The Thailand LTR visa has four categories, separate income and asset tests, and 10-year validity. Rules for remote work and digital work permits depend on the category.

10 yearsIssued as 5 years + 5-year renewal
4 categoriesWealthy Global Citizen, Wealthy Pensioner, Work-from-Thailand Professional, Highly-Skilled Professional
50,000 THBVisa issuance fee in Thailand
Annual reportReplaces the usual 90-day reporting

What the LTR visa is

The Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa is a 10-year renewable visa administered by Thailand’s Board of Investment (BOI) — a notably different administering body than the retirement and marriage visas, which run through Immigration directly. This distinction matters in practice: BOI processing tends to be more centralized and, for qualifying applicants, often faster and more predictable than the local-immigration-office experience of an O-A renewal.

The four categories

  • Wealthy Global Citizen — requires at least USD 1 million in assets and a qualifying investment of at least USD 500,000 in Thailand, together with the applicable health insurance, social security or bank-deposit requirement. BOI’s current published criteria for this category do not include a separate minimum annual income threshold.
  • Wealthy Pensioner — for retirees with substantial passive income, generally a meaningfully higher income bar than the standard O-A retirement visa, but without the O-A’s annual renewal cycle in exchange
  • Work-from-Thailand Professional — for remote employees of established foreign companies, with minimum personal income requirements and minimum revenue/stability requirements on the employing company itself; this category exists specifically for the kind of remote professional the O-A and O visas were never designed around
  • Highly Skilled Professional — for those working in BOI-targeted industries for Thai companies, government agencies, or educational institutions, typically requiring a specific minimum salary and relevant experience or qualifications

Pensioners: the Wealthy Pensioner category is built around stable passive income such as a pension. If you qualify, it removes the annual renewal cycle of the retirement extension entirely.

Why people choose it over the O-A

The LTR programme grants an initial stay of five years, extendable for another five years if the requirements are still met. This reduces the need for annual visa extensions, but does not remove the obligation to maintain eligibility. Benefits include multiple re-entry permission and fast-track airport services. LTR holders employed by an entity in Thailand must apply for a work permit. BOI does not issue a digital work permit to Work-from-Thailand Professionals, who work remotely for an overseas employer.

The trade-off

Qualifying criteria are stricter than the O-A across income, asset, and (for some categories) employer documentation. The application process itself is also more document-intensive upfront — proof of assets, employer letters, sometimes audited financial statements — than the relatively straightforward O-A paperwork. This visa suits people with clean, well-documented finances and, often, a remote-work or investor profile more than it suits a straightforward retirement move funded by a simple pension.

Annual reporting under LTR

LTR holders use one-year reporting instead of the usual 90-day reporting. BOI lists this as a privilege of the LTR programme. Follow the applicable annual reporting procedure and continue to meet the conditions of your visa. See the official BOI LTR guidance.

Where this connects

Next Step Hua Hin can assess which LTR category, if any, fits your situation better than a standard visa route, and help assemble the more document-heavy application this visa requires.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the LTR visa best for?

People with substantial, verifiable income or assets — pensioners, remote employees of established companies, high-net-worth individuals and skilled professionals — who want a decade of stability without yearly renewals.

Does the LTR include a work permit?

LTR holders working for an entity in Thailand must apply for permission to work. A digital work permit is not issued to Work-from-Thailand Professionals, whose category covers remote work for an overseas employer.

Is health insurance required?

Yes. Applicants must show qualifying health insurance, or in some categories an alternative such as a deposit, when applying.

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More in Moving to Hua Hin

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Moving to Hua Hin? Let Next Step handle the paperwork.

Visas, extensions, 90-day reports, bank accounts and insurance — handled locally in Hua Hin by a team that does it every day.

LTR planning for a move to Hua Hin

Separate the decision to relocate from the decision on your LTR category. First establish which criteria you can document; then coordinate accommodation, family paperwork and the visa-issuance appointment. Avoid treating a qualification-endorsement application as an approved visa.

BOI currently quotes THB 50,000 for issuance in Thailand; fees at overseas missions can differ. Ask about the total cost for the main applicant and each dependant before comparing routes. The initial five-year stay and possible further five years depend on continuing eligibility, so retain records of investments, employment and health-cover arrangements.

The service guide explains the application evidence and employer requirements in more detail. Use it alongside this relocation guide, and compare the standard retirement or DTV route if LTR is not a realistic fit. Build annual reporting and changes in circumstances into your moving checklist rather than treating the first approval as the end of the process.

Continue with these visa guides

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Reviewed 1 October 2026 · Official information: BOI · BOI FAQ

Last reviewed: September 2026 · Part of the Hua Hin Survival Guide by Next Step Hua Hin. Rules and prices change — always confirm critical details with the relevant office before acting.

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