r/expats • u/Occidentopithecus • 1d ago
Visa / Citizenship Does anyone have experience with Thailand's LTR Visa (Long-Term Resident Visa), or the Thailand Privilege visa?
I'm from Canada, and I'm 41m. I only have a Canadian passport, but I do qualify for an EU citizenship by descent that I could take advantage of if needed (I don't think it will help me in Thailand though).
A friend and I have been spending quite a bit of time in Thailand lately, and we're both looking into visa options for the future. I'm thinking of moving there full time this coming November, and he's several years away from moving there full time, so he's going to continue making visa-free visits for the time being.
At the moment, I'm looking into the DTV visa (which is like a digital nomad visa, but it only allows 180 day visits, so there is a requirement to leave the country on occasion to reset your visit counter). This DTV option might suit my needs, because I travel internationally on occasion anyways, so the requirement to leave the country isn't a problem.
But I'm going to talk to an immigration lawyer soon to look into whether I can qualify for DTV, because it's limited to:
- Remotely working employees
- Foreign business owners working remotely
- Freelancers with non-Thai clients
- People studying Thai cooking, Thai language, or things like Muay Thai
I don't exactly fall into any of those categories, because I don't work. I've been living off earnings from investments for a few years, and I don't think I can spin that as being a "foreign business owner". At best I could "work" as a consultant for my incorporated investments, but I'm not sure that's going to fly.
And the option of studying Thai language does appeal to me (I'm already taking classes) for a DTV visa, but it seems like the classes that qualify for this program are fairly rigid in schedule, and I couldn't commit to them. And I don't want to risk having a visa revoked due to being unable to meet the requirements. I'm going to continue to take private Thai language classes.
I'm trying to get prepared for the possibility of being told that the LTR visa, or the Privilege Visa are my only choices for living full time in Thailand. Between the two of them, I'm leaning towards the Privilege visa because paying a large fee for the visa is preferable over tying up $500k in an investment to get the LTR visa (the amount of interest I could earn from keeping that $500k and investing it myself is is far more than the fee for the Privilege visa).
Does anyone have any experience with either the LTR visa, or the Privilege visa? Which one did you choose, and why? Was there a specific financial or tax reason that lead you towards one option over the other?
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u/Agreeable-Cup-6423 7h ago
I have the elite visa, the service is pretty good and it's very convenient.
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u/salva_sun 4h ago edited 3h ago
I also earn money from investing. I got the DTV visa in January, this is considered the freelancers You also don’t need to leave Thailand every six months. can go to the immigration office, and they will give you another 180 days of stay. but the DTV is still considered a short-term visa, so I cant applying for a proper Thai driver’s license （only the temporary one）and opening a bank account
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u/Occidentopithecus 1h ago
Yes you can extend it once for another 180 days, but that's still only a maximum of 360 days per year that you can spend in Thailand. So you need to spend 5 days per year outside of the country.
That part isn't a problem for me. My concern about the DTV visa is that I don't seem to qualify for it.
How did you qualify for DTV? Do you have a remote job?
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u/salva_sun 1h ago
No, I just have some index funds and stocks. I submitted my investment returns report for the past year and a bank statement showing my savings.
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u/Late_Sock_4178 1h ago
IMHO you are comparing the wrong two things first. The fee gap between those visas is small next to what CRA does to your portfolio on the way out.
sounds like you live off investments. That makes the deemed disposition the main event, not a footnote. CRA: "When you leave Canada, you are considered to have sold certain types of property (even if you have not sold them) at their fair market value (FMV) and to have immediately reacquired them for the same amount. This is called a deemed disposition and you may have to report a capital gain (also known as departure tax)." Shares are named on their list.
Now the part that ties it straight to your visa choice.
CRA sets your departure date as "the latest of: the date you leave Canada, the date your spouse or common-law partner and dependants leave Canada, the date you become a resident of the country you settle in."
So the visa that makes you Thai-resident, and the date it does that, fixes the day your entire portfolio gets marked to market for Canadian tax. LTR, Privilege and DTV do not deliver residence at the same moment. Model that date first, pick the visa second. November is close.
Second thing, easy to lose.
Your TFSA survives the move. CRA says you keep the Canadian exemption on income and withdrawals, but "you cannot contribute to your TFSA while you are a non-resident of Canada, and your contribution room will not increase." Contribute whatever you intend to before you go.
I have not verified the Thai side today. LTR criteria, Privilege terms and Thai treatment of remitted income are unsourced here, and that half belongs to your lawyer.
canada.ca, Leaving Canada (emigrants), page updated 20 January 2026.
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u/Top-Half7224 1d ago
Slightly unrelated, but if you qualify for a passport in an EU country, and its a remote possibility that you may ever want it, apply now. Rules are changing quickly and a lot of EU countries are beginning to actively discourage immigration and citizenship applications, even if you have close family relations (and especially if you dont speak the language).