SMART Visa · Thailand
Thailand SMART Visa
Thailand's visa for startup founders, up to four years of residence and no work permit required. Emerhub checks your eligibility, prepares the documents, and handles the BOI submission.
Up to 4-year stayNo work permit requiredFor startup founders1-year reporting
Overview
What is the SMART Visa?
The SMART Visa is a Board of Investment (BOI) visa for foreigners building a technology startup in one of Thailand's targeted industries. It grants up to four years of residence, exempts you from the work permit requirement, and lets your family come with you. It is administered by the same BOI SMART Visa Unit that runs the endorsement process.
As of 2025 the program has two categories: SMART S for startup founders, and SMART O for their spouse and children. The former Talent, Investor, and Executive categories were removed, with those applicants now directed to the Long-Term Resident visa instead.
Looking for a Talent, Investor, or Executive visa? Thailand stopped offering these SMART categories in 2025. Skilled professionals, investors, and executives now apply for the LTR visa instead, usually the Highly-Skilled Professional category. Tell us your situation and we will point you to the right one.
What you get
Benefits of the SMART Visa
Built for founders: a long stay, the right to run your company, and your family alongside you.
Up to four years
Granted in two-year periods, renewable up to a total of four years.
No work permit required
Run and work in your endorsed company without a separate work permit.
One-year reporting
Report to immigration once a year instead of every 90 days.
Multiple re-entry
Enter and leave Thailand freely, with no separate re-entry permit.
Fast-track service
Expedited immigration lanes at Thailand's international airports.
Family can join and work
Spouse and children can stay, and your spouse can work without a permit.
Eligibility
Key requirements for the SMART S startup visa
The startup category turns on your company, your stake in it, and a held deposit.
THB 600K
Bank deposit
Held for at least three months, in a Thai or home-country account.
25%
Stake or director
Hold at least 25% of the company's registered capital, or be a director.
Targeted
Industry
The startup must be certified in a targeted industry by a Thai agency.
Your company and your stake
You need a startup established in Thailand and certified as being in a targeted industry by a relevant agency, such as the National Innovation Agency or the Digital Economy Promotion Agency. You must hold at least 25% of the company's registered capital, or hold a director position in it.
The deposit and insurance
You need a deposit of at least 600,000 baht, or the equivalent, held for at least three months in a bank account in Thailand or in your country of nationality or residence. If your spouse and children come with you, an additional 180,000 baht per person is required, held the same way. You also need health insurance covering the full period of stay, for yourself and any dependents.
Who qualifies
Targeted industries for the SMART Visa
Your startup has to sit in one of Thailand's targeted S-Curve industries, certified by the relevant Thai agency. These are the main sectors.
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
Defense
Environmental and alternative energy
The BOI maintains the current list and the certifying agencies decide what qualifies. If you are not sure whether your startup fits, talk to our team and we will check it against the current criteria before you apply.
SMART O
Bringing your family
The SMART O category covers the legal spouse and children of a SMART Visa holder. They are granted permission to stay for the same period as the main holder, and your spouse may work in Thailand without a separate work permit.
Each accompanying dependent adds 180,000 baht to the deposit requirement, held for three months, and each needs health insurance for the full period of stay. We prepare the dependent applications alongside the main one so the family is endorsed and issued together.
How Emerhub helps
How to apply
From confirming the startup qualifies, through the BOI endorsement, to the visa in hand.
1
Eligibility check
We confirm your startup is in a targeted industry, that your stake or director role qualifies, the deposit, and insurance, and whether SMART S is the right fit or the LTR visa would serve you better.
2
Document preparation
We prepare the company certification, proof of your stake or directorship, the deposit evidence held for three months, health insurance, and any dependents' documents, all to BOI standard.
3
Qualification endorsement
We submit online to the SMART Visa Unit and manage the endorsement by the relevant agencies. The result comes at least 30 working days after a complete file is received.
4
SMART Visa issuance
Once endorsed, you have 60 days to collect the visa, as an e-visa from overseas or at the service center in Bangkok. The government fee is 10,000 baht per year of permission granted, paid in cash.
Find out if your startup qualifies
Tell us about your company and your role in it, and we'll tell you whether the SMART Visa fits, or whether the LTR visa is the better route, and what the application looks like.
Why Emerhub
Why apply through us
The right visa, first
With the SMART program narrowed to startups, many people now belong on the LTR visa. We tell you which one fits before you commit.
Company and visa together
The startup has to be set up and certified before the visa. We handle the company side and the visa as one piece of work.
Documentation done right
The certification, the held deposit, and the dependent documents have to meet BOI standard. We prepare the file so it goes in complete.
In-country and end to end
From the first eligibility call to endorsement, issuance, and renewals, one Bangkok team stays with it.
Common questions
SMART Visa FAQs
The questions founders ask most about the SMART Visa in 2026.
What categories of SMART Visa are there now?
Two: SMART S for startup founders, and SMART O for their spouse and children. The former Talent, Investor, and Executive categories were removed in 2025, and those applicants are now directed to the LTR visa instead. If you were aiming for one of those, the Highly-Skilled Professional LTR category is usually the closest fit.
What are the requirements for the SMART S startup visa?
A startup established in Thailand and certified in a targeted industry, a holding of at least 25% of the company or a director position, a deposit of 600,000 baht held for at least three months, and health insurance for your stay. Each accompanying dependent adds 180,000 baht to the deposit.
What counts as a targeted industry?
Thailand's S-Curve industries, including next-generation automotive, smart electronics, digital, medical and wellness, automation and robotics, agriculture and biotechnology, and several others, certified by agencies such as the National Innovation Agency or the Digital Economy Promotion Agency. The list is above; if you are unsure whether your startup fits, we can check it.
How long does the SMART Visa last?
Up to four years in total, granted in two-year periods and renewable, provided the company and your role in it continue to qualify. Reporting is annual, not every 90 days.
Do I need a work permit?
No. SMART Visa holders are exempt from the work permit requirement for the endorsed company. Your spouse, on SMART O, can also work without a permit, which is unusual for a Thai dependent visa.
What does it cost?
The government fee is 10,000 baht per year of permission granted, paid in cash at issuance, plus the deposit and insurance. Our service fee depends on whether the company needs setting up and certifying alongside the visa. We give a fixed quote once we have seen your situation.
SMART Visa or LTR visa?
If you are a startup founder running a certified Thai startup, SMART S is built for you. If you are a skilled professional, investor, or executive, the LTR visa now covers what SMART used to, and is usually the better choice. We compare the two against your situation before you commit.
Thinking about the SMART Visa?
Talk to our Bangkok team
A free, no-obligation call: thirty minutes with our Bangkok team to confirm whether SMART S fits your startup, or whether the LTR visa is the cleaner route.
Emailthailand@emerhub.com
Phone+66 92 554 5444
OfficeUnited Business Center II
591 Sukhumvit 33, Watthana
Bangkok 10110
591 Sukhumvit 33, Watthana
Bangkok 10110