Thailand
Long-Term Resident (LTR) Visa: health insurance requirements
Yes: health insurance is required
Yes. Thailand's Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa requires health insurance with at least $50,000 of coverage, valid for at least 10 more months at endorsement. You can substitute one of two alternatives: a deposit of $100,000 held for a year, or social-security cover that pays for treatment in Thailand. The LTR is a 10-year visa for higher earners, pensioners, and remote professionals, and the requirement applies across its categories.
The requirements at a glance
| Minimum coverage | $50,000 |
|---|---|
| Minimum policy duration | 10+ months remaining at endorsement |
| Local-licensed insurer required | No: compliant international IPMI is accepted |
| Accepted proof | Policy/certificate showing at least $50,000 medical coverage and 10+ months remaining validity. International policies accepted; a $100,000 12-month deposit or qualifying social-security cover can substitute. |
The insurance condition can be met by $50,000 cover, a $100,000 deposit held 12 months, or social security covering treatment in Thailand. Income/asset thresholds vary by category (Wealthy Global Citizen, Wealthy Pensioner, Work-from-Thailand Professional, Highly-Skilled). Verified against the BOI LTR portal on 2026-06-20.
Thailand's 10-year Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa requires health insurance of at least US$50,000 with 10+ months validity, or one of two alternatives: a US$100,000 deposit held for 12 months, or social-security cover for treatment in Thailand.
Our take
$50,000 is a low ceiling for a serious admission at an international hospital and well below an evacuation, so use it as the paperwork minimum and insure higher.
The deposit alternative locks up real money for a year, so for most people a compliant policy is cheaper than parking $100,000. If you go the insurance route, make sure it still has 10 months of validity at endorsement, which trips up applicants who buy too early.
What happens if you get it wrong
Without $50,000 cover, the deposit, or qualifying social security, the LTR is not endorsed.
A policy that drops below the 10-month validity window at endorsement counts as non-compliant even if you are technically insured. Letting cover lapse during the visa undermines the basis it was granted on.
Interactive
Verified pricesWhat would it cost in Thailand without insurance?
Gravel on a bend outside town. Road rash, a broken forearm, and a night or two before they discharge you.
| Ambulance | $56–$423 |
| Emergency room, on arrival | $100–$545 |
| X-ray on the forearm | $14–$56 |
| Two nights on the ward | $480–$1,500 |
| You pay, out of pocket | $650–$2,524 |
Priced as one lump instead of itemised, a serious admission in Thailand runs $5,000 to $30,000.
That is the bill you carry alone. Insurance exists for exactly this.
See what cover costsTypical private-care estimates for illustration, not a quote. Actual bills vary by hospital, city and severity.
FAQ
At least $50,000 of health coverage with 10+ months validity remaining at endorsement. A $100,000 deposit held for a year or qualifying social security can substitute.
Yes. A $100,000 deposit held at least 12 months is an accepted alternative, as is social-security cover for treatment in Thailand.
No. International health insurance is accepted as long as it meets the $50,000 minimum and the validity window.
Ten years, issued as five years plus a five-year renewal.
No, the DTV has no national insurance requirement, though some consulates ask. See the Thailand DTV page.
How to apply
- Processing time
- About 20 working days for the BOI qualification endorsement, then visa issuance within a 60-day window after endorsement. Budget roughly 2 to 4 months end to end.
- Government fee
- 50,000 THB per person for the 10-year visa (embassy issuance abroad may cost more depending on exchange rate). The optional digital work permit is 3,000 THB per year.
- Where to apply
- Apply online at the BOI LTR portal. After endorsement, the visa is stamped either at the One Stop Service Center in Bangkok or at a Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate abroad. The endorsement is valid 60 days; if it lapses you must re-apply for endorsement.
- 1
Register on the BOI LTR portal (ltr.boi.go.th) and submit the online qualification application for your category; for remote workers the Work-from-Thailand Professionals category is the usual fit.
- 2
Upload evidence for that category's rules, which for remote workers means a foreign employer, the required income and employment history, and qualifying health insurance or a deposit.
- 3
Wait about 20 working days for the qualification endorsement email, and respond quickly if BOI requests more documents, as that pauses the clock.
- 4
Once endorsed, note the 60-day deadline to get the visa issued; update your passport and travel details in the portal and choose your issuance location.
- 5
Collect the visa either at the One Stop Service Center in Bangkok or at a Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate abroad. Work-from-Thailand professionals do not need a work permit to work for a foreign employer, though an optional digital work permit is available.
Fees and processing times move, sometimes without announcement, and a consulate can add a document the published checklist does not mention. Treat the above as the shape of the process rather than a guarantee, and check the current requirement with the mission handling your application before you book anything.
What policy actually satisfies this visa
Thailand publishes a figure, which makes this simpler than most: your certificate has to show at least $50,000 of medical cover. Clear that and the paperwork is satisfied.
A compliant international policy is accepted, so you are not forced into a local insurer. That matters more than it sounds: it means one policy can follow you when you leave, instead of expiring at the border.
Repatriation is not named as a condition, though it is the benefit you would most want to have if the worst happened, and it costs very little to add.
The dates are the other thing that gets applications rejected: 10+ months remaining at endorsement
Ask your insurer for a certificate of cover that states your full name as it appears on your passport, the exact policy period, the territory covered, and the benefit amounts. That is a normal request and any decent insurer issues it without fuss. The insurance being real and the paperwork still failing is a more common way to lose an application than being uninsured.
The visa tells you the minimum. It does not tell you what to actually carry. Those are different questions, and the paperwork minimum is nearly always the smaller of the two answers.
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