Eligibility & suitability

Who can qualify

  • Applicants meeting every condition of Wealthy Global Citizen, Wealthy Pensioner, Work-from-Thailand or Highly Skilled Professional categories.
  • Qualifying dependants with documented relationships and their own applicable health/financial evidence.

Restrictions & unsuitable cases

  • Applicants relying on an obsolete 2022 brochure without checking the 2025 changes.
  • Ordinary remote freelancers whose employer arrangements do not satisfy Work-from-Thailand requirements.
  • Applicants unwilling to maintain the qualifying assets, employment or health-cover conditions.

Application process & timeline

BOI qualification endorsement precedes visa issuance. The ten-year framework is normally implemented through an initial five-year stay and a further qualification review.

01Match the current category02Prepare financial, employment and family documents03Apply online for BOI endorsement04Obtain the visa05Complete work and reporting requirements06Maintain eligibility and seek the second period
01Match the current categoryBefore investments and document commissioning.+

Compare the four categories using the 2025 announcement. Separate assets, passive income, earned income and employer-size requirements. Assess whether the intended work is for an overseas employer or in an eligible Thai role.

Documents & evidence

  • Eligibility worksheet
  • Income and employment evidence
Common complications
  • Using a personal-income waiver from one category in another
References [6][7][9][10][3]
02Prepare financial, employment and family documentsPreparation depends on banks, employers and certification.+

Collect documents for the selected category and every dependant. Check coverage periods, account ownership and maintenance periods for any deposit used instead of health insurance. Translate and certify documents in the accepted form.

Documents & evidence

  • Investment proof
  • Insurance/deposit evidence
  • Family records
Common complications
  • Funds that appeared only immediately before application
References [6][7][9][10][3]
03Apply online for BOI endorsementPublished target: twenty working days after a complete valid file.+

Upload the qualification application and supporting records. Answer additional requests; the completion point is when BOI considers all required information valid, not simply when the first upload occurred. Endorsement processing itself is described as free.

Documents & evidence

  • Online application
  • Complete supporting file
Common complications
  • Advertising twenty days from an incomplete first submission
References [6][7][9][10][3]
04Obtain the visaApply for issuance within sixty days of endorsement.+

Use the permitted immigration centre or overseas mission/e-Visa process. BOI publishes THB50,000 per person for the Thai issuance channel; overseas fees vary. Review passport validity because the actual permission can be limited by it.

Documents & evidence

  • Endorsement
  • Passport
  • Fee receipt
Common complications
  • Letting endorsement expire before arranging issuance
References [6][7][9][10][3]
05Complete work and reporting requirementsAfter issuance, according to category.+

Where Thai employment is permitted, complete the applicable digital work-permit steps. Work-from-Thailand is different: BOI says it does not issue a Thai work permit for that overseas remote-employer category. Maintain the required reporting and address records.

Documents & evidence

  • Visa
  • Employment/work-permit file if applicable
Common complications
  • Taking a Thai part-time job on a remote-employer category
References [6][7][9][10][3]
06Maintain eligibility and seek the second periodApply for renewed endorsement at least twenty working days before the first period expires.+

Recheck investments, employment, health cover and family eligibility against the current rules. Retain evidence throughout the period so renewal is not dependent on reconstructing five years of records. Selling a required asset or losing required cover can affect status before renewal.

Documents & evidence

  • Continuing qualification evidence
  • Travel/reporting record
Common complications
  • Assuming ten-year branding removes the five-year review
References [6][7][9][10][3]

Document checklist

Track your preparation in this browser. Final requirements depend on the route and filing authority.

0 prepared

Four distinct applicants

LTR categories cover wealthy global citizens, wealthy pensioners, work-from-Thailand professionals and highly skilled professionals. BOI currently describes wealthy global citizens as holding at least US$1 million of assets with US$500,000 invested in eligible Thai assets. Pensioners must be at least 50 and rely on qualifying unearned or passive income; earned salary is not the pensioner-income test.

References [1][2][3][4][5]

Remote-worker and specialist conditions

Work-from-Thailand applicants face income and employer tests: the current BOI page includes established private employers with combined revenue of at least US$50 million over three years, alongside eligible listed companies and specified subsidiaries. Income requirements have conditional alternatives. Highly skilled applicants must fit targeted industries or other specified expertise. Insurance, social-security or qualifying deposit requirements also apply.

Application and documents

Submit a qualification-endorsement application through BOI’s online process. Evidence differs by category: income records, contracts, employer financial information, qualifications, investments, insurance and family certificates. Each dependent uses a linked application. BOI publishes a 20-working-day endorsement target after complete valid documents, expressly allowing longer review when information is missing.

Issuance, cost and ongoing conditions

After endorsement and pre-approval, arrange visa issuance within the specified window. BOI lists THB50,000 per person for issuance in Thailand, with overseas fees potentially different. The advertised ten years is initially five years followed by a further five only if qualifications remain met. Investments, employment, funds and insurance must remain compliant; reporting is generally annual under this route.

Tax and work are category-specific

BOI advertises a 17% personal-income-tax treatment for qualifying highly skilled professionals and foreign-income exemptions with applicable conditions. These should not be applied indiscriminately to every receipt or dependent. Work-from-Thailand holders are not given a local work permit for Thai employment under that category. Compare the correct route and tax law before making employment or remittance commitments.

Use the current category thresholds

The 2025 BOI materials remove the old personal-income requirement for Wealthy Global Citizens while retaining at least US$1 million of assets and US$500,000 of qualifying Thai investment. The Work-from-Thailand employer test now uses US$50 million combined revenue over three years for the relevant private-company category, with specified subsidiary treatment; older US$150 million descriptions are obsolete.

For Wealthy Pensioners, eligibility depends on age and passive income: ordinarily US$80,000 a year, or at least US$40,000 with qualifying US$250,000 investment. Salary is not pensioner passive income. Work-from-Thailand and Highly Skilled Professional categories have their own income and qualification tests; a profitable solo consultancy is not automatically an eligible overseas employer. Match the exact category before purchasing property or commissioning an application.

References [6][7][8]

Health cover, dependants and tax benefits

BOI provides an insurance route involving at least US$50,000 of Thai medical coverage, an applicable social-security alternative or a qualifying maintained deposit. The 2025 brochure expands dependant treatment to include parents and legal dependants and removes the earlier numerical cap. Each relationship still needs evidence and each person’s applicable requirements must be checked; this is not permission to include any financially supported relative.

The 17% personal-tax treatment associated with qualifying Highly Skilled Professionals is category- and income-specific. It is not a flat rate for every LTR holder. Other LTR tax concessions require their own conditions. Work-from-Thailand holders cannot use this category to earn from a Thai employer, and BOI says a Thai work permit is not issued under that remote-work category.

References [8][7][3]

How Offshore Capitalist can help

Share your current residence, nationality, business activities and intended changes through the inquiry form or WhatsApp. We can assess the cross-border issues, explain the work required and coordinate the agreed implementation. For this jurisdiction, local regulated work and government decisions remain with the relevant qualified providers and authorities. We confirm scope and fees before starting.

Sources & research notes10 references

Sources supporting this guide. Research draft awaiting editorial review.

  1. BOI: Long-Term Resident visa
  2. BOI: LTR required documents
  3. BOI: LTR questions and work limitations
  4. BOI: visa issuance and continuing conditions
  5. Thai Revenue Department: foreign income rules from 2024
  6. BOI: current LTR categories
  7. BOI: 2025 LTR eligibility brochure
  8. BOI Announcement Por 3/2568: LTR qualifications
  9. BOI: LTR application timeline
  10. BOI Announcement Por 4/2568: LTR endorsement and extension process