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ThailandResidence permit (membership)

Thailand Privilege Card in Thailand

The Thailand Privilege Card is a membership programme for long stays in Thailand: the member buys a package from a state-owned operating company and receives a multiple-entry visa, airport assistance and a personal assistant for administrative matters. The operator is a company of the Tourism Authority of Thailand. The applicant pays for the package and passes a due diligence check; the programme requires no investment, employment or property. The card does not allow work, and permanent residence is arranged separately.

Processing time
About 1-3 months
Work
There is no right to work; a separate B visa and a work permit are required
Residence
There is no minimum stay; 90-day reporting
Next
Does not give permanent residence

Source: mfa.go.th — note of the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the Thailand Privilege Card (PDF)

Who can take out a membership — and why the top tier is not open to everyone

The Bronze to Diamond packages can be taken out independently through an application and a due diligence check; the Reserve package is offered by the operator by invitation only, to existing members of the upper tiers.

Independent application (Bronze to Diamond)

  • A national of any country prepared to pay for the membership package in full
  • A digital nomad, entrepreneur, pensioner or family who need to live in Thailand for long periods without frequent visa runs
  • An applicant prepared to pass a due diligence check by the Thai police and the immigration authorities

Invitation to the Reserve package

  • An existing Platinum or Diamond member whom the operating company invites to move to the top tier
  • Someone who needs the longest possible membership term and an extended set of service privileges
  • An applicant to whom the same due diligence requirements apply as to all the other packages

When the programme is not suitable

You need to work lawfully in Thailand

A Non-Immigrant visa of category B together with a work permit

The aim is permanent residence or Thai citizenship

Years of residence on a Non-Immigrant visa with employment and income, and then a separate application for permanent residence

The budget does not allow the package to be paid for in full in a single payment

An ordinary multiple-entry or tourist visa, which is shorter and cheaper to arrange

The applicant is going through bankruptcy proceedings or is connected with money laundering cases

The programme is not available to such an applicant — the due diligence check rejects such cases

What it costs

Bronze membership (5 years)650 000 THB
Gold membership (5 years)900 000 THB
Platinum membership (10 years)1 500 000 THB
Diamond membership (15 years)2 500 000 THB
Reserve membership (20 years and longer, by invitation only)5 000 000 THB
An additional family member on the Platinum, Diamond and Reserve packagesThe operator states this flat rate as a promotion limited in time+500 000 THB
Annual extension of the permission to stayFiled no later than 30 days before the end of the current period of stay+1 900 THB

Documents to gather

The basic package for the membership application and for the SE/PE visa at the embassy; the exact list may differ between consulates.

  • A valid passport (for the membership application — valid for at least one year)
  • A fully completed membership and/or visa application form
  • A photograph taken within the last six months
  • A Confirmation/Certification Letter from Thailand Privilege Card Co., Ltd. — presented at the embassy when the SE/PE visa is issued
  • Proof of current place of stay and an e-ticket itinerary — requested by some consulates

How the process runs

From choosing a package to the visa in the passport, the route takes several months and requires almost no presence in Thailand.

  1. 1

    Choosing the membership package

    The applicant chooses one of the packages — from Bronze to Diamond — according to the term and budget they want; the Reserve package is available only by invitation from the operating company.

  2. 2

    Filing the application and the due diligence check

    up to two months

    The applicant submits a copy of their passport and an application form; the Department of Consular Affairs of the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs checks the applicant against police and immigration service databases and then sends an approval letter.

  3. 3

    Paying the membership fee

    After approval the applicant transfers the membership fee to the account of Thailand Privilege Card Co., Ltd.; without payment on time the approval is cancelled.

  4. 4

    Activating the membership and issuing the card

    about a week

    Once the payment is received the membership is activated and a physical card is issued to the member.

  5. 5

    Obtaining the SE/PE visa at the embassy

    at least seven working days

    The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs sends confirmation to the embassy and the member submits the visa documents; from the date of filing, issuing the visa takes at least seven working days.

Who you can bring with you

The holder of a Platinum, Diamond or Reserve package may include supplementary members in the membership — with the same visa and the same term as their own.

A spouse, including a partner in a same-sex union recognised under Thai law
Available on the Platinum, Diamond and Reserve packages; a separate visa and card for the same term as the principal holder; the annual privilege points are shared across the whole membership
Children of the principal holder
No age limits; the same conditions as for a spouse
Parents of the principal holder
No age limits; the same conditions as for a spouse

Renewal and the grace period

While both the visa and the paid-for package remain valid, the member maintains the status by extending the permission to stay each year: the application is filed no later than thirty days before the current period expires, and the extension fee is 1,900 baht. When the paid-for package itself comes to an end — after five, ten, fifteen or twenty years depending on the tier — continued participation in the programme requires a new membership package: there is no automatic free extension of the membership itself.

How it differs from the routes next to it

The comparison is built from the official terms of the routes themselves — the source links sit on their own pages.

Thailand Privilege CardDigital nomad visaB/ED/O visa
Visa termThe term depends on the package (5-20 years), multiple entry; renewal is through a new membership feeA multiple-entry visa for up to 5 years, stays of up to 180 days with an extension of a further 180Usually 90 days, extendable to 1 year; annual extension
GroundsPurchase of a membershipRemote work / courses (Muay Thai, cookery)Work / study / family / retirement
MoneyA membership fee depending on the package (from about THB 900,000); there are no other thresholdsFunds in the account of about THB 500,000 (or the equivalent); a state fee of about THB 10,000A consular fee; for B the employer meets the capital and staffing requirements; for ED — funds for the studies
WorkThere is no right to work; a separate B visa and a work permit are requiredNot a work visa; working for a Thai employer without a work permit is prohibitedB: work only with a permit held through the employer; ED and O: no work
ResidenceThere is no minimum stay; 90-day reportingLawful long-term stay, renting, bank accounts, medical carePresence in the country; 90-day reporting

What comes next: permanent residence and citizenship

Route to citizenship

There is no direct route

Frequently asked questions about Thailand Privilege Card

For how long is the SE/PE visa initially issued if the package is bought for 10–20 years?
The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs states the validity of the SE/PE visa itself as five years — this applies to both types of visa for members of the programme. Longer membership packages do not change this: the member continues to enjoy Thailand Privilege status for the whole term of the package they have paid for, maintaining the right to stay in the country by extending the permission to stay each year.
Does the Thailand Privilege Card give the right to work in Thailand?
No. On the official page comparing long-term visas, express permission to work is stated only for the LTR resident visa; the Thailand Privilege Card has no such entry. To work lawfully you have to arrange a Non-Immigrant visa of category B and a work permit separately.
What happens if the 90-day reporting deadline is missed?
A fine of 2,000 baht is imposed for a late 90-day notification, and in that case the report itself has to be filed in person at an immigration office. In the normal course the documents are filed within 15 days before the due date or up to 7 days after it.
Does the card give permanent residence in Thailand?
No, membership and permanent residence are different statuses. To qualify for permanent residence you have to have lived in Thailand for at least three years on a valid Non-Immigrant visa, hold a work permit and prove income or investment. The Thailand Privilege Card does not count towards that period and merely removes the need to renew a visa frequently.
Can a spouse and children be added to the membership?
Yes, but only on the Platinum, Diamond and Reserve packages. Each additional member — a spouse, including a partner in a same-sex union recognised under Thai law, a child or a parent of the principal holder — receives their own visa and card for the same term as the principal holder, with no age limits.

Other ways to move to Thailand

Every route in one list — migration programmes: Thailand.

The terms and the amounts are checked against official sources — the link sits under each section.Last checked on: 8 August 2026.