🇹🇭 Moving to Thailand

Holders of the LTR visa in the Wealthy Global Citizen, Wealthy Pensioner or Work-from-Thailand Professional categories are exempt from personal income tax on foreign-source employment, business and property income brought into Thailand; Thai-source income is taxed normally.

Taxed on

Assessable income under section 40 of the Revenue Code derived from employment, from a business carried on abroad or from property situated abroad in the previous tax year and brought into Thailand. The decree sets no rate; the benefit is an exemption from income tax on that foreign-source income.

Who it applies to

• Hold a Long-Term Resident visa under immigration law in one of three categories: Wealthy Global Citizen, Wealthy Pensioner or Work-from-Thailand Professional (Royal Decree 743 section 5).
• Meet the qualifications, rules, procedures and conditions prescribed by the Director-General of the Revenue Department (section 6).
• The benefit is suspended for any tax year in which those rules are not followed (section 7).

Exclusions

• Highly Skilled Professional LTR holders are not covered by this exemption; their separate 17% rate on Thai employment income is “LTR Highly Skilled Professional: 17% on employment income”.
• Income from work performed in Thailand is Thai-source income whoever pays it and is not covered.
• Income from a business or property in Thailand is taxed under ordinary rules.

Days in the country

• At least 180 days in tax year · A person present in Thailand for one or more periods totalling 180 days in a tax year is a person residing in Thailand for Revenue Code purposes.

Tax residence

Thai tax residence follows presence of 180 days or more in the tax year; the LTR visa itself does not set tax residence.

Visas

The exemption attaches to the LTR visa category; it is not available to holders of other visas.

Other taxes

VAT, social security contributions, withholding tax and local taxes are not waived by Royal Decree 743.

Checked against official sources on 10 Oct 2026Change log

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• Who: Foreigner categorised as High-Skilled Professional and granted a Long-Term Resident visa

Highly Skilled Professional LTR holders employed by a company or juristic partnership in a targeted industry have tax withheld at a reduced rate of 17% of that employment income where the ordinary withholding rate would be higher. They may leave the income out of their return if they do not claim a refund or credit for the tax withheld.

Taxed on

Assessable income from employment with a company or juristic partnership carrying on targeted industries under the national competitiveness, investment promotion or Eastern Special Development Zone laws, computed under section 50(1) of the Revenue Code.

Who it applies to

• Foreigner categorised as High-Skilled Professional and granted a Long-Term Resident visa.
• Employer is a company or juristic partnership in a targeted industry, under rules set by the Director-General of the Revenue Department.
• Where ordinary withholding on the income would be below 17%, the exemption from including it in the return applies only if the foreigner allows the payer to withhold 17% (section 3, second paragraph).
• The foreigner files a return reporting the exempted income and does not claim a refund or credit of the tax withheld, in whole or part (section 4).

Exclusions

• Income from employers outside the targeted industries is taxed under the ordinary progressive rates (Revenue Department ruling 0702/637 gives an example).
• The 17% rate covers employment income only; it is not an exemption for foreign-source income.

Days in the country

• At least 180 days in tax year · Thai tax residence presence test (Revenue Code section 41).

Tax residence

Applies to LTR holders irrespective of tax residence days; withholding is at 17% of income.

Visas

Requires the Highly Skilled Professional category of the LTR visa.

Other taxes

VAT, social security and local taxes are separate.

Checked against official sources on 12 Oct 2026Change log

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