualify for the same visas.

Wealthy individuals holding at least USD 1 million in assets

At least USD 1 million in assets

Personal income of a minimum of USD 80,000/ year in the past two years

Investment of at least USD 500,000 in Thai government bonds, foreign direct investment, or Thai property

Health insurance with at least USD 50,000 coverage or social security benefits insuring treatment in Thailand or at least USD 100,000 deposit

Applicants must fulfill all of the above requirements to be eligible for Wealthy Global Citizens application

Retirees aged 50 years and older who have an annual pension or stable passive income

Personal income of at least USD 80,000/year at the time of application

In case of personal income below USD 80,000/year but no less than USD 40,000/year, applicants must invest at least USD 250,000 in Thai government bonds, foreign direct investment, or Thai property

Health insurance with at least USD 50,000 coverage or social security benefits insuring treatment in Thailand or at least USD 100,000 deposit

Personal income under LTR : Wealthy Pensioners’ definition is “unearned income such as a pension, rental, capital gain, dividend, etc”. Earned income (salary) will not be considered eligible income for LTR: Wealthy Pensioners application.

Remote workers working for well-established overseas companies

Personal income of a minimum of USD 80,000 / year in the past two years

In case of personal income below USD 80,000/year but no less than USD 40,000/year in the past two years, applicants must have a Master’s degree or above or own intellectual property or receive Series A funding

Public company on a stock exchange or; Private company in operation for at least three years with combined revenue at least USD 150 million in the last three years

At least 5 years of work experience in the relevant fields of the current employment over the past 10 years

Health insurance with at least USD 50,000 coverage or social security benefits insuring treatment in Thailand or at least USD 100,000 deposit

Professionals or experts in targeted industries working for business entities or higher education institutes or research centers or specialized training institutions in Thailand or Thai government agencies

Personal income of a minimum of USD 80,000 / year in the past two years

In case of personal income below USD 80,000/year but no less than USD 40,000/year in the past two years or before retirement, applicants must have a Master’s degree or above in science and technology or special expertise relevant to the job assignment in Thailand

No minimum personal income for professionals working for Thai government agencies

Business in any targeted industries

Higher education institution, research institution, specialized training institution, or Thai government agency

At least 5 years of work experience in the targeted industries except for applicants with a PhD or above in the relevant fields of the targeted industries or applicants working for Thai government agencies

Health insurance with at least USD 50,000 coverage or social security benefits insuring treatment in Thailand or at least USD 100,000 deposit

Spouse and children under 20 years old of LTR visa holders
(Maximum 4 dependents in total per one LTR visa holder)

Health insurance with at least USD 50,000 coverage or social security benefits insuring treatment in Thailand or at least USD 25,000 deposit

Must be the legal dependants (spouse and children). (Same-sex marriage or partnerships are not yet currently recognized by the law of Thailand.)

The children will be granted LTR Visa until 20 years of age

APPLICATION PROCESS OVERVIEW

LTR Visa Application Steps Overview from Application submission to visa issuance

1

Application Submission

Register and submit online an application for qualifications endorsement and supporting documents for LTR Visa.

2

Qualifications Endorsement

After receiving complete and valid documents, the application will be registered and sent for the qualifications endorsement by relevant agencies (such as Immigration, Thailand’s Board of Investment, Department of Consular Affairs, etc.). Applicants will be notified of the qualifications endorsement result within 20 working days (processing time might take longer if additional documents are requested).

* Note: Applicants may be requested additional documents/information to support the consideration of the government agencies during this process.

3

Visa Issuance

Once approved, qualified applicants will be notified to submit additional information and documents for the pre-approval process, which takes 1-3 working days (processing time might take longer if additional documents are requested). After the pre-approval request has been approved, the applicant will receive the notification of the qualifications endorsement letter so that he/she can make an appointment for LTR Visa issuance at the Royal Thai Embassies/the Royal Thai Consulate Generals overseas or One Stop Service for Visa and Work Permit Center (Bangkok) within 60 days from the issuance date of the letter.

* Note: The processing fee for the 10-year visa with multiple entry is 50,000 Baht per person in case of collecting LTR Visa in Thailand. In the case of collecting LTR Visa at the Royal Thai Embassies/the Royal Thai Consulate Generals overseas or E-visa, the fee may vary and considerably be more expensive than 50,000 THB per person per 10 years. (The fee also depends on the currency exchange rate of each country.)

4

Work Permit Issuance

LTR Visa holders who work for an entity in Thailand are required to apply for permission to work immediately after receiving LTR Visa or before employment with an entity in Thailand starts

After LTR Visa issuance, LTR Visa holders are required to apply for a work permit for their employment in Thailand via LTR Visa application system. The process takes 3-5 working days (processing time might take longer if additional documents are requested).

Once the work permit request is approved, LTR Visa holders can make an appointment to collect the work permit at the Department of Employment at One Stop Service Center for Visa and Work Permit, Chamchuri Square Building, Bangkok. The processing fee is 3,000 Baht per year to maintain the work permit.

* Note:

1. While the work permit request is still in process, LTR Visa holders are temporarily allowed to work in Thailand without the work permit.

2. Work permit will not be granted for Work-From-Thailand Professionals holders since foreigners under this LTR Visa category are applying for the purpose of working for foreign employer abroad remotely from Thailand. Therefore, the person do not have Thai employers according to the digital work permit purpose.