Visas for Property Buyers in Thailand: Thailand Privilege, LTR, DTV and the THB 3 Million Condo Route
Buying a condominium or a villa in Thailand does not, on its own, give you a right of residence, permanent residence or citizenship. What property can do is support certain applications. Since October 2025 a completed condominium unit worth at least THB 3 million, registered in your own name, can support a renewable one-year extension of stay, subject to a certification from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. Under the Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa, Thai property can count towards the investment requirement in two categories. Thailand Privilege and the Destination Thailand Visa are unrelated to property, but they are long-stay options a buyer can use alongside a purchase.
None of these is automatic, and the rules on two of them changed in the past year. Below we set out each route as it stood in October 2026, what it costs and how a purchase fits in. Every application should be checked with a Thai immigration lawyer before you rely on it.
What a property purchase does and does not give you
Ownership and immigration are separate systems in Thailand. Owning a unit gives you the title deed and the right to use it, but it gives you no visa. In the other direction, a Thailand Privilege membership gives no property rights, and the normal foreigner rules on the 49% condominium quota and on land still apply. The link between the two systems is narrow: a few visa routes accept a property as evidence of investment, and each sets its own conditions about value, completion and how the property is held.
That is why the order of decisions matters. If a visa is part of your plan, check which route you would use, and whether the property you are looking at meets its conditions, before you reserve. An off-plan unit, for example, does not qualify for the condominium route until it is completed and transferred to you.
The THB 3 million condominium route
Since October 2025, under Immigration Bureau Orders 237/2568 and 238/2568, a foreigner can obtain an investment-based extension of stay by meeting one of three conditions:
- owning a completed condominium unit worth at least THB 3 million, registered in the applicant’s own name, with the transfer made on or after 1 October 2020;
- holding a registered long lease worth at least THB 3.06 million in total; or
- renting at THB 85,000 or more a month.
The lower threshold depends on a certification letter from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, processed through an authorised long-stay operator, Thailand Longstay Service Co., Ltd. Without that certification, the standard investment threshold of THB 10 million applies.
The structure is an initial 90-day permission to stay, followed by a 12-month extension in the Non-Immigrant “B” investment category, renewable each year while the conditions are still met. Off-plan and under-construction units do not qualify.
Treat this route with care. It is a new scheme, run as a pilot, and its rules are still being clarified; tourism operators in Phuket have criticised the low threshold. It is available subject to certification, and a lawyer should confirm the current practice before you count on it.
The Long-Term Resident visa
The LTR visa, run by the Board of Investment, is a 10-year visa: five years, extendable by five more if you still qualify. It replaces 90-day reporting with annual reporting, allows multiple re-entry and comes with a digital work permit for those employed in Thailand. The visa fee is THB 50,000 per person for the 10-year multiple-entry visa when collected in Thailand.
There are four categories:
- Wealthy Global Citizen: at least USD 1 million in assets and at least USD 500,000 invested in Thailand, in Thai government bonds, direct investment in Thai companies or Thai property, in the applicant’s name.
- Wealthy Pensioner: aged 50 or over, with passive income of at least USD 80,000 a year, or USD 40,000 to 80,000 a year plus USD 250,000 invested in Thailand, property included.
- Work-from-Thailand Professional: income of at least USD 80,000 a year, or USD 40,000 to 80,000 with a master’s degree, from an employer that meets size criteria.
- Highly-Skilled Professional: income of at least USD 80,000, or USD 40,000 to 80,000 with a master’s in science or technology, working in a targeted industry.
All applicants need health insurance of at least USD 50,000, Thai social security, or USD 100,000 held in a bank account for 12 months. Up to four dependants, a spouse and children under 20, can be included.
For buyers, the LTR matters because it is the only visa in which a Thai property purchase can count towards the investment requirement: the Wealthy Global Citizen category and the Wealthy Pensioner top-up. It also carries a tax benefit. Holders in the first three categories are exempt on foreign income brought into Thailand under Royal Decree No. 743, and Highly-Skilled Professionals pay a flat 17% on qualifying Thai employment income.
Thailand Privilege
Thailand Privilege, formerly Thailand Elite, is a paid membership that comes with a long-stay visa. It is run by Thailand Privilege Card Co., Ltd. and was renamed at a relaunch in October 2023, when the earlier packages were discontinued. There are five tiers, each a one-off fee for the whole term:
- Bronze: THB 650,000 for 5 years
- Gold: THB 900,000 for 5 years
- Platinum: THB 1,500,000 for 10 years
- Diamond: THB 2,500,000 for 15 years
- Reserve, by invitation only: THB 5,000,000 for 20 years
A THB 50,000 application fee is charged up front. It is refunded if the application is rejected and credited towards the membership if approved. Bronze was still on offer in October 2026, but check its availability with the operator before you plan on it.
Thailand Privilege has nothing to do with property. It gives no ownership rights, and it does not require you to buy anything. For a buyer who does not fit the LTR categories and does not want to depend on the new condominium route, it is a paid option that does not depend on the property at all, and a separate cost from the purchase.
The Destination Thailand Visa
The Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) is a five-year multiple-entry visa allowing stays of up to 180 days per entry, extendable once per entry by a further 180 days at an immigration office for a fee of THB 1,900. The government fee is THB 10,000.
It is designed for remote workers and freelancers working for foreign employers or clients, and for “soft power” activities such as Muay Thai, Thai cooking, medical treatment and seminars. A spouse and children under 20 can be dependants. Applicants must show at least THB 500,000, or the equivalent, on bank statements, normally for three months. The DTV does not allow work for Thai employers or Thai clients and is not a work permit.
From 31 August 2026 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs changed the supporting documents, including a mandatory criminal-record certificate issued within the previous six months. Confirm the current list on the official e-Visa portal before you apply.
The four routes compared
| Route | Length | Main cost or threshold | Can property count? | Points to note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THB 3 million condo route | 90 days, then 12-month extensions renewed annually | Completed condo of THB 3 million+, or lease of THB 3.06 million+, or rent of THB 85,000+ a month | Yes, if completed and in your name | Needs Ministry of Tourism and Sports certification; pilot; not residency |
| LTR visa | 10 years (5 + 5) | Visa fee THB 50,000 per person; income or asset tests by category | Yes, in two categories | Foreign-income tax exemption in three categories |
| Thailand Privilege | 5 to 20 years by tier | THB 650,000 to 5,000,000, plus THB 50,000 application fee | No | Bronze availability to be confirmed |
| DTV | 5 years, up to 180 days per entry | Government fee THB 10,000; THB 500,000 in funds | No | No work for Thai employers or clients |
Tax residence: the 180-day rule and money brought in
A long stay has a tax side. You are Thai tax-resident for a calendar year if you spend 180 days or more in Thailand in that year. Since 1 January 2024, foreign-sourced income earned from that date by a person who was resident in the year it was earned is taxable when it is brought into Thailand, in that year or any later one. Income earned before 2024 is excluded if documented.
A proposed exemption for foreign income remitted in the year it is earned or the following year was announced by the Revenue Department in 2025, but it was still not law on 19 October 2026. Money brought in to buy a condominium is a capital transfer rather than income in itself, but if a Thai-resident buyer funds a purchase from foreign income earned since 2024, that money may be taxable when remitted. There is no rule specific to property purchases, so if you expect to spend 180 days a year or more in Thailand, take tax advice before you transfer the money. For those who qualify, the LTR’s foreign-income exemption described above is relevant here.
What to check before you buy
- Which route you intend to use, and whether the property meets its conditions on value, completion and how it is held.
- For the condominium route, that the unit will be completed and registered in your own name, and how the Ministry of Tourism and Sports certification is obtained.
- For the LTR, whether your purchase can count towards the USD 500,000 or USD 250,000 investment, and the evidence the Board of Investment will want.
- For Thailand Privilege, the current tier list on the official site.
- Your expected days in Thailand each year, and the tax effect of bringing foreign income in.
The ownership rules are in our guide to what a foreigner can own, the purchase steps in our step-by-step condo guide, and current projects on our Thailand properties page.
