Thailand’s 10-year LTR is actually structured as “5 years + 5 years”: you must reconfirm your eligibility before the first 5-year period ends in order to extend into the second 5 years. The online qualification review is free, but the visa itself, when issued inside Thailand, costs THB 50,000 per person.
Thailand’s LTR (Long-Term Resident) visa is administered by Thailand’s Board of Investment (BOI), using a 5-years-plus-5-years, multiple-entry structure with a maximum of 10 years.
Where people usually go wrong isn’t understanding what the LTR is, but the details: what does the same USD 80,000 figure mean under different categories? Can freelancers or business owners apply? Is health insurance mandatory? Is there still a 4-dependent cap? Does the 17% tax rate apply to all four categories?
The following FAQ works through the current four LTR categories question by question.
What Are the Four Categories of the Thailand LTR?
The LTR has four main applicant categories:
- Wealthy Global Citizens (WGC): based mainly on global assets and investment in Thailand.
- Wealthy Pensioners (WP): age 50 or above, based mainly on passive income; a lower-income track also requires investment in Thailand.
- Work-from-Thailand Professionals (WFTP): based mainly on personal income, a qualifying overseas employer, and a remote-work relationship.
- Highly-Skilled Professionals (HSP): based mainly on personal income, target industries/designated professions, and employment arrangements.
The eligibility requirements for the four categories are independent of each other.
Validity Structure
Zagdim’s Key Points:
- LTR is a 10-year framework, but in practice it works as “first 5 years + eligibility reconfirmation + second 5 years” — it isn’t automatically granted in full for 10 years at once.
- You must actively reconfirm eligibility before the first 5 years expire; it does not renew automatically.
- The permission to stay that Immigration first grants is for a maximum of 5 years, and the actual number of days is also limited by your passport’s validity.
Q1: Is the Thailand LTR Really a 10-Year Visa?
Zagdim’s quick answer: It’s a 10-year framework, but you need to separate “visa validity” from “permitted length of stay.”
The permission to stay that Immigration first grants is for a maximum of 5 years. Before the first 5 years expire, the applicant’s eligibility and conditions are reviewed again, and only those who still meet the requirements move into the second 5 years — which is why it’s commonly described in practice as “5 years + 5 years.”
Q2: When the First 5 Years Are Up, Does the Second 5 Years Renew Automatically?
Zagdim’s quick answer: No, you must actively reconfirm your eligibility.
Although the LTR is a 10-year visa system, the first stay permit is for 5 years. Holders must reconfirm eligibility before the first 5 years end in order to extend into the second 5 years, so it should not be understood as: meet the requirements on day one and then face no further review for the next 10 years.
Q3: When Should I Apply for the Second 5 Years?
Zagdim’s quick answer: File between 120 and 60 days before expiry.
The 5-year extension application, to obtain a new Qualification Endorsement, must be submitted between 120 and 60 days before your current permission to stay expires. For example, if the first 5 years expire on December 31, you should not wait until the last few days — submit within this window instead.
Q4: Do I Have to Pay Another THB 50,000 for the Second 5-Year Extension?
Zagdim’s quick answer: No extra visa fee for extending in the same category; changing category requires paying again.
Reconfirming eligibility and extending into the second 5 years within the same LTR category does not incur an additional visa fee. But if the applicant is not simply extending and instead wants to change LTR category, they must reapply for a Qualification Endorsement under the new category and pay the corresponding visa fee again when the new-category visa is issued.
Q5: If My Passport Has Less Than 5 Years of Validity, Can I Still Get a Full 5-Year Stay?
Zagdim’s quick answer: Not necessarily — actual stay length is limited by your passport’s expiry date.
The first LTR stay permission can be for a maximum of 5 years, but its actual validity is also limited by your passport’s expiry date. So if your passport is due to expire soon, the stay permission you actually receive may be shorter than a full 5 years. When you later get a new passport, you need to update the related visa/immigration information following the LTR’s passport transfer procedure.
Q6: Once I Have the LTR, Do I Still Need to Maintain My Original Eligibility?
Zagdim’s quick answer: Yes — meeting the requirements on the day you apply is not a one-time, permanent pass.
Eligibility is reviewed again before the first 5 years end. If the underlying conditions no longer hold — for example, a WGC’s investment in Thailand falls below the required amount after selling an asset, or the health insurance the applicant relied on has been cancelled with no other qualifying coverage in place — this can affect ongoing LTR eligibility. So when planning for the full 10 years, you should look not only at whether you can apply now, but also at whether you can keep meeting these conditions over the next 5 years.
Q7: What Gets Rechecked at the First 5-Year Extension?
Zagdim’s quick answer: The core check is whether you still meet the requirements of your original LTR category.
Depending on the category, this may involve income, assets and investment in Thailand, employer and employment status, and health/financial coverage. The formal document requirements for the 5-year extension follow whatever list is published at the time; current extension materials already set out, category by category, what re-verification documents are needed — so the second 5 years should not be understood as simply an Immigration stamp.
Application and Visa Issuance Process
Zagdim’s Key Points:
- The process follows a fixed sequence: online application → Qualification Endorsement (about 20 working days) → Pre-approval (about 1–3 working days) → visa issuance.
- The Qualification Endorsement Letter is valid for only 60 days; if it lapses, you may need to reapply.
- You can collect the visa inside Thailand (at TIESC) or through an overseas embassy/consulate or the E-Visa system, but neither route skips the online eligibility review step.
Q8: Do I Submit a Paper Application Directly to BOI for the LTR?
Zagdim’s quick answer: No, it must go through the official online system.
The LTR Qualification Endorsement must be submitted through the official LTR online system; you cannot send application documents directly to the LTR Unit as a formal submission. The overall process can be understood as: online eligibility application → Qualification Endorsement → Pre-approval → LTR Visa issuance.
Q9: After Applying, How Long Does It Take to Get the Eligibility Result?
Zagdim’s quick answer: About 20 working days after your documents are complete.
The standard processing time is to notify the Qualification Endorsement result within 20 working days of receiving a complete and valid application. This clock does not simply start from the moment you first click submit — if the application documents are incomplete, or BOI, Immigration, or another relevant authority requests further documents, processing will take longer. If you fail to provide the requested materials within the specified deadline after such a request, the case may not be able to proceed for lack of the necessary documents.
Q10: Once Eligibility Is Approved, Can I Collect the Visa Right Away?
Zagdim’s quick answer: Not yet — there is still a Pre-approval step in between.
After the Qualification Endorsement is approved, the applicant still needs to submit the supplementary information required for LTR issuance and enter Pre-approval for visa issuance. This typically takes 1–3 working days (longer if additional information is requested). Only after this is passed does the applicant receive the formal Qualification Endorsement Letter, and visa issuance can then be arranged.
Q11: After Getting the Qualification Endorsement Letter, How Long Do I Have to Complete the LTR?
Zagdim’s quick answer: Within 60 days.
The Qualification Endorsement result is valid for 60 days. The applicant must arrange LTR visa issuance within this validity period after the notification letter is issued; if it lapses, a new Qualification Endorsement application may be required. So once you receive the endorsement letter, you should not leave the visa-issuance process pending for a long time.
Q12: If I’m Already in Thailand, Can I Collect the LTR There?
Zagdim’s quick answer: Yes, through TIESC, but you still need to complete the online eligibility review first.
The domestic channel is the Thailand Investment and Expat Services Center (TIESC) in Bangkok, now located in the One Bangkok PARADE Zone. But collecting the visa in Thailand doesn’t mean you can skip BOI’s online Qualification Endorsement — you still complete the online eligibility review first, then collect the LTR according to the approved issuance arrangement.
Q13: If I’m Overseas, Can I Get the LTR Through E-Visa?
Zagdim’s quick answer: Yes — once the Qualification Endorsement is approved, you can use an overseas embassy/consulate or the E-Visa system.
Once the Qualification Endorsement is approved, you can process the LTR inside Thailand, or obtain the visa through an overseas Thai embassy/consulate or the E-Visa system. Which overseas channel to use, what documents are required, and the local fees all follow the current requirements of the relevant Thai embassy/consulate and E-Visa system.
Fees
Zagdim’s Key Points:
- BOI’s qualification review (Qualification Endorsement) is currently free.
- The visa issuance fee inside Thailand is THB 50,000 per person — charged per applicant, not once per family.
- Overseas embassy/consulate or E-Visa issuance fees are separate and follow whatever the local channel publishes.
Q14: Is the THB 50,000 for the LTR an Application Fee?
Zagdim’s quick answer: No, this is the visa issuance fee — the eligibility review itself is free.
BOI does not charge a fee for the application and processing of the LTR Qualification Endorsement itself. The THB 50,000 is the visa processing fee charged when LTR visa issuance is handled in Thailand after eligibility is approved. So the two should be kept separate: BOI’s eligibility review is currently free, and LTR visa issuance handled in Thailand currently costs THB 50,000 per person.
Q15: If a Whole Family Applies, Is THB 50,000 Paid Once for Everyone?
Zagdim’s quick answer: No, it’s calculated per applicant.
The official fee for LTR visa issuance in Thailand is THB 50,000 per person. So if the main applicant, spouse, and children each obtain the LTR, the visa fee is calculated per applicant — not paid once for the whole family. Overseas embassy/consulate or E-Visa issuance fees vary by location and exchange rate, and follow whatever the local channel publishes.
For help assessing and preparing an LTR application, ask Zagdim.
LTR Application Timeline at a Glance
| Stage | Current Basic Arrangement |
|---|---|
| Online application | Official LTR System |
| Qualification Endorsement | About 20 working days after complete, valid documents |
| Pre-approval | Typically about 1–3 working days |
| Endorsement Letter | Issued after passing Pre-approval |
| Visa issuance | Within 60 days of the Endorsement Letter being issued |
| Visa fee in Thailand | THB 50,000 per person |
| First stay permission | Maximum 5 years, limited by passport validity |
| Second 5 years | Apply 120–60 days before expiry and reconfirm eligibility |
| Same-category 5-year extension fee | Current FAQ states no additional visa fee |
Disclaimer
This article is a general information summary and does not constitute immigration, legal, or tax advice. The LTR’s application procedure, processing times, Qualification Endorsement, visa issuance locations, fees, and 5-year extension arrangements are governed by the current rules of Thailand’s Board of Investment (BOI) LTR official website and the relevant Thai authorities. Timeframes such as 20 working days and 1–3 working days are the general processing times officially published; if a case requires additional documents, further review, or review by another authority, the actual time may be longer.
Information current as of September 2026.
Have a question about this guide? Leave a comment below, or ask Zagdim directly.
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