How do you apply for a residence permit in Thailand in 2026?

Non-Immigrant B covers many business and employment plans. A first entry often brings a limited permission to stay; longer work-based stay usually needs a matching work permit and an extension file under Immigration rules for business necessity. Bangkok Immigration publishes category checklists and counters for these extensions, including document lists for company-employed foreigners.

Non-Immigrant O and O-A routes serve many retirement and family stories, with financial and insurance evidence that changes by exact category and filing location. Non-Immigrant ED covers study plans tied to a recognised school. Separate membership or privilege programmes are not the same as Immigration Non-Immigrant status, so do not mix their marketing language with TM.7 extension forms.

The Board of Investment Long-Term Resident (LTR) programme is a different track for Wealthy Global Citizens, Wealthy Pensioners, Work-from-Thailand Professionals, and Highly Skilled Professionals, with dependents under BOI rules. Qualifying endorsement and visa issuance follow the LTR pathway and the official BOI LTR portal, not a normal tourist extension.

Keep passport identity pages, entry stamps, visa labels, and re-entry permits organised. Extensions of stay for Non-Immigrant holders are filed at Immigration, often with form TM.7 and supporting evidence for your category, before your current permission expires. Bangkok Immigration and provincial offices publish different counter and document instructions, so use the office that serves your address.

A host must also file the TM30 address notification after you move in: TM30 address report. Continuous stays beyond 90 days trigger the separate 90-day report: ninety-day report. Banks, tax ID, and driving licence files often ask for current address and stay evidence: open a bank account, get a tax number, and convert a driving licence.

Do not treat a tourist stamp as a quiet path into work or retirement status. Change-of-category rules exist for some cases, but they still need the correct Non-Immigrant foundation and evidence, not a last-minute border run story.