Thailand is one of the most attractive destinations for foreign nationals and residents of other countries. Foreigners come to the Kingdom not only to relax but also to invest in real estate in Thailand to rent or live there in winter. For this reason, information on the visa regime and the maximum length of time you’re allowed to stay remains relevant.
Content:
- Visa regime between Thailand and other countries
- Do foreigners need a visa to visit Thailand?
- How to get a Thai visa?
- Can you obtain a visa or residence permit for real estate investments?
- How to stay in Thailand for more than 90 days
- Thailand Elite
- Student visa (ED)
- NON-B visa
- Retirement O-A visa
- LTR visa
- We will help you buy real estate in Thailand
Visa regime between Thailand and other countries
There is an agreement between some countries and Thailand, according to which the possibility of visa-free visits to the Kingdom was established for some foreigners. How many days can you stay in Thailand without a visa? No more than 30 days. This is enough to take a short vacation, explore the country, conduct business or buy a home through real estate agencies in Thailand. Foreign nationals are not permitted to work in the country when visiting for these reasons.
Several types of visa permits are available when visiting the Kingdom:
- A tourist visa allows tourists to stay in the state for 60 days with the possibility of extension for 30 days.
- Multiple semi-annual. This allows people to enter the Kingdom an unlimited number of times in six months, but the maximum duration of their stay is limited to 2 months.
- Non-Immigrant. This 90-day permit has 10 categories, depending on the purpose of the visit. These include business activities or investing in real estate or other assets.
Do foreigners need a visa to visit Thailand?
You can stay in Thailand for up to 30 days without an additional application. Upon arrival in the kingdom, it is enough to put a stamp in your passport and enjoy your vacation. To extend the visa permit for 7 additional days, you need to contact the immigration center and pay a state fee of 1,900 baht ($56) and pay an internal fee of 500 baht ($14.7).
To date, all COVID restrictions have been lifted in the Kingdom, so, the issuance of a Thai Pass, medical insurance, and the provision of a PCR test are not required.
How to get a Thai visa?
To stay in the country for more than 30 days, you will need to fill out the relevant documents. If a foreigner wants to stay in Thailand for longer, a one-time TR visa is issued with 60 days with an option to extend it to 90. Alternatively, you can apply for STV for up to 90 days. The latter can be extended twice in the Kingdom within a similar period.
To obtain a visa, you must:
- Fill out a questionnaire. This form is available on the visa center website.
- Have a foreign passport that’s valid for six months from the date of departure from the foreign country. For STV, a passport must be valid for 12 months.
- Have health insurance.
- Book and pay for a hotel for your quarantine period – 10 days for unvaccinated foreigners and 7 for vaccinated people, or provide a certificate of overseas property ownership.
- Have booked a return flight.
In some cases, you may need a bank statement with a balance of an amount equivalent to ฿20,000.
Can you obtain a visa or residence permit for real estate investments?
The sale of apartments in a new building in Thailand or a pre-owned home does not require the owner to have a permit or residence permit. However, Thailand Elite is a special programme for investors. It allows them to quickly and easily apply for a long-term visa, with registration taking less than a month. Programme participants can stay in the state at any time with a valid visa. However, they are required to notify the TPC company responsible for the programme if their stay in the Kingdom exceeds 3 months.
How to stay in Thailand for more than 90 days
It’s possible to extend a stay in Thailand to over 90 days on legal grounds. You can to stay in the Kingdom as a tourist for 30 days, visit an embassy of one of the neighboring countries before the end of this period and get a double visa for 60 days, which can be extended for another 30 days. Thus, the time spent in the country will be 4 months. In future, you can get this visa again or, in case of refusal, make a visa-free entry as a tourist and follow this scheme. Laos, Vietnam, and Malaysia are among the closest countries.
Thailand Elite
Thailand Elite is an affordable but expensive way to stay in the country for a long time. The packages provide for the possibility of obtaining a long-term residence permit for 5, 10, and 20 years, which may be relevant for those wishing to move for permanent residence or planning to stay in the kingdom not only during the winter months.
The programme does not limit the period of stay in the country and the number of border crossings for exit and entry. The disadvantage of Thailand Elite is only a significant amount of the contribution: for one person it is 607,000 baht ($18,000), for a married couple 843,500 baht ($25,000). In addition to the possibility of a long stay in the state, participants receive additional privileges, ranging from airport transfers to medical care.
Student visa (ED)
This is the most common long-stay visa option available to university and language students. Visa permission is issued for 1 year. In both cases, the visa is issued by the educational institution only in the country, and after the expiration date it can be extended.
The term for obtaining a visa from a university is 25 days, from a language school up to 4 to 5 weeks.
Visa costs:
- From a language school – THB 2,900 ($86) + THB 1,900 ($56) renewal (every 3 months at the immigration center) + about THB 50,000 ($1,475) school fees.
- From the university – about 85,000 baht ($2509), including tuition fees.
Important! Getting student visas can be difficult at the moment. In many language schools, their registration is suspended, so before applying, check if a particular educational institution has the appropriate quotas.
NON-B visa
This is a long-term non-immigrant visa issued for a long stay in Thailand with a specific purpose:
- Job
- Business
- Teaching
- Sports activities
NON-B visa has two types:
- Single – single entry visa valid for up to 1 year;
- Multi – multiple entry visa, which can only be obtained by business owners whose share in the local company exceeds 23%.
Today this type of visa is often chosen as an alternative to the Thai Elite programme and as an option for relocation.
Note: to apply for a Single visa, you must obtain a work permit. During the preparation of documents, you will be able to stay in the Kingdom for 90 days, and after obtaining permission and paying the mandatory fee, you will have the opportunity to extend your visa for a year.
The consular fee for a single-entry visa is 2,700 baht ($80), and a multiple-entry visa is 6,748 baht ($200).
Retirement O-A visa
The retirement O-A visa allows you to stay in Thailand for one year with the possibility of extension and multiple entries into the country. To obtain it, you must meet a number of requirements:
- Age of more than 50 years;
- Absence of a criminal record, confirmed by an appropriate certificate;
- Absence of diseases indicated in Decree No. 14 of 1992 (confirm with a certificate);
- Bank statement with a deposit of at least THB 800,000 ($23,675) or proof of monthly income of at least THB 65,000 ($1,924);
- Availability of insurance with a coverage amount of 3.3 million baht ($100,000).
First, a visa is issued for 90 days, and after collecting the required documents, it is extended for 1 year.
The cost of the mandatory fee when processing the document is 2,000 baht ($59).
LTR visa
The Long-term-Visa programme was launched in September 2022. With its help, foreign citizens can stay in Thailand for 5 years, with the possibility of a subsequent extension for a similar period, subject to meeting the basic eligibility criteria.
Long-term visa is:
- Multiple entry and exit without the need for a re-entry permit;
- Simplified employment;
- Payment of taxes at the rate of 17% + no taxes on foreign income;
- Receive priority service at international airports with the Fast Track service;
- The right to stay in the country for more than 90 consecutive days without having to notify the proper authorities – instead they only have to visit them once a year;
- Opportunity to use the services of the Single Service Center for Visas and Work Permits.
This type of visa is available to the following categories of persons:
- Wealthy individuals with proven assets of over THB33.7 million ($1 million) and recurring income of THB2.7 million ($80,000) who have invested THB16.8 million ($500,000) or more in local real estate or bonds;
- Senior citizens aged 50+ with a stable annual income of 1.35 million baht ($40,000) over the last 2 years;
- Freelancers and remote employees with an income of $40,000 to $80,000 per year;
- Highly qualified personnel with an income of $40,000 or more with at least 5 years of experience in the target area.
Up to 4 members of the applicant's family can apply for a visa. The age limit for children is under 20 years old.
The visa fee is 50,000 baht ($1,475).
We will help you buy real estate in Thailand
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