Investment Visa Thailand: 3 Ways to Qualify With ฿10 Million

How the Investment Visa Thailand Offers Works for Long-Term Residency

Prior to the summer of 2014, many foreigners in Thailand who didn’t qualify for a long-term visa achieved the same effect by entering, exiting, and re-entering the country on a short-term tourist visa. Thailand’s 2014 post-coup military government enacted regulations that ended this practice.

The good news is that there are other options — one of which is the “Investment Visa.” This visa provides eligible foreigners a way to stay in Thailand long-term without needing to leave the country on a regular basis. It can also serve as an alternative for those who would otherwise need to provide annual proof of funds to renew a retirement visa, available to retirees over the age of 50 who meet that visa’s other requirements.

The relevant regulations for obtaining an Investment Visa under Thailand’s Immigration Act are:

1. Royal Thai Police Bureau Order No. 327/2557, Regarding Criteria and Conditions for Consideration of an Alien’s Application for Temporary Stay in Thailand, dated 30 June 2014, effective 29 August 2014 (the “Police Order”); and
2. Immigration Bureau Order No. 138/2557, dated 7 July 2014, effective 29 August 2014, issued under the Police Order.

Under the Police Order, a foreigner is eligible for a renewable Investment Visa if they:

1. Hold a Non-Immigrant visa (not a tourist visa); and
2. Have evidence of transferring at least THB 10 million into Thailand; and
3. Meet at least one of the following:
   • (a) Have evidence, obtained from a relevant authority, of investment in a legally defined condominium unit (either freehold, or a leasehold of three years or more) at a purchase price or rental value of at least THB 10 million; or
   • (b) Hold at least THB 10 million in a fixed deposit account at a Thai bank that is majority Thai-owned; or
   • (c) Have purchased and own Thai government or Thai state enterprise bonds worth at least THB 10 million.

Interestingly, these investment options can be combined. For example, a foreigner could qualify by purchasing a condominium unit for less than THB 10 million and depositing the remaining balance in a fixed deposit account at a qualifying Thai bank. The core requirement is simply that the total combined investment reaches at least THB 10 million.

Once the eligibility criteria are met, the Investment Visa can be renewed annually as long as the qualifying THB 10 million investment is maintained.

A further significant benefit is that the Investment Visa extends not only to the investor but also to qualifying family members — parents, spouse, children, adopted children, and a spouse’s children. Such family members must:

1. Be granted a Non-Immigrant visa;
2. Provide proof of the family relationship;
3. In the case of a spouse, be legally married and cohabitating with the visa holder; and
4. In the case of a child, adopted child, or spouse’s child, be unmarried, live with the visa holder as family, and be no older than 20 years of age — unless ill or disabled and unable to live without the support of a parent.

As for limitations, the Investment Visa does not exempt its holder or family members from the standard 90-day reporting rule applicable to most other long-term Thai visa holders. Nor does it entitle the holder or family members to work in Thailand — a separate work permit is required for that. Note that the legal definition of “working” is broad: it is defined as engaging in work by exerting energy or using knowledge, whether or not in exchange for wages or other benefit.

For foreigners seeking a long-term, low-maintenance path to Thai residency, the investment visa Thailand offers can be an attractive alternative to the retirement visa — particularly for those under 50, or those who would rather hold a qualifying investment than provide annual proof of income.