What long term visas does Thailand offer?
Thailand has five main long-stay routes for wealthy foreigners. They are the Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa, Thailand Privilege membership, the Destination Thailand Visa (DTV), and the O-A and O-X retirement visas. They differ in length, cost, money tests, work rights and insurance. Here they are side by side.
You want to spend most of next year in Bangkok with your family, and 30 days will not cover it. This is the choice in front of you.
- LTR visa (Board of Investment): 10 years, multiple entry. Fee ฿50,000 when collected in Thailand. Money test by category, from USD 80,000 a year in income to USD 1 million in assets. Work allowed in some categories. Health insurance of USD 50,000 or an alternative. Spouse and children can join.
- Thailand Privilege: a paid membership that comes with a long-stay visa. Gold ฿900,000 for 5 years, up to Reserve ฿5,000,000 for 20 years or more. No income test, but vetting. No work rights from the membership itself.
- DTV (Ministry of Foreign Affairs): 5 years, multiple entry, up to 180 days per entry. Fee ฿10,000. ฿500,000 in the bank over the last 3 months, or a sponsor letter. Remote work for a foreign employer only. Spouse and children under 20 can join.
- O-A retirement visa: age 50 or over, one year. ฿800,000 in the bank, ฿65,000 a month, or a mix. Health insurance of at least ฿3,000,000 or USD 100,000 (Royal Thai Embassy, Oslo). No work.
- O-X retirement visa: age 50 or over, from 14 countries only. ฿3,000,000 in a Thai bank, or ฿1,800,000 plus ฿1,200,000 a year in income. Thai health insurance required. No work.
Every figure here comes from the agency that runs the route, or the embassy page named in each line. Fees at embassies abroad are charged in local currency and can differ. Our long-stay visa data page lists every fee and money test in one table, with the date we checked it.
What changed in 2026? Since 15 September 2026, the old 60-day visa exemption has ended. Visitors from 60 countries and territories now get up to 30 days without a visa, for tourism only (Royal Gazette notice, via TAT). If you plan to spend months here, a long-stay visa now matters more.
The paper most applicants get wrong is the insurance policy. For the LTR it must not be travel cover, and it needs at least 10 months left when you apply.
Can I get a 5-year visa for Thailand?
Yes, in three ways. The DTV gives 5 years of multiple entries, with stays of up to 180 days each. Thailand Privilege Gold gives 5 years for ฿900,000. The O-X visa for retirees aged 50 or over is described by the government as a 5-year visa. Each suits a different person.
The DTV is for remote workers, freelancers and people doing Thai "soft-power" activities, such as Muay Thai, cooking courses or medical treatment. You need ฿500,000 in your bank account over the last 3 months, or a sponsor letter, per the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Each stay can be extended once, by up to 180 days.
DTV holders may not work for Thai companies or Thai clients. Thai embassies in Singapore and Budapest state that the remote work must be for an employer or business outside Thailand. The official DTV document list does not ask for health insurance.
What do you send for a DTV? The Thai e-Visa list for remote workers asks for your passport, a photo and proof that you live where you apply. Add bank statements for the last 3 months showing at least ฿500,000. Then proof of your job or freelance work, and a criminal record check. The Ministry added more documents in a notice of 28 August 2026, so check the current list first.
The O-X is open only to nationals of Japan, Australia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany and Italy. The others are the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. Whether it can run a further 5 years after the first is not stated on the government page we checked. Ask the embassy you apply through.
Can you get a 12-month visa for Thailand?
Yes. The O-A long-stay visa gives one year to people aged 50 or over. You need ฿800,000 in the bank, ฿65,000 a month in income, or a mix adding up to ฿800,000 a year. Health insurance of at least ฿3,000,000 or USD 100,000 is required for the whole stay.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists the O-A fee as ฿5,000 for multiple entries. Your passport should be valid for at least 18 months, per the Royal Thai Embassy in Oslo.
Retirees already in Thailand on a Non-Immigrant visa extend one year at a time. The Immigration Bureau asks for ฿65,000 a month in income, or ฿800,000 in a Thai bank. The money stays 2 months before you apply and 3 months after approval, then at least ฿400,000 is kept. Each extension costs ฿1,900.
Family members have their own route. The Thai e-Visa site lists a Non-Immigrant O visa for staying with Thai family. It needs ฿40,000 a month in income or a ฿400,000 balance. It is single entry, valid for 3 months, then extended in Thailand.
Insurance matters at renewal too. The Immigration Bureau's Bangkok office asks O-A holders to show cover when they extend. It must be health insurance, or foreign social welfare, of at least ฿3,000,000 or USD 100,000. Keep the policy in force all year, not only on the day you apply.
The LTR visa in brief
The Long-Term Resident visa is Thailand's 10-year visa for wealthy and skilled foreigners, run by the Board of Investment (BOI). It has four categories, each with its own money test. Applying and the BOI review are free. The ฿50,000 visa fee is paid after approval, when the visa is collected in Thailand.
- Wealthy Global Citizen: at least USD 1 million in total assets. You also need at least USD 500,000 invested in Thailand before you apply, in government bonds, a company or property.
- Wealthy Pensioner: aged 50 or over, with passive income of at least USD 80,000 a year. With USD 40,000 to 80,000, add USD 250,000 invested in Thailand. Salary does not count.
- Work-from-Thailand Professional: average income of at least USD 80,000 a year over the past two years, from a qualifying overseas employer. With USD 40,000 to 80,000, a master's degree is also needed.
- Highly-Skilled Professional: the same income test, for work in a targeted industry. With USD 40,000 to 80,000, a master's degree in science or technology is needed.
All four categories need health insurance of at least USD 50,000 or Thai social security. A deposit of at least USD 100,000 held for 12 months also counts (BOI). A digital work permit costs ฿3,000 a year, but is not open to the Work-from-Thailand category. Read our LTR visa guide for the documents.
Your policy must not be travel insurance and must cover the whole stay. It needs at least 10 months left when you apply, per the BOI's document list. Dependants need the same USD 50,000 cover, or a deposit of USD 25,000 each. Plan the family's policies before you start the file.
Thailand Privilege in brief
Thailand Privilege, formerly Thailand Elite, is a paid membership that comes with a long-stay visa and service perks. It is not an investment. There is no income or asset test, but every applicant is vetted. You pay once for the whole term. Bronze (฿650,000, 5 years) is still listed by Thailand Privilege and expected to close to new applicants at the end of 2026.
- Gold: ฿900,000 for 5 years, with 20 points a year.
- Platinum: ฿1,500,000 for 10 years, with 35 points a year.
- Diamond: ฿2,500,000 for 15 years, with 55 points a year.
- Reserve: ฿5,000,000 for 20 years or more, with 120 points a year, by invitation only.
These fees come from Thailand Privilege's own price list. Points pay for services such as airport help, spa visits and golf. A ฿50,000 payment is made with the application, per Thailand Privilege, and is set against the fee if you are approved. Read our Thailand Privilege guide for how the points work.
Privilege members also gain at the airport. The Immigration Bureau's priority lane on arrival is open to Thailand Privilege holders, along with a few other groups such as diplomats and the elderly. We add a private meet-and-assist service. Our host meets you in the arrivals hall and walks you through, using the priority lane where your ticket or status allows.
Which visa suits you?
Start with what you will do here. Working for a Thai company in a targeted industry? Look at the LTR Highly-Skilled Professional route. Working remotely for a foreign firm? The LTR Work-from-Thailand route or the DTV fits. Simply want to live here? Privilege or a retirement visa is simpler.
- Executive working in Thailand: LTR Highly-Skilled Professional, with the ฿3,000 digital work permit.
- Remote executive or founder abroad: LTR Work-from-Thailand Professional if you meet the income test; otherwise the DTV.
- Wealthy family with assets: LTR Wealthy Global Citizen, which covers a spouse and children, or a Thailand Privilege membership for each adult.
- Retiree aged 50 or over: the O-A for a simple one-year start, or the O-X if your nationality qualifies. Choose LTR Wealthy Pensioner if your passive income is high.
- Frequent visitor who wants no paperwork: Thailand Privilege. You pay once and the term runs for years.
Many families combine routes: one spouse on an LTR visa, a parent on a retirement visa. Our DTV guide and retirement visa guide explain the two lighter routes in detail.
Think about timing too. LTR applications go through a BOI review before the visa is issued, so allow weeks, not days. Need to arrive before the long-stay visa is ready? Enter on the 30-day exemption and switch later where the rules allow.
Children are part of the choice. The DTV covers a spouse and children under 20, and the LTR covers dependants under its own rules. Privilege needs a membership for each person. Ask us to compare the total cost for your family, not only the main applicant.
Can a US citizen live permanently in Thailand?
Yes, but permanent residence is a separate process from any long-stay visa. Most Americans live here on long-stay visas that they renew. Permanent residence is granted under a yearly quota. For B.E. 2568, Phang Nga Immigration announced a quota of up to 100 people per nationality, with applications from 9 March to 3 April 2026.
The rules for US citizens are the same as for other nationals. An American can hold an LTR visa, a Privilege membership, a DTV or a retirement visa. US Social Security payments can continue while you live in Thailand, as long as you stay eligible (US Social Security Administration).
How hard is it to get a long term visa?
It depends on the route. Thailand Privilege is the simplest: you apply, pass vetting and pay. The LTR asks for proof of assets or income and a BOI review. Retirement visas need money in a Thai bank and health insurance. The DTV needs bank statements and proof of remote work.
Send papers that leave no question open. Bank letters, pension statements and insurance policies should be in English, dated and signed. Thai embassies may reject an application that is not fully supported, and they publish no list of refusal reasons.
We prepare the file with you, check each document against the agency's own list, and book the appointments.
Insurance, tax and reporting
Health insurance is required for the O-A, O-X and LTR routes, but not for tourists. For tax, the Revenue Department treats anyone in Thailand for 180 days or more in a tax year as a tax resident. Tax residents pay Thai tax on foreign income earned from 1 January 2024 when they bring it into Thailand.
Anyone staying in Thailand for more than 90 days must report their address every 90 days (Immigration Act, section 37). You can report online from 15 days before to 7 days after the due date. A late report means a ฿2,000 fine, per the Immigration Bureau.
If you leave and return, a re-entry permit keeps your stay valid. The Immigration Bureau charges ฿1,000 for a single re-entry and ฿3,800 for multiple. Our relocation services team keeps track of these dates for you.
Plan your move with Tanner
Tanner, your planner, handles the paperwork around the visa with you. We help you choose the route, prepare the papers and book the appointments. We help with schools, banks and drivers, and we can introduce a property agent and a lawyer of your own. Tell us who is moving, your nationality and your timing. We get back to you right away.
