Since 18 February 2025, Thailand has issued the SMART Visa only to startup founders, and the startup must already be registered in Thailand and certified by a government agency in one of 18 targeted industries. You need to own at least 25% of the company or be its director, and keep at least 600,000 baht in an account for at least three months. The visa gives you up to two years to live in Thailand and work in your own startup without a work permit; you report to immigration once a year, and the fee is 10,000 baht for each year. Nothing changed in 2026.
What changed in 2025
On 13 January 2025 the government decided that the SMART Visa should not duplicate the LTR, the visa for wealthy professionals, investors and senior executives. So the T (talent), I (investor) and E (executive) categories were dropped: these people should now apply for the LTR. Two remain: S for the startup founder and O for the founder’s spouse and children. The Board of Investment (BOI) published the new criteria on 18 February 2025, and the earlier 2018 announcements were revoked.
The “come with an idea” route went along with the categories. SMART S used to be granted for six months or a year on the strength of a business plan or a place in a government accelerator, and the company could be set up once you were in Thailand. The new rules have no such track: first the company and the startup certificate, then the visa. Old wording still turns up on the programme’s website, but the document in force is BOI Announcement Por. 5/2568.
Who can get SMART S
- The startup is already incorporated in Thailand and certified as a startup in a targeted industry, for example by the National Innovation Agency (NIA) or the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (DEPA).
- The applicant holds at least 25% of the registered capital or is a director of the company.
- At least 600,000 baht in an account, held there for at least three months before you apply. The account can be in Thailand or in your country of citizenship or residence. Add 180,000 baht for a spouse and for each child, also held for at least three months.
- Health insurance for the whole family for the entire stay; according to the BOI guidance, in-patient cover must be at least 500,000 baht.
- Nothing that would bar you from entering Thailand under immigration law.
There are 18 targeted industries. They include smart electronics, next-generation automotive, medical and wellness tourism, biotechnology and food for the future, robotics, logistics and aviation, digital technology, medicine, aerospace, the circular economy and startup ecosystem development. The full list is in BOI Announcement Por. 5/2566.
What the visa gives you
A stay of up to two years, with extensions. You don’t need a work permit, but you can only work in your own certified company and not in occupations closed to foreigners; changing or adding a job requires new certification. You don’t need a re-entry permit to leave and come back, and at international airports that have it, you get fast-track lanes.
Family members on a SMART O visa get the same period: a legal spouse and children under 20. The spouse can also work without a work permit.
What it costs and how long it takes
You apply online on the SMART Visa portal (smart-visa.boi.go.th) with documents in PDF. Depending on the industry, NIA or DEPA reviews it; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs checks for a criminal record, and immigration and the Department of Employment also review it. The whole process takes up to 30 working days from the moment the application is complete.
Once it’s approved, the BOI sends a qualification endorsement letter. With it, you have 60 days to get the visa issued: in Thailand at the TIESC centre in One Bangkok, which replaced the former OSS centre in March 2025, or from abroad through the Thai e-Visa system. The fee is 10,000 baht for each year of permitted stay, cash only; abroad, the amount depends on the exchange rate and the consulate.
Apply for an extension no later than 60 days before your permitted stay expires.
Which reports to file
Instead of reporting your address every 90 days, you report to immigration once a year. But there’s a second report people often forget: every September you submit company information to the BOI’s SMART Visa Unit: an extract from the DBD register, the list of shareholders and audited financial statements.
If you need a company rather than a startup visa, see the basics of registering a company with foreign ownership. The BOI incentives available to IT businesses are covered in a separate article.
