Thailand property visa: what a 3 million baht condo really gets you in 2026
Since October 2025, a condo worth 3 million baht or more lets you live in Thailand a year at a time with no visa runs, but only through the Long Stay program and under a few conditions. Here is what the status is, what it costs and which Pattaya condos qualify.
Since October 2025, a condo in Thailand worth 3 million baht or more really does let you live in the country a year at a time without visa runs. But it is not residency and not a visa that comes with the keys. It is a yearly extension of stay under the Long Stay investment program, and it only works if several conditions are met. Here is what they are, what it all costs and where buyers trip up most often.
How it works. The program was launched by Immigration Bureau orders 237/2568 and 238/2568 from 1 October 2025. There are two steps. First you get a 90-day permission in the Non-B category. Then it is extended for 12 months, and again every year for as long as you own the condo. In the first year that adds up to as much as 15 months in a row. The first 90-day stamps were issued in spring 2026 and the first yearly extensions in summer, so the program is already working in practice.
The condition the ads leave out: you need a ministry letter. The 3 million threshold only applies with a certification letter from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. It is arranged by the accredited operator Thailand Longstay, which also handles your paperwork with immigration. Without the letter, immigration applies the older rule, and there the bar is 10 million baht.
Which condo qualifies:
1. A contract price of at least 3,000,000 baht.
2. The building is finished and the title is registered in your name at the Land Department. Units in buildings still under construction are not accepted.
3. The unit is registered in the foreign quota (freehold). Thai quota and "through a company" setups do not qualify.
4. The money came from abroad in foreign currency and the bank issued an FET form. Without it the unit cannot even be registered in the foreign quota.
5. The seller is a Thai citizen or a Thai company with no more than 49% foreign ownership. Buying from a developer works, and so does a resale from a Thai owner.
6. The transfer date. Condos bought before 1 October 2020 do not qualify. The safest case is a transfer after 1 October 2025, which fits every reading of the rules. If you bought between those dates, check with the operator before applying.
Point 5 is the big Pattaya trap. There is a large resale market here, and the seller is often another foreigner selling out of the same foreign quota. You can live in a unit like that, but it will not get you the visa under the program. So before you put down a deposit, ask the seller one simple question: who is named as the seller in the contract.
You can do it without buying. The program also accepts leases: a registered lease of more than 3 years worth at least 3,060,000 baht, or a rental of at least 85,000 baht a month. When you apply you pay 3 months up front, and 12 months for the yearly extension. Then again, 85,000 a month is over a million a year that you never get back, so buying usually makes more sense.
What the status gives you and what it does not:
1. You can live in the country for a year and renew every year without visa runs.
2. You can add family: a spouse, unmarried children under 20 and parents over 50.
3. You cannot work. For that you need a work visa and a work permit.
4. The program does not lead to permanent residency or citizenship.
5. Age and income are not checked: no pension certificate and no 800,000 baht in the bank.
6. If you sell the condo, the basis for the status is gone.
What it costs on top of the condo price:
1. Operator membership - 4,000-6,000 baht, one time.
2. Service fee - about 27,000 baht per year.
3. Government extension fee - 1,900 baht.
4. A re-entry permit so you can leave the country without losing the extension - 1,000 baht for one trip or 3,800 for the year.
5. Every 90 days you report to immigration, as with any long extension.
Some developers cover the buyer's first year of service, so it is worth asking when you negotiate. The full breakdown of the transaction costs is in our guide to buying a condo in Pattaya.
Refusals happen. An immigration officer makes the decision and nothing is approved automatically. Applications are refused over incomplete documents, a criminal record, an unfinished building or a price below 3 million. So the order is: first the operator checks the condo, then you pay.
Other options:
1. The classic investment extension for 10 million baht. The money can go into a condo, a fixed deposit at a Thai bank or government bonds, including a mix. No ministry letter needed.
2. The old "3 million without a letter" rule only remains for people who have been on it since 2006. New applicants cannot use it.
3. LTR for 10 years. A condo counts toward an investment of at least 500,000 US dollars, but you also need assets of at least 1 million dollars. Pensioners aged 50+ with income of 40,000-80,000 dollars a year need to invest 250,000 dollars. With income from 80,000, no investment is needed.
4. Thailand Privilege (formerly Elite) - from 650,000 baht for 5 years. It has nothing to do with property. That money is gone, while a condo can be sold later.
5. Retirement visa for 50+ - 800,000 baht in the bank or income from 65,000 baht a month. A condo does not replace that money.
6. DTV for 5 years for remote workers - you need at least 500,000 baht in the bank, and it is not tied to property.
How to pick a condo for the program in Pattaya. The Pattaya real estate catalog has more than a hundred units for sale from 3 million baht. Two examples near the lower bar:
1. A 29 m² one-bedroom in the finished Arcadia Millennium Tower in the centre for 3,000,000 baht - the developer is a Thai company. The price sits exactly on the bar, so make sure the contract says no less than 3,000,000.
2. A furnished 37 m² one-bedroom in Grande Caribbean in the foreign quota for 3,200,000 baht - this is a resale, so the first thing to ask is who the seller is.
You can view condos on a visa exemption, which now lasts 30 days (what changed on 15 September). Keep in mind that when you apply to change status you need at least 20 days left on your permitted stay, so it is better to gather documents in advance. Getting around to viewings and to the immigration office in Jomtien is easiest on your own wheels: a Honda Scoopy scooter costs 250 baht a day or 3,000 baht a month, and you need a category A licence.
In short. A condo from 3 million baht is not residency but a yearly extension under the Long Stay program with a Tourism Ministry letter. Conditions: a finished building, the foreign quota, money from abroad with an FET form, and a Thai seller or Thai company. Expect about 30,000 baht a year on top. You cannot work, you can add family. Without the letter the bar is 10 million. All condos with prices are in the real estate catalog.
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