Property and visas in Thailand: what qualifies and what does not
Updated · ZODIAC Co., Ltd.
Owning a condominium or villa in Thailand does not, on its own, give you a right to live there. Property can support a long-stay application in specific cases: the Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa accepts Thai property as a qualifying investment, and an investment-based extension of stay introduced in late 2025 uses a THB 3 million property threshold. Thailand Privilege membership is paid for separately and is unrelated to property.
Ownership and residence are separate
Thai immigration law does not attach a visa to property ownership. A title deed does not entitle you to enter, stay or work in Thailand. Many owners visit under visa exemption or tourist visas, and others hold retirement, marriage, business or other long-stay visas that have nothing to do with their property.
Where property does matter is in schemes that count real estate as a form of investment. There are three worth understanding if you are buying in Phuket, and they differ greatly in cost, conditions and stability.
The LTR visa and property
The Long-Term Resident visa is run by the Board of Investment. It is a 10-year visa, granted as five years plus a five-year renewal, with a fee of THB 50,000 when applied for in Thailand. Holders report to immigration annually rather than every 90 days and can obtain digital work permission. There are four categories: Wealthy Global Citizens, Wealthy Pensioners, Work-from-Thailand Professionals and Highly-Skilled Professionals.
Property counts in the two wealth categories. A Wealthy Global Citizen needs at least USD 1 million in global assets and at least USD 500,000 invested in Thailand, which may be in Thai government bonds, direct company investment or Thai property. A Wealthy Pensioner aged 50 or over needs passive income of at least USD 80,000 a year, or at least USD 40,000 a year plus a USD 250,000 investment in the same qualifying assets. Both categories also need health insurance of at least USD 50,000 cover, USD 100,000 on deposit, or Thai social security coverage.
Several practitioners point out conditions that trip up applicants: the property generally has to be in your personal name, it is valued at the price registered with the Land Department rather than current market value, leasehold counts only with sufficient remaining registered term, and the investment has to be in place before you apply. Check the current rules on the BOI's LTR website before you structure a purchase around it.
LTR tax treatment
One reason buyers look at the LTR is tax. Wealthy Global Citizens, Wealthy Pensioners and Work-from-Thailand Professionals are exempt from Thai tax on foreign-sourced income brought into Thailand, and Highly-Skilled Professionals can elect a flat 17% rate on Thai employment income. This matters because since 1 January 2024 Thai tax residents have been taxed on foreign income when it is remitted into Thailand. A proposal to exempt income remitted within two years was drafted in 2025 but had not become law as of September 2026.
The THB 3 million investment extension of stay
Immigration Orders 237/2568 and 238/2568, effective 1 October 2025, reworked investment-based extensions of stay. Previously the standard investment threshold was THB 10 million. The new framework allows a lower threshold of THB 3 million for qualifying property, subject to a certification letter from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, handled through Thailand Longstay Service Co., Ltd. The result is a Non-Immigrant B based permission to stay, starting with 90 days and then renewable 12-month extensions while the investment is held.
Law firms describe the qualifying routes as a completed freehold condominium of at least THB 3 million, a registered lease of more than three years with prepaid rent at or above the threshold, and in some descriptions a registered use right or high-value rental. Reported conditions include a contract signed on or after 1 October 2025, a counterparty that is Thai or Thai-majority-owned, and exclusion of off-plan units until they are completed and registered.
This route is new and the rules are still settling. In spring 2026 some firms reported first approvals while others said the implementing rules were incomplete, and at least one firm reported changes in July 2026. Treat it as promising but in flux, and get current advice from an immigration lawyer before relying on it.
Thailand Privilege: a paid visa, not a property benefit
Thailand Privilege, formerly Thailand Elite, is a membership programme owned by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports that comes with a long-stay visa. According to its official website, membership tiers are Bronze at THB 650,000 for 5 years, Gold at THB 900,000 for 5 years, Platinum at THB 1.5 million for 10 years, Diamond at THB 2.5 million for 15 years and Reserve at THB 5 million for 20 years, by invitation. Several agents report that the Bronze tier closes to new applications on 30 September 2026, so confirm the current tiers with the programme directly.
The membership fee is a cost, not an investment, and it gives no property rights, no work permission and no tax exemption. Its advantage is simplicity: no asset or income tests and no connection to where or whether you own property.
What does not qualify
Several common assumptions are wrong, and it is worth clearing them up before you buy.
- Buying a condo or villa does not give you a visa or residence permit by itself.
- Off-plan purchases do not count for the THB 3 million extension until the unit is completed and registered.
- Property held through a company generally does not count for the LTR wealth categories, which look at assets in your own name.
- Thailand Privilege fees cannot be offset against a property purchase, and a Privilege visa does not change foreign ownership limits.
- The Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) is aimed at remote workers and soft-power activities and is not a property visa; banks also tend to treat it as a short-stay status.
Other long-stay routes owners use
Many Phuket owners hold retirement visas, marriage visas or work permits instead. Retirement extensions for those aged 50 and over rely on money in a Thai bank or income, not on property. If you are planning to live in Thailand, choose the visa first and then structure the purchase so that it also supports your application where possible, for example by keeping the property in your personal name and keeping clear evidence of funds.
Whichever route you use, remember that a long stay can make you a Thai tax resident. Spending 180 days or more in Thailand in a calendar year brings foreign income remitted into Thailand into the Thai tax net, which is one reason the LTR's tax exemptions attract property owners.
Planning a purchase around a visa
If a visa is part of your reason for buying, build it into the purchase conditions. Ask whether the unit is completed and registered, whether the seller is Thai or Thai-majority, what registered price will appear on the title, and whether you will hold it in your own name. In our Phuket catalogue, 25 of 84 condominium projects start below THB 5 million, and completed projects such as The Title Cielo Rawai start above the THB 3 million mark, but whether a particular unit qualifies depends on the scheme's rules at the time you apply.