Residency in Thailand: the 5-year DTV visa, retirement and education visas — terms and amounts in 2026
The DTV visa gives 5 years and up to 180 days in the country per entry with AED 50,000 in the bank. The retirement visa starts at 50 with AED 80,000 on account. Thailand Privilege costs from AED 65,000. Five routes to living in Thailand compared.
Thailand has no residence permit in the usual sense; the country issues long-stay visas instead. The most accessible is the DTV: 5 years, up to 180 days per entry, AED 50,000 in the bank and a fee of about AED 1,100. The retirement visa is available from 50, and the paid Thailand Privilege programme starts from AED 65,000.
What is the DTV visa and who is it for?
The DTV used to be called the digital nomad visa. It is now broader: it suits people who work remotely or who come for medical treatment, sports training camps or study.
- Visa validity: 5 years.
- Stay: 180 days, then an extension inside the country for another 180.
- After that it is enough to leave and re-enter, and the count starts again.
- Money on account: AED 50,000; the account can be a foreign one.
- Fee: about AED 1,100.
The amounts were quoted by a practitioner with 12 years in the Thai market at our closed session for brokers; the presentation used a rate of roughly 10 baht per dirham.
Talk to a licensed broker: 📲 +971 50 120 32 64 on WhatsApp, @dubai_oleg on Telegram
What are the terms of the retirement visa?
The retirement visa is available from the age of 50. You need to keep AED 80,000 on account or prove a monthly income.
The account balance is checked every year at renewal. For wealthy retirees there are longer options, for 5 and for 10 years, with a higher income threshold.
Can a parent live in Thailand on a child's visa?
Yes. A child enrolled at a school gets an education visa, and one parent gets a guardian visa attached to it. In the Emirates it is the other way round: the child is on the parent's visa.
Education visas are issued to adults too: for a university, a language school or training. We worked out what tuition costs in our piece on schools and universities in Thailand.
How much does Thailand Privilege cost?
From AED 65,000 for a 5-year visa. The programme offers terms of 5 to 20 years: it is a paid membership, not an investment, and the money is not refunded.
You cannot work in Thailand on this visa. For how the programme's tiers are structured, see our piece on LTR, Thailand Privilege and the retirement visa.
Does buying a flat get you a visa?
Not automatically: in Thailand status comes from a visa, not from a title deed. The session mentioned a one-year investor visa, renewed annually, for an investment from AED 300,000, for as long as the home stays in your ownership.
This condition must be verified as of the application date: the investor visa rules have changed, and the threshold used to be several times higher. It is safer to plan a move around the DTV or the retirement visa.
Five routes in one table
| Route | Term | Main condition |
|---|---|---|
| Visa-free entry and tourist visa | up to 90 days on a visa | short trips |
| DTV | 5 years, 180 days at a time | AED 50,000 on account |
| Retirement | renewed annually | age 50+, AED 80,000 on account |
| Education and guardian visa | for the period of study | enrolment at a school or university |
| Thailand Privilege | 5–20 years | fee from AED 65,000 |
What about a work permit?
None of these visas gives the right to work for a Thai company. That takes a work permit, arranged by the employer or by the foreigner's own company.
The length of the visa-free stay depends on the government's policy line: it was extended from 30 to 60 days and then cut back. More in our piece on Thai politics.
Frequently asked questions
How much money do you need to show for a DTV visa?
AED 50,000 on account, about 500,000 baht. The account can be held outside Thailand. The visa fee is about AED 1,100.
From what age is the Thai retirement visa available?
From 50. You need to keep AED 80,000 on account or prove a monthly income; the balance is checked annually.
Can you work on a Thailand Privilege visa?
No. The programme gives the right to live in the country for 5 to 20 years, but not the right to work.
Video on this topic
The same subject on the English channel — each clip has a written version of its own.
Request a consultation
Leave your name, phone and the country you have in mind — I will come back with what your situation actually allows: which status is realistic, what it takes and how long it runs.
- An answer for your country and your circumstances, not a brochure
- What it takes: documents, timelines, the order of filing
- How to tell an operator from someone selling a deposit
Rather not leave a number? Write to me directly: WhatsApp or @dubai_oleg.
Your details
Related reading
Neighbouring write-ups in this section and news on the same subject.
Remote work visas and the tax trap nobody mentions
Dozens of countries now offer a permit to live there while working for a foreign employer. The visa is the easy part. The problem it creates sits with your employer and with two tax authorities.
The routes into UAE residency, compared
Employment, company ownership, property, the Golden Visa, the freelance permit, retirement, remote work. Seven ways in, each with a different sponsor, a different renewal cycle and a different failure mode.
Moving to Dubai as a family: the visas that hang off yours
A property visa is issued to one person. Everyone else in the household is attached to it, which has consequences the brochure does not mention — including what happens on the day the property is sold.
How to check a residency consultant before you pay them
The advisory market around golden visas and second passports is largely unregulated. Six checks that take an afternoon and filter out most of what goes wrong.
Living in Thailand: what internet, services and golf cost, compared with Dubai
Unlimited mobile internet in Thailand costs about AED 100 a month, a massage AED 30–40, a round of golf AED 150–300 against AED 350–500 in Dubai. The temperature is 27–33 degrees all year round.
Schools and universities in Thailand: AED 50,000 to 160,000 a year — more than in Dubai
A good international school in Thailand costs AED 50,000–100,000 a year, the best up to AED 160,000. Universities are cheaper, from AED 15,000. A parent can live in the country on the back of a child’s education visa.
Related services
This write-up is published for information only. It is not legal or tax advice and does not replace a qualified adviser in the relevant jurisdiction. Programme terms, timelines and requirements change — check them against the rules in force on the day you apply.