The DTV and the LTR: Thailand's two long visas for remote workers and the well-off

If you work online for clients or an employer outside Thailand, the Destination Thailand Visa is the easy way in; if you earn serious money or have a big pension pot, the Long-Term Resident visa buys you ten years and far less faff.

The short version

• The DTV costs £300 from London, lasts five years with multiple entries, and gives 180 days per entry plus one 180-day extension in Thailand [1].
• You need at least 500,000 baht in savings (London says £12,000), proof that you live permanently in the UK or Ireland, and a recent police certificate [1].
• The LTR is a ten-year visa, endorsed first by Thailand's Board of Investment (BOI). Most categories need an income of USD 80,000 a year, or USD 40,000 with extra conditions [3].
• LTR holders report once a year instead of every 90 days, don't need re-entry permits, and some get a 17% flat tax rate on Thai salary [3].
• Neither visa lets you take a local job on the side. With the 30-day visa exemption now for tourism only, one of these is often the cleanest route for a remote worker [5].

The Destination Thailand Visa

Thailand launched the DTV in July 2024 to woo digital nomads and visitors on longer stays. It has three strands [1]:

• DTV1, "workcation": digital nomads, remote workers, foreign talent and freelancers. You show an employment contract or certificate, or a portfolio proving you work for yourself.
• DTV2, Thai soft power: courses and activities such as Muay Thai, Thai cookery, or medical treatment, with a letter from the gym, school or hospital.
• DTV3, family: the spouse and children under 20 of a DTV holder.

What London asks for

From the Royal Thai Embassy in London, the list is [1]:

1. Your passport and a photo taken in the last six months.
2. Proof of savings of at least £12,000 (500,000 baht), such as bank statements.
3. Proof of permanent residence in the UK, Ireland or a British Overseas Territory. For a British citizen that usually means showing you actually live here; non-UK nationals need settled status papers and an employer letter.
4. A police clearance certificate issued in the last six months, such as an ACRO certificate.
5. The strand documents above. Self-employed applicants add a business registration in their name.

You apply online through the Thai e-visa system and must be physically in the UK, Ireland or a UK territory while it's processed, which usually takes about 15 working days [2]. That rule matters if you're already in Bangkok: you can't apply through London from your condo. Each Thai embassy sets its own list (Helsinki, for example, now also wants at least seven days of booked accommodation for the first visit), so apply where you genuinely live [6].

How the days work

Each entry gives 180 days. Once in Thailand, you can extend once by another 180 days at immigration; after that you must leave and come back in on the same visa, as long as it's still valid [1]. The standard extension fee is 1,900 baht (about £42) [7]. Pound conversions use the Bank of England spot rate of 5 November 2026 (£1 = THB 45.1092); dollar figures use the same day's rate (£1 = USD 1.3476).

Count carefully if tax matters to you: spending 180 days or more in Thailand in a calendar year makes you a Thai tax resident, and since 2024 Thailand taxes foreign income you bring in. Our guide to the remittance change explains it.

What the DTV doesn't do

The DTV covers remote work for employers and clients abroad. It is not a work permit for Thai jobs, so teaching at a local school or freelancing for a Bangkok agency still needs one. Our guide to working in Thailand explains where the line sits.

The Long-Term Resident visa

The LTR is run by the BOI, which checks your qualifications before you apply for the visa itself [3][4]. It has four categories [3]:

In pounds, USD 80,000 is about £59,365 and USD 40,000 about £29,682. Every category also needs health insurance of at least USD 50,000 (about £37,103), Thai social security cover, or USD 100,000 held in a bank for at least a year [3]. Qualifying investments are Thai government bonds, direct investment in a Thai company or Thai property [3].

What you get

The visa runs for ten years: an initial five, renewed for five more if you still qualify. Other perks [3]:

• annual reporting instead of 90-day reports, and no re-entry permit hassle;
• a digital work permit, except for the work-from-Thailand category;
• a 17% personal income tax rate for highly skilled professionals, and an exemption on overseas income;
• up to four dependants (a legal spouse and children under 20);
• fast-track lanes at Thai international airports.

The visa fee is 50,000 baht (about £1,108) per person when collected in Thailand, and collecting it at an embassy can cost more [3]. BOI endorsement takes about 20 working days [3]. In London, you apply online to the BOI first, then for the visa through the e-visa system with the endorsement letter, which is valid for 60 days [4]. The BOI warns about agencies falsely claiming to be authorised to sell LTR applications [3].

Which one, then?

For a freelancer or a remote employee of a smallish UK company, the DTV is the practical choice: the bar is low and the price is modest. For a pensioner with a final-salary pension and investments, compare the LTR with the ordinary retirement visas: the LTR costs more but saves a yearly bank-balance ritual. For senior people moving with a big employer, the work-from-Thailand category is worth a look.

The UK end

Working remotely for a UK employer from Bangkok raises UK questions too: PAYE, National Insurance and whether your employer will allow it at all. Our guide to working abroad for a UK employer covers that, and there's a UK–Thailand double taxation agreement [8]. Thailand has no healthcare agreement with the UK, so the NHS won't cover you there [8]. A tax adviser who knows both countries can check your case.

The FCDO entry requirements page, last updated on 12 October 2026, confirms that visa-free entry is now for tourism and doesn't cover business [5]. Remote workers swapping notes on extensions and border runs can find each other in our community group for Brits in Thailand.

Sources

1. Royal Thai Embassy, London: Destination Thailand Visa (last updated 8 September 2026)
2. Royal Thai Embassy, London: Visa general information (last updated 4 November 2026)
3. Board of Investment: Long-Term Resident visa (checked 8 November 2026)
4. Royal Thai Embassy, London: Long-Term Resident visa (last updated 9 April 2024)
5. GOV.UK (FCDO): Thailand travel advice – entry requirements (updated 12 October 2026)
6. Royal Thai Embassy, Helsinki: Destination Thailand Visa (last updated 3 September 2026)
7. Samut Prakan Immigration: Immigration fees (checked 8 November 2026)
8. GOV.UK (FCDO): Living in Thailand (last updated 11 December 2025)

Keep reading

• Moving to Bangkok as a Brit
• Thai tax on foreign income: the 2024 remittance change
• Working in Thailand: work permits and jobs closed to foreigners
• Working abroad for a UK employer