Thailand Visa — end-to-end support in English

Questions fréquentes

• Thailand Elite Visa 2026 — what are the tiers and prices?

  The Thailand Privilege Card (formerly the Elite Visa) offers 5 tiers in 2026: Gold 900,000 THB (5 years), Platinum 1,500,000 THB (10 years), Diamond 2,500,000 THB (15 years), Reserve 5,000,000 THB (20 years, by invitation only) and Family Excursion from 1,000,000 THB per additional member. Gold has allowed freelance work under certain conditions since October 2023. Every tier includes immigration fast-track, airport concierge and exemption from reporting in person every 90 days.

• Retirement visa Thailand — what are the exact requirements?

  The Non-O Retirement visa is open to applicants aged 50 and over, with two financial routes: (a) 800,000 THB held in a Thai bank account in your own name, seasoned for at least 2 months before the application and kept for 3 months after approval, or (b) a guaranteed monthly income of at least 65,000 THB certified by your embassy (note: the British, American and Australian embassies in Bangkok stopped issuing income verification letters in 2019, so the bank deposit route is in practice the only option for most English-speaking applicants), or (c) a combination of deposit and income equivalent to 800,000 THB over the year. No health insurance is required except for the O-A and O-X variants.

• Work permit Thailand — what does a Thai company have to prove?

  To obtain a work permit in Thailand your employer must be a registered Thai company with paid-up capital of at least 2 million THB per foreign employee, and a ratio of at least 4 Thai employees per foreigner (reduced to 1:1 for BOI-promoted companies). Your minimum monthly salary depends on your nationality: 50,000 THB for applicants from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. The work permit must always sit on a valid Non-B Business visa. Processing: 4 to 8 weeks.

• LTR Long-Term Resident — who can apply in 2026?

  The LTR visa created in 2022 targets 4 categories: (1) Wealthy Global Citizens (1M USD in assets + 80k USD/year + 500k USD invested in Thailand), (2) Wealthy Pensioners (50+, 80k USD/year of passive income, or 40-80k plus 250k invested), (3) Work-from-Thailand Professionals (80k USD/year and an employer that is publicly listed or turning over 50M USD), (4) Highly-Skilled Professionals (80k USD/year in a BOI target sector with 5 years of experience). Benefits: 10 years (5+5), digital work permit, spouse and up to 4 dependants included, income tax capped at 17% for category 4.

• How does the annual renewal of my visa work?

  For most long-stay visas (Retirement, Marriage, Business) the annual extension is filed at the immigration office for your province (Chaeng Wattana for Bangkok, Pattaya Soi 5 for Pattaya, Phuket Town for Phuket) within the 30 days before expiry. You need: passport, TM7, photo, up-to-date proof of funds (bank statement issued the same day), proof of address (TM30) and 1,900 THB in fees. For the Elite Visa and the LTR, renewal is largely automatic.

• Pattaya or Bangkok immigration — which office should I use?

  The Chaeng Wattana immigration office in Bangkok processes more than 3,000 files a day and means 4 to 6 hours of queuing without an appointment. The Pattaya office (Soi 5, Jomtien) is faster on average (45 minutes to 2 hours with support). Phuket Town is the quietest office but the strictest on supporting documents. The office that handles your annual extension depends on your TM30 address — applying for an extension in a province other than your official residence is not allowed.

• What is the 90 day report (TM47)?

  Every foreign resident on a long-stay visa must report their address in Thailand every 90 days using form TM47, either online (Immigration Bureau portal), by post, or in person at the immigration office. The 90 day counter restarts every time you leave and re-enter the country, and on every visa renewal. Missing it triggers a 2,000 THB fine and complicates every future renewal. We handle that reminder automatically for all our clients.

• Visa run / border run — what is it and is it still legal?

  A visa run means leaving Thailand to reset a visa exemption (30-day tourist entry) or extend a stay. Since 2014 the Thai authorities have sharply reduced their tolerance: a maximum of 2 land entries per calendar year on a visa exemption, with systematic refusal beyond that. The legal options for 2026 are: (a) a 60-day Tourist Visa (TR) obtained in advance, (b) an Elite or LTR visa, (c) an Education ED visa, or (d) the new Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) launched in July 2024 (5 years, multiple entry, 10,000 THB, aimed at digital nomads).

• SMART Visa — how does it differ from a standard work permit?

  The SMART Visa, created in 2018 and widened in 2024, has 5 categories: SMART-T (Talent, salary 200k+ THB/month), SMART-I (Investor, 20M+ THB invested), SMART-E (Executive, 200k+ THB/month plus 5 years of experience), SMART-S (Startup) and SMART-O (Other — spouse and children). The main advantage over a standard work permit: no separate work permit is needed, the visa runs 4 years and is renewable, there is no 90 day report, and you can change employer within the same sector without a new application. Ideal for tech executives and investors.

• How much does an English-speaking visa agent or lawyer cost?

  Our visa pricing is transparent: Retirement and Marriage Non-O from 8,000 THB all-inclusive, Education ED 15,000 THB, SMART Visa 30,000 THB, LTR 50,000 THB, and Elite Visa with VIP support 25,000 THB on top of the government fee. That covers the eligibility audit, TM7 / TM30 / TM47 preparation, translations, the immigration appointment, an English speaker with you on the day and 12 months of follow-up. No hidden costs — firm quote within 48 hours of the free initial audit.

• My visa was refused — what can I do?

  A visa refusal can be challenged within 30 days by filing a request for reconsideration at the local immigration office, supported by a written statement and additional documents. We take that appeal on from 15,000 THB (successful in 70% of cases where the original file was simply missing documents). In parallel we always look at an alternative visa (Elite / LTR / SMART) so you are never left without a solution. For blacklist cases, a full rehabilitation file can be submitted after 1 to 5 years depending on the grounds.

• Is a Thai bank account really mandatory for the visa?

  For the Retirement Non-O visa on the deposit route, yes — you need 800,000 THB in a Thai bank account in your own personal name, seasoned for at least 2 months before the application, with an official bank statement and a certification letter from the bank. For the Elite, LTR, SMART, Marriage and Education visas a Thai bank account is not mandatory, but it remains useful. We make opening one at Kasikorn, Bangkok Bank, SCB or Krungsri possible in 48 hours (with your passport, a valid visa and a certification letter).