Moving to Thailand: which visa should you live on?
Most people who move to Bangkok end up on one of six long-stay routes. They differ in cost, how long each stay lasts, whether you may work, whether your family can join you and, increasingly, how your income is taxed. This guide compares them side by side, with the rule changes of 2026, so you can choose before you sign a lease or buy a home.
The long-stay options at a glance
| Visa | Who it suits | Cost and main test | Stay | Work in Thailand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LTR visa | High earners, wealthy retirees, remote professionals, investors | ฿50,000 fee; income, asset or investment tests | 10 years (5 + 5) | Yes, with a digital work permit |
| Thailand Privilege | Anyone who wants a simple long stay and VIP services | One-time membership from ฿650,000 to ฿5,000,000 | 5 to 20 years, up to 1 year per entry | No |
| DTV | Remote workers and freelancers for overseas clients | About ฿10,000 fee; ฿500,000 in savings | 5 years, 180 days per entry, extendable once | No (remote work for foreign clients only) |
| Retirement (O, O-A, O-X) | Aged 50 and over | ฿800,000 in a Thai bank or ฿65,000 a month; O-X needs ฿3 million | 1 year, renewable; O-X up to 10 years | No |
| ฿3M property visa | Buyers of a home worth ฿3 million or more | Completed property bought from a Thai seller; Thailand Longstay fees | 90 days, then 1 year, renewable | No |
| Non-B + work permit | People employed by a Thai company | Employer sponsorship | 1 year, renewable | Yes, for that employer |
Other routes include the Non-O visa for spouses of Thai nationals (฿400,000 in a Thai bank or ฿40,000 a month of income) and the education visa for full-time students.
Which visa fits you?
You earn well and want the strongest long-term status
Look at the LTR visa first. It lasts ten years, allows work, replaces the 90-day report with an annual one, and brings tax benefits: a flat 17% rate for highly skilled professionals, and an exemption on qualifying foreign income for wealthy global citizens, wealthy pensioners and work-from-Thailand professionals. The tests are demanding, typically US$80,000 a year in income or US$500,000 invested in Thailand.
You want certainty without income or age tests
Thailand Privilege (formerly Thailand Elite) is a paid membership: you pay once, pass a background check and receive a multiple-entry visa for 5 to 20 years, with airport fast-track and concierge help. It does not allow work and has no tax advantage. Compare it in detail: Thailand Privilege vs LTR.
You work remotely and are not ready to commit
The DTV is the most flexible low-cost option: ฿500,000 in savings, 180 days per entry, valid for five years. You must leave or extend after each stay, and you cannot work for a Thai company.
You are retiring
Retirement visas start at age 50. The standard Non-O extension needs ฿800,000 in a Thai bank or ฿65,000 a month of income. The O-A applied for abroad also requires health insurance, and the 10-year O-X is open to a limited list of nationalities with ฿3 million in funds.
You are buying a home
A completed home worth ฿3 million or more, bought from a Thai seller and registered on or after 1 October 2025, can support a renewable long-stay visa. Read the property visa guide before you choose the unit: the date, the seller and the use of the home all matter. Processing status can change, so check it before you buy.
You have a job offer in Bangkok
Your employer sponsors a Non-B visa and work permit. If the company is BOI-promoted or in a targeted industry and you meet the income bar, ask about the LTR highly-skilled professional category instead, for the 17% tax rate.
Tax: the question most people forget
Anyone who spends 180 days or more in Thailand in a calendar year is a Thai tax resident. Since 1 January 2024, foreign income brought into Thailand by a tax resident is taxable in the year it arrives, whenever it was earned (income earned before 2024 remains exempt). A draft relief for money remitted within the year it is earned or the following year was proposed in 2025 but had not become law by October 2026. Among the long-stay visas, only the LTR offers specific tax relief. Take advice from a Thai tax adviser before you move money.
Before you decide
- Start from your purpose: work, remote work, retirement, family or investment.
- Check the money test and how long funds must be held before applying.
- Plan for family: LTR allows a spouse and children under 20 (up to four dependants); Privilege family members need their own membership or an add-on on higher tiers.
- Think about tax if you will stay 180 days or more a year.
- Align your lease or purchase with your visa start date, especially for the property visa.
Not sure which visa fits? Ask us.
Tell us a little about your plans. We'll explain the options that fit, introduce a licensed visa specialist and help you find a home that works with your visa.
Frequently asked
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General information checked October 2026 from official and professional sources; visa and tax rules change often. Not legal, immigration or tax advice; confirm with the Thai embassy, immigration, the BOI or a licensed adviser.