Whether you’re opening a company, taking a job, or securing a long stay by investment, there is a legal pathway for it. We help you pick the right one for Phuket, set it up correctly, and keep it compliant year after year.
Three goals, three visas. Pick the one that sounds like you — each maps to a pathway below.
The three routes side by side on what matters most: how long you can stay, whether you can work, the money bar, and the corporate strings attached.
| Pathway | Permitted stay | Work rights | Financial / capital bar | Key corporate overhead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Non-B + Work Permit
|
90 days → 1 year, renewed annually
|
Full — employed by a Thai company
|
฿2M registered capital per work permit
|
4 Thai employees per foreigner; corporate tax, VAT, social security
|
|
LTR Visa (BOI)
|
10 years (5 + 5)
|
Full — digital work permit
|
By category: US$80k income or US$1M assets
|
Exempt from the 4:1 ratio; annual reporting
|
|
Thailand Privilege
|
5 to 20 years by tier
|
None
|
฿650k–฿5M membership
|
None
|
For company owners and employees who will actively work in Thailand.
The Non-Immigrant B is the classic “work in Thailand” visa. On its own it only gets you into the country; the work permit is what makes employment legal. The two are applied for in sequence, and a Thai company has to stand behind them.
Holding a Non-B visa does not authorise work — starting before the work permit is issued is illegal. The ฿2M-capital and 4-Thai-staff rules are per foreigner, so plan headcount and capital before you hire the second foreign employee.
For high-net-worth individuals, pensioners, remote professionals and specialists.
The Long-Term Resident visa is Thailand’s premium, 10-year route, issued by the Board of Investment. It bundles a flat 17% personal income tax option for highly-skilled professionals, a digital work permit that skips the 4:1 Thai-staff ratio, annual reporting, airport fast-track, and coverage for a spouse and up to four dependants.
Cryptocurrency holdings are not accepted toward the asset or income tests, and assets typically need recent professional appraisals. The 17% flat rate applies to the Highly-Skilled category only.
For those who want a long, hassle-free stay and don’t need to work here.
Formerly the “Elite Visa,” Thailand Privilege is a paid membership that grants a long-stay privilege visa, from 5 up to 20 years, with concierge service and airport fast-track. There is no income test and no age limit; you qualify by paying the membership. It confers no right to work.
| Tier | Membership fee | Validity |
|---|---|---|
|
Bronze
|
฿650,000
|
5 years
|
|
Gold
|
฿900,000
|
5 years
|
|
Platinum
|
฿1,500,000
|
10 years
|
|
Diamond
|
฿2,500,000
|
15 years
|
|
Reserve
|
฿5,000,000
|
20 years
|
Privilege buys convenience and certainty of stay, not the right to earn in Thailand. If a plan includes working or running a business, pair it with, or choose instead, the Non-B or LTR.
A visa is the start, not the finish. These obligations keep your stay, and your company, in good standing. We manage them for our clients so nothing lapses.
A missed 90-day report means a fine and paperwork, and leaving Thailand without a re-entry permit voids your stay. On the work-permit routes, letting your Thai-staff ratio or capital slip below the threshold can block your next renewal.
On the right visa, yes. The LTR gives you a digital work permit tied to qualifying work, including remote work for a qualifying overseas employer. To be employed by, or run, a Thai business you’ll generally need a Non-B and a work permit backed by a company.
The standard rule is four Thai employees for each foreign work-permit holder, with ฿2,000,000 of registered capital per permit. The LTR visa is exempt from this 4:1 ratio.
The flat 17% personal income tax applies to the LTR “Highly-Skilled Professional” category working in targeted sectors. Other categories and visas follow normal Thai tax rules.
No. Privilege (formerly Elite) is a long-stay membership with concierge and fast-track perks, but it grants no right to work. If you need to work, pair it with a Non-B/work permit or choose the LTR.
It varies. The Non-B is generally applied for at a consulate abroad then converted; the LTR is filed with the BOI and can often be processed while you’re here.
Yes. The LTR covers a spouse (including same-sex from 2026) and up to four dependants under 20; the Non-B allows dependent visas for spouses and children under 20.
Thailand Privilege is the usual answer — no age limit, no income test, a long stay by membership. Those with significant assets may also qualify for the LTR “Wealthy Global Citizen” category.
To help you find the perfect fit for your move to Thailand, we invite you to book a free consultation with one of our relocation experts.
