Buying Thai property does not automatically produce a visa, residence permit, or right to work. Thailand does have two Immigration Bureau routes to an annual extension of temporary stay on an investment basis: the long-standing criterion 2.5 route at THB 10 million, and, since 1 October 2025, a THB 3 million route for a buyer certified by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. Neither is a “golden visa” attached to a title deed.
The visa question is also separate from ownership. A qualifying condo can support an immigration application, but the buyer must still comply with the condominium foreign quota and fund-transfer rules. A visa never turns a villa or its land into foreign freehold. See Foreign property ownership in Thailand — what you can and cannot own for the title rules and FET — the bank paper that proves your condo money came from abroad for remittance evidence.
What are the current rules for the THB 10 million investment extension?
The current route is a temporary-stay extension for a person with Non-Immigrant status. Under the Immigration Bureau criteria, the applicant must show at least THB 10 million transferred into Thailand and invested in one or more permitted categories.
| Qualifying category | What Immigration expects |
|---|---|
| Condominium purchase | Purchase and ownership-registration evidence issued by the government or relevant agency; qualifying value at least THB 10M if used alone |
| Condominium lease | A long-term condominium lease of at least 3 years, evidenced by the relevant authority; qualifying rental value at least THB 10M if used alone |
| Fixed deposit | A fixed deposit with a bank registered in Thailand in which Thai nationals hold more than 50% of the shares |
| Bonds | Thai government or state-enterprise bonds |
| Combination | Any combination of the categories above with documented total value of at least THB 10M |
The applicant must also prove a transfer of at least THB 10 million from a foreign country to a bank in Thailand. A Thai asset bought with unexplained domestic funds is therefore not enough. For a condo, keep the bank’s inward-remittance evidence alongside the sale agreement and Land Office ownership records.
The lease option is specifically a condominium route; it is not a general invitation to count any villa or land lease. A lease intended for the application should be registered and should match the Immigration criteria. Confirm the proposed documents with the local Immigration office before committing funds.
How do application, renewal, work, and family rules operate?
Each approval is for no more than one year. The public handbook lists a TM.7 application, passport, overstay-penalty acknowledgement, foreign-transfer proof, and the relevant investment documents. The listed government fee is THB 1,900, and the application is made at the Immigration office responsible for the applicant’s residence.
A renewal is another extension application, not an automatic continuation. Because the applicant must continue to meet criterion 2.5 and submit investment evidence, selling the condo, ending the lease, withdrawing the deposit, redeeming bonds, or otherwise falling below THB 10 million can remove the basis for the next extension. Keep the qualifying investment and a complete evidence trail for as long as this route is used.
The extension itself is not work authorization. The handbook’s investment application does not require a work permit, but that means a permit is not an application document—not that the holder may work. Anyone who intends to work must qualify for and obtain the separate authorization required by the Department of Employment.
Family status is separate too. Under Immigration criterion 2.20, a father or mother must be at least 50 years old; spouses must be married both legally and in fact; and a child, adopted child, or spouse’s child must be unmarried, live as part of the household, and be no older than 20. A child, adopted child, or spouse’s child over 20 qualifies only when illness or disability prevents carrying on usual life independently, father or mother support is required, and a physician from a hospital or relevant state medical institute issues a confirmation and temporary-stay request letter. Each eligible family member files a separate application with relationship evidence; the investor’s THB 10 million does not automatically stamp the whole family in.
Is the THB 3 million investment visa still available in Thailand?
A THB 3 million route exists again, and it turns on one document. Immigration Bureau orders 237/2568 and 238/2568, effective 1 October 2025, let an applicant qualify at THB 3 million instead of THB 10 million when the Ministry of Tourism and Sports certifies them as a long-stay tourism supporter. Order 237/2568 covers getting into the right visa category; order 238/2568 covers the extension itself. Without the ministry’s certification letter, the officer applies the THB 10 million criterion described above.
What the reduced threshold accepts is narrower than “any THB 3 million property”:
- a completed condominium worth at least THB 3 million with ownership registered in the applicant’s own name, or a registered long-term lease whose documented value meets that THB 3 million figure, or a residential rental of at least THB 85,000 a month with advance payment evidence;
- a seller or landlord who is a Thai national or a Thai-majority company;
- the certification letter, issued through the ministry’s designated long-stay service rather than at the Immigration counter.
The permission runs as an initial 90-day stay followed by extensions of up to one year, renewable while the qualifying arrangement and the certification continue. It is an extension of temporary stay, not permanent residence, and it carries no more work or land rights than the THB 10 million route.
Because the certification is issued outside Immigration and the route is less than a year old, confirm with both the ministry’s long-stay service and the Immigration office that handles your address before you transfer any money or sign anything.
A second, much older THB 3 million basis still sits in the criteria and is unrelated to this one: it is grandfathered for a person who entered Thailand before 1 October 2006 and has been continuously permitted to stay on the investment basis since then. For that group the listed categories are a condominium purchase, an eligible fixed deposit, government or state-enterprise bonds, or a combination, together with foreign-transfer proof — no condominium lease.
Neither of these is what an old consular page means. The Royal Thai Embassy in London’s business-visa page, for example, still describes a THB 3 million investment in its Non-Immigrant visa material. Consular visa issuance and an in-country extension are different decisions.
How do the other investment-related routes differ?
These programs have different legal bases and should not be combined into one “golden visa” claim.
| Route | Financial basis | Immigration result | Property, work, and family distinction |
|---|---|---|---|
| THB 10M investment extension | Foreign-remitted funds in qualifying condo purchase/lease, fixed deposit, bonds, or combination | Temporary stay, up to 1 year per approval | No land rights or automatic work permission; family applies separately |
| LTR — Wealthy Global Citizen | At least USD 1M in worldwide assets plus at least USD 500,000 in qualifying Thai investment, which may include property | Board of Investment (BOI)–qualified LTR, issued in a 5+5-year structure subject to continued qualification | Separate BOI program; work facilitation and dependants follow LTR rules, not the condo purchase |
| Thailand Privilege | Paid program membership | Privilege Entry visa according to membership | No property investment required; membership itself does not grant land ownership or general work permission |
| Permanent residence by investment | Separate investment-category residence application under Immigration Commission rules | Permanent-residence application, subject to the annual process and quota | Not earned by a condo purchase; requires its own eligible investments and application history |
The permanent-residence investment category is especially easy to confuse with the annual extension because both use a THB 10 million figure. They are not the same. The published PR rules identify investments such as shares in a Thai limited or public company, qualifying government or state-enterprise securities, and securities or investment units approved or certified by the Securities and Exchange Commission. PR applicants also face separate history and annual-quota requirements; holding a THB 10 million condo extension does not convert into PR automatically.
Likewise, BOI’s LTR Wealthy Global Citizen category may count qualifying Thai property toward its USD 500,000 Thai-investment requirement, but it also requires at least USD 1 million in worldwide assets and its own BOI approval. Details are in LTR (Long-Term Resident) visa — US$500,000 in Thai property, ten years. Thailand Privilege is a paid membership path, not a reward for buying a home; see Thailand Privilege (Elite) Visa for property buyers — tiers, costs, fit.
Who is the THB 10 million investment extension right for?
It is right for a current Non-Immigrant holder who can remit and maintain at least THB 10 million in the listed assets, document the full transfer and investment trail, and accept a temporary extension that must be renewed each year. It can fit a qualifying condo investor who does not expect the extension itself to grant work rights, family status, permanent residence, or land ownership.
Who is the THB 10 million investment extension not right for?
It is not right for someone expecting an automatic visa from any property purchase, or seeking a one-time route to permanent residence. A buyer whose budget is closer to THB 3 million should test the tourism-certified route above instead, and accept that it depends on a ministry letter the Immigration office does not issue. It also does not fit a plan that depends on villa or land ownership, automatic family inclusion, or permission to work without separate authorization.
What evidence should an applicant prepare?
An applicant should prepare the complete remittance, investment, identity, and—where relevant—family evidence before transferring or committing the investment:
- passport and proof of current Non-Immigrant status;
- TM.7 form, photograph, and the required acknowledgements;
- bank evidence tracing at least THB 10 million from abroad into a Thai bank;
- for a purchase, the condo agreement and government ownership-registration record;
- for a lease, the registered long-term condo lease showing at least 3 years and the qualifying value;
- for a deposit, the fixed-deposit certificate and account evidence from an eligible bank;
- for bonds, the government or state-enterprise bond certificates;
- a calculation and records for every asset if combining categories;
- original documents plus copies in the form requested by the local office;
- for family applications, passports and government-issued relationship evidence showing that a parent is at least 50, spouses are legally and factually married, and a child, adopted child, or spouse’s child is unmarried, part of the household, and no older than 20; for a child, adopted child, or spouse’s child over 20, a physician’s confirmation and temporary-stay request letter from a hospital or relevant state medical institute showing that illness or disability prevents carrying on usual life independently and requires father or mother support.
Ask the responsible Immigration office to confirm the exact document set before the transaction. The officer may request supplementary evidence, and the handbook starts its service time only after the application is complete.
Which misunderstandings can disqualify an investment-extension plan?
A plan is disqualified when it relies on an asset, threshold, benefit, or family assumption that the current criteria do not allow:
- “Any THB 10 million property works.” No: the route names qualifying condominium purchase or lease, not any house, villa, or land arrangement.
- “The sale price proves the funds.” No: foreign-to-Thai-bank transfer evidence is a separate requirement.
- “THB 3 million is still enough.” Only with a Ministry of Tourism and Sports certification letter under the 2568 orders, or for the continuously eligible pre-1 October 2006 grandfathered group. On the plain criterion 2.5 file, it is not.
- “The extension lasts indefinitely.” Each approval is no more than one year and must be renewed on continuing evidence.
- “My spouse and children are included.” They need separate family-member applications and relationship proof.
- “An investment visa permits employment.” It does not; work authorization is a separate legal step.
- “The visa lets me own villa land.” It does not change Department of Lands rules or the condo foreign quota.
- “THB 10 million means permanent residence.” The extension and PR investment category are separate applications with different eligible assets and conditions.
For a buyer-profile comparison of LTR, DTV, retirement, marriage, business, Privilege, and permanent residence, see the visas and residency decision hub.
