Thailand LTR Visa 2026: The 10-Year Long-Term Resident Visa, Its Four Categories and the Tax Exemption

Thailand launched the Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa in September 2022 to attract wealthy, skilled and remote-working foreigners. It is run by the Board of Investment (BOI). For many people its main draw is not the 10 years of residence but the tax exemption on foreign income. That exemption became much more valuable after Thailand changed how it taxes residents' overseas money in 2024.

What are the LTR visa categories and requirements?

There are four categories. Each applicant also needs health insurance of at least $50,000 (or Thai social security cover, or $100,000 held in a bank account for 12 months).

Remote workers have an extra condition: your employer must be a listed company, or a private company that has operated for at least 3 years with combined revenue of $50 million over the last 3 years. Freelancers and founders of small companies generally don't qualify through this route.

Dependents. You can bring a spouse and children under 20, up to 4 dependents in total, on the same terms. Each one needs their own insurance or $25,000 in a bank account.

What does the LTR visa give you?

• A 10-year multiple-entry visa. The permission to stay is renewed after the first 5 years, as long as you still qualify.
• Annual reporting instead of Thailand's normal 90-day address report
• Fast-track lanes at major airports
• A digital work permit for the categories that work in Thailand. Work-from-Thailand professionals don't need one for foreign work.
• No requirement to employ Thai staff in a 4:1 ratio
• The tax benefits described below

The visa costs 50,000 baht per person (about $1,500) if it's issued in Thailand. Overseas missions and the e-visa system may charge more depending on exchange rates. The BOI endorsement itself is free if you apply directly online.

How is an LTR visa holder taxed in Thailand?

First, the background. You're a Thai tax resident if you spend 180 days or more in Thailand in a calendar year. Residents pay progressive rates of 0%–35% on Thai income.

The 2024 change. Until 2023, residents could bring in foreign income tax-free if they waited until the year after they earned it. Revenue Department Order Por. 161/2566 closed that gap. Since 1 January 2024, foreign income earned on or after that date is taxable whenever it is remitted to Thailand, in any later year. Income earned before 2024 is protected under Order Por. 162/2566. A reform that would exempt foreign income remitted within a set period has been discussed but has not been enacted. So for an ordinary resident, Thailand now works like a remittance-based system: overseas money you leave abroad isn't taxed, but anything you bring in is.

The LTR exemption. Royal Decree No. 743 (2022) exempts foreign-source income from employment, business or property abroad that is brought into Thailand by these LTR holders:

A Royal Decree ranks above a departmental order, so the general view is that the exemption still applies after the 2024 change. It covers income earned while you hold LTR status. Money earned before you got the visa and remitted later can still be taxed under the general rule.

Worked example: a remote worker on $150,000

A software engineer who works for a US-listed company moves to Bangkok on the Work-from-Thailand LTR. They stay all year and transfer $100,000 of their $150,000 salary to Thailand.

• Without LTR: $100,000 remitted is about 3.5 million baht. At Thai progressive rates that's roughly 750,000–800,000 baht (about $22,000–$24,000) of tax, before any foreign tax credit.
• With LTR: the remitted salary is exempt under Royal Decree 743. Thai tax is 0 baht.

A Highly Skilled Professional earning 5 million baht from a Thai employer pays 17% (850,000 baht) instead of about 1.2–1.3 million baht at normal progressive rates.

Thailand doesn't tax you on money you leave offshore in any case. What the LTR changes is that you can actually bring your money in to live on, without paying Thai tax on it.

Does the LTR exemption mean you pay no tax at all?

Not necessarily. Your home country may still tax you:

• US citizens remain taxable on worldwide income. They use the foreign earned income exclusion ($132,900 in 2026) or foreign tax credits. Thai tax being zero means there is nothing to credit.
• UK, Canadian, Australian and most EU residents escape home tax only if they properly break tax residency. With no Thai tax paid, your old tax authority may question whether you really left. Keep evidence: a Thai lease, the LTR, and day counts. See the 183-day rule.
• Thailand participates in CRS. Thai banks report foreign account holders to their home countries, and foreign banks report Thai residents to Thailand.

How do you apply for the LTR visa?

1. Check eligibility using the self-assessment on ltr.boi.go.th.
2. Submit an application online with proof of income or assets, employment contract or pension statements, insurance, passport and background documents. Investments for the Wealthy Global Citizen and Pensioner routes must already be made.
3. BOI reviews the application and issues an endorsement letter. The official target is about 20 working days after the file is complete, but it often takes longer.
4. Get the visa at a Thai embassy, through e-visa, or at the One Start One Stop Centre in Bangkok within 60 days of endorsement.
5. Get a digital work permit, if your category works for a Thai entity. It costs 3,000 baht a year.

LTR vs other Thai long-stay options

If you have the income or assets, the LTR is the best long-stay option on both tax and convenience. For remote workers below $80,000 a year, or who work for small companies, the DTV is the realistic alternative, but foreign income you remit is taxable. Full rates are on the Thailand country page. For other options, see the digital nomad visas list and countries that don't tax foreign income.

Not tax or immigration advice. Requirements are from the BOI and the Thai Revenue Department as of November 2026. Confirm with a Thai tax adviser before relying on the exemption.