Thailand, at your own pace.
Thailand's long-stay system is organized by purpose rather than offered as one general immigration track — separate routes exist for remote work, retirement, investment, employment, and a paid membership product sold outside the immigration service itself.
When rules change mid-way, the date your application is filed is what often decides which rules apply to you. Where are you right now?
Pick by how you live
14 routes, grouped by what Thailand's system asks of you day to day — not by which visa is most talked about. Every figure below is what Immimaps has verified against Thailand's official programme rules.
Your income comes from employers or clients outside the country. You don't want a local employer, and you don't need one.
A pension or other steady income from outside the country, and no plan to take a local job.
Most of these sums are shown, not spent.
On most remote-work and retirement routes, the figure is proof of means — it sits in your own account until it's checked, and nothing is transferred. Routes where money genuinely moves are marked below.
routes ask you to show a balance or income — once it's checked, it stays yours.
routes place capital that is exposed until the hold period or conditions are met.
What keeping the visa actually asks of you
Destination Thailand Visa (DTV), LTR Visa - Highly-Skilled Professional Category, LTR Visa - Wealthy Global Citizen Category, Long-Term Resident (LTR) Visa - Wealthy Pensioner Category, Non-Immigrant Visa O (Family / Marriage), Non-Immigrant Visa O-A (Long Stay), Thailand Non-Immigrant Visa ED (Education), Thailand Privilege Card are renewed rather than granted once. Expect each renewal to check the route's conditions again, so keep the same proof ready.
Counted from each route's own rules. Some routes lead to permanent residence or citizenship and some don't; the route cards below say which.
Pick a route, see the real commitment
Every official figure below is what Immimaps has verified for that route against Thailand's official programme rules — not a marketing minimum. Service fees are what independent firms publish for the route, shown only once five or more are on file.
Built for people whose income comes from outside Thailand — remote employees, freelancers, and some cultural or soft-power visitors — without needing a Thai employer.
Immimaps hasn't verified a financial requirement for this programme yet.
Aimed at people with significant assets held worldwide who also commit part of that wealth inside Thailand — positioned as a longer-term alternative to the standard investment visa.
A retirement track for people with strong pension or investment income, carrying longer-term privileges than the standard retirement visa.
THB 1,200,000 – THB 1,500,000 shown as proof of means — nothing is transferred.
Must have a letter of approval from the Ministry of Labour (Form WP.3) submitted by the prospective Thai employer. The hiring company must have minimum THB 2,000,000 paid-up capital. Employer must maintain at least 4 Thai employees per foreign employee. Must obtain a separate work permit before commencing any work.
THB 40,000 – THB 45,000 shown as proof of means — nothing is transferred.
The long-standing route most retirees use first, renewed periodically at a local immigration office with income or savings proof shown again at each renewal.
Built around a specific role or investment in a targeted industry, sponsored by an employer or the applicant's own qualifying business, with a lighter renewal routine than standard work visas.
THB 10,000,000 placed as capital, exposed until the residency conditions are met.
$1,000 – $4,000 shown as proof of means — nothing is transferred.
The genuine settlement status, reached only after time spent on an underlying visa category — not something anyone applies for directly on arrival.
A paid membership product rather than a residence status earned through the immigration service — it buys a long-stay entry pass and concierge services, sold in tiers by a state tourism enterprise.
THB 3,000,000 placed as capital, exposed until the residency conditions are met.
What each route costs, stage by stage
Added up from the official figures on file for each route — split into money spent for good, money locked and returned later, and money shown but never transferred. Not a modelled estimate.
Destination Thailand Visa (DTV)▾
At application
Decision — reported: 1 month.- Spent for goodGovernment fees on file: THB 10,000, paid to the government for the initial application.
- Shown, never leaves youTHB 500,000 shown as proof of means — nothing is transferred.
LTR Visa - Highly-Skilled Professional Category▾
At application
Decision — reported: 1 month.- Spent for goodGovernment fees on file: THB 50,000, paid to the government for the initial application.
LTR Visa - Wealthy Global Citizen Category▾
At application
Decision — reported: 1 month.- Spent for goodOfficial fees: THB 50,000, paid to the government for the initial application.
- Locked$500,000 placed as capital — recoverable in principle, exposed in practice.
Figures in more than one currency; not added together.
Long-Term Resident (LTR) Visa - Wealthy Pensioner Category▾
At application
- Spent for goodOfficial fees: THB 50,000, paid to the government for the initial application.
- Shown, never leaves you$80,000 shown as proof of means every year — nothing is transferred.
At renewal
Renewal — reported: 5 years.- Shown, never leaves you$80,000 — the same proof is shown again.
2 ways to qualify — shown: the cheapest. Alternatives: $80,000 (shown) / $40,000 + $250,000.
Figures in more than one currency; not added together.
Non-Immigrant Visa "O-X" (Long Stay 10 Years)▾
At application
Decision — reported: 1 month.- Spent for goodOfficial fees: THB 10,000, paid to the government for the initial application.
- Shown, never leaves youTHB 1,500,000 shown as proof of means every year — nothing is transferred.
- Shown, never leaves youTHB 1,200,000 shown as proof of means every year — nothing is transferred.
- Shown, never leaves youTHB 1,800,000 shown as proof of means — nothing is transferred.
2 ways to qualify — shown: the cheapest. Alternatives: THB 3,000,000 / THB 1,200,000 + THB 1,800,000 (shown).
Non-Immigrant Visa Category B (Work)▾
At application
Decision — reported: 1 month.- Spent for goodGovernment fees on file: THB 2,000 – THB 5,000, paid to the government for the initial application.
Non-Immigrant Visa O (Family / Marriage)▾
At application
Decision — reported: 1 month.- Spent for goodOfficial fees: $61 – $200, paid to the government for the initial application.
- Shown, never leaves youTHB 40,000 shown as proof of means every month — nothing is transferred.
At renewal
Renewal — reported: 1 year.- Shown, never leaves youTHB 40,000 — the same proof is shown again.
5 ways to qualify — shown: the cheapest. Alternatives: THB 40,000 (shown) / THB 400,000 / THB 45,000 / THB 400,000 / THB 30,000.
Figures in more than one currency; not added together.
Non-Immigrant Visa O-A (Long Stay)▾
At application
Decision — reported: 1 month.- Spent for goodGovernment fees on file: THB 5,000, paid to the government for the initial application.
- Shown, never leaves youTHB 65,000 shown as proof of means every month — nothing is transferred.
At renewal
Renewal — reported: 1 year.- Shown, never leaves youTHB 65,000 — the same proof is shown again.
3 ways to qualify — shown: the cheapest. Alternatives: THB 800,000 / THB 65,000 (shown) / THB 800,000.
SMART Visa▾
At application
Decision — reported: 2 months.- Spent for goodGovernment fees on file: THB 10,000 – THB 20,000, paid to the government for the initial application.
Thailand Investment Visa "IM" (10M Baht)▾
At application
- Spent for goodOfficial fees: THB 2,000 – THB 5,000, paid to the government for the initial application.
- LockedTHB 10,000,000 placed as capital — recoverable in principle, exposed in practice.
3 ways to qualify — shown: the cheapest. Alternatives: THB 10,000,000 (shown) / THB 10,000,000 / THB 10,000,000.
Thailand Non-Immigrant Visa ED (Education)▾
At application
- Spent for goodOfficial fees: THB 2,000, paid to the government for the initial application.
- Shown, never leaves you$1,000 shown as proof of means — nothing is transferred.
2 ways to qualify — shown: the cheapest. Alternatives: $4,000 / $1,000 (shown).
Figures in more than one currency; not added together.
Thailand Permanent Residence▾
At application
Decision — reported: 1 year.- Spent for goodOfficial fees: THB 103,300 – THB 199,000, paid to the government for the initial application.
- Shown, never leaves youTHB 30,000 shown as proof of means every month — nothing is transferred.
4 ways to qualify — shown: the cheapest. Alternatives: THB 10,000,000 / THB 80,000 / THB 50,000 / THB 30,000 (shown).
Thailand Privilege Card▾
At application
Decision — reported: 1 month.- Spent for goodFees published by the programme operator: THB 650,000 – THB 5,000,000, paid to the programme operator for the initial application.
- LockedTHB 650,000 placed as capital — recoverable in principle, exposed in practice.
5 ways to qualify — shown: the cheapest. Alternatives: THB 650,000 (shown) / THB 900,000 / THB 1,500,000 / THB 2,500,000 / THB 5,000,000.
Thailand Property Investment Long-Stay Visa (3M Baht)▾
At application
- Spent for goodEstimated government fees, shown not graded: THB 1,900, paid to the government for the initial application.
- LockedTHB 3,000,000 placed as capital — recoverable in principle, exposed in practice.
The order Long-Term Resident (LTR) Visa - Wealthy Pensioner Category follows
No confirmed rule change has been flagged for Thailand since it was last checked against the official thaievisa.go.th portal on 2026-08-29. Immimaps keeps watching official immigration sources and will list dated changes here as soon as one is confirmed.
Check the thaievisa.go.th portal directly →The cost calculator separates money spent for good from money that's only shown or locked up.
Open the cost calculatorUpload it and Immimaps checks it against what Thailand's official programme actually requires, and reads the contract clause by clause. Free, no account.
Check my documentEvery official figure on this page is checked against Thailand's official immigration sources. Service fees are what independent firms publish for a route — not an official figure, and never any one firm's price. Immimaps does not publish success rates, approval odds or any probability score — here or anywhere else.
Don’t take a life-changing move on someone else’s word.
Immimaps is not an agency and takes no placement fees. We show the real figures on every route, show the working, and tell you what it actually costs.
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