If you’re building a startup in one of Thailand’s targeted industries, the SMART visa is worth a close look. It runs up to two years, renewable, skips the separate work permit for your role, and lets your spouse work too.
SMART Visa is run by the Board of Investment, the same agency behind BOI company promotion. The Board built the SMART visa to pull founders and their startups into Thailand’s priority sectors. If your startup is certified in one of the 13 targeted industries, it’s one of the cleanest long-stay options available to you.
Key Takeaways
- The SMART visa now has two categories: Startup (S) for founders, and Other (O) for their dependents.
- In early 2025 the Talent, Investor, and Executive categories were discontinued. Those applicants now use the LTR visa instead.
- Smart S runs up to two years, renewable, with no separate work permit for your startup role.
- You need a startup certified in one of the 13 targeted industries, a 25% stake or a director role, and a THB600,000 deposit held for three months.
- Reporting drops from every 90 days to once a year, and your spouse can work without a permit of their own.
- It only covers certified startups in the targeted industries. If your case rests on employment, investment, or your own income, the LTR visa is the route.
What the SMART Visa Is
The SMART visa is a long-stay visa for foreigners driving high-value businesses in Thailand’s targeted industries, and it has run since 2018.
Until 2025 it came in five types, but the Board of Investment streamlined it to remove overlap with the LTR visa. Today the SMART visa covers two groups:
- startup founders (Smart S)
- their dependents (Smart O).
Moved to the LTR: if you’re a skilled professional, an investor, or a senior executive, the SMART visa is probably no longer your route. Since early 2025 those profiles have been folded into the LTR visa, which runs for ten years and, for skilled professionals, carries a flat 17% tax rate. Check the LTR guide to see where you fit.
SMART Visa Benefits
Below are the benefits of the SMART visa. It’s basically an upgrade of the non-immigrant B visa.
- Up to two years per grant, renewable.
- No separate work permit for running your endorsed startup.
- Annual reporting: the 90-day report is replaced by a once-a-year report.
- No re-entry permit needed for travel in and out of Thailand.
- Spouse can work without a work permit of their own.
This means that if you qualify as a founder, most of the usual immigration friction disappears.
Don’t miss the second report: SMART holders actually file two separate annual reports, and people forget the second one. The first is the address report to immigration at the One Stop Service Center. The second is a status report to the SMART Visa Unit, emailed with proof you still meet your category (your company and shareholding documents). Skip the status report and your visa can be put at risk.
The Two SMART Visa Categories
There are two types of SMART visa.
Smart S (Startup)
This is the heart of the SMART visa. It’s for anyone who wants to build a company in Thailand as a startup certified in a targeted industry by an agency such as the National Innovation Agency (NIA) or the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (DEPA).
To qualify for the two-year visa, you need:
- Ownership: at least 25% of the company’s registered capital, or a director role.
- Deposit: at least THB600,000 held for at least three months, in a bank account in Thailand or in your home country.
- Certification: your startup has to be certified as being in one of the 13 targeted industries.
- Insurance: health cover for the whole stay, for you and any dependents, with hospitalization coverage in Thailand of at least THB500,000. It should also cover repatriation for medical reasons, urgent or emergency treatment, and death.
The visa runs up to two years and is renewable.
Smart O (Dependents)
This covers the legal spouse and children (under 20) of a Smart S holder. They get the same visa length as you, with the following requirements:
- Each dependent needs a THB180,000 deposit held for three months.
- Health insurance covering the whole stay, with at least THB500,000 in hospitalization coverage per person.
Also, with the Smart O visa, only your spouse can work in Thailand without a separate work permit. If your children want to work, they still need to apply for one through the One Stop Service Center. While that’s possible in theory, in practice it’s hard to do, since a child under 20 rarely gets approved for a work permit for lack of experience and an educational degree.
Not sure whether the SMART or LTR visa fits you? You can check in a few minutes.
The 13 Targeted Industries
The SMART visa only covers startups in Thailand’s 13 targeted industries, known as S-Curve.
- Next-generation automotive
- Smart electronics
- Affluent, medical, and wellness tourism
- Agriculture and biotechnology
- Food for the future
- Automation and robotics
- Aviation and logistics
- Biofuels and biochemicals
- Digital
- Medical hub
- Alternative dispute resolution
- Human resource development in science and technology
- Environmental management and renewable energy
If your startup doesn’t sit in one of these, the SMART visa is closed to you, and the LTR visa or a standard work permit is the alternative.
How to Apply for the SMART Visa
The whole process runs through the Board of Investment, so like the LTR visa, you deal with the BOI rather than a normal immigration office. It breaks into three stages.
- Apply for qualification endorsement online. Register on the SMART visa portal and upload the documents that prove your startup qualifies: your company’s certification in a targeted industry, proof of your 25% stake or director role, and your THB600,000 deposit. The relevant agencies then assess your qualifications, which takes at least 30 working days.
- Collect the visa once you’re endorsed. You get a notification letter valid for 60 days, and you choose where to have the visa issued. In Thailand, you book an appointment through the SMART visa booking system and collect it at the Thailand Investment and Expat Services Center (TIESC) in Bangkok, where the SMART Visa Unit and immigration sit together; if you’re already here on a non-immigrant visa, you report your current address to immigration before the appointment. Overseas, you arrange e-Visa issuance at a Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate-General, which you should start at least a month ahead, as that step usually takes 7 to 14 working days.
- Sort out work rights and reporting. You don’t need a separate work permit for running your endorsed startup. Once you hold the visa, reporting is annual rather than every 90 days.
Watch the clock: your endorsement letter is only valid for 60 days. Ask anyone who’s been through the process and they’ll tell you this is the part that catches people out. If you don’t collect the visa within that window, the endorsement lapses and you start again, so line up your appointment as soon as the letter is issued.
Cost
The government fee is THB10,000 for each year of visa granted, so a two-year grant costs you THB20,000.
SMART Visa Versus LTR Visa
The SMART and LTR visa are both run by the Board of Investment, and since the 2025 changes they divide up neatly. SMART is now for startup founders with a certified Thai startup. The LTR covers everyone else who used to look at SMART.
- SMART is for founders of a startup certified in a targeted industry. It runs up to two years, renewable, and needs a 25% stake or director role plus the THB600,000 deposit.
- LTR is a personal visa based on your own income, assets, or employment, not a Thai startup. It runs for ten years, offers a flat 17% tax rate for skilled professionals, and now covers the talent, investor, and executive profiles that SMART used to, plus wealthy individuals, pensioners, and remote workers.
Put simply: if you’re building a certified startup, look at SMART. For anything else, whether that’s employment, investment, or your own income and assets, the LTR visa is now the route.
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