Explanation of benefits and privileges from SMART Visa
The SMART Visa, which will come into effect on February 1, 2018, provides more benefits and privileges than any other types of visa issued by Thailand.
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These benefits include (1) Visa validity up to 4 years (instead of the usual 1 year); (2) No requirement of work permit; (3) Extension of reporting of stay to Immigration Bureau – from every 90-day to every year; (4) The right of legal dependents (spouse and children) of the SMART Visa holder to live and work in Thailand equivalent to SMART visa holder (only SMART T type allows dependents of SMART Visa holder to work in Thailand).
At a press conference, held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok on 25 January 2018, all relevant agencies gave an explanation on the SMART Visa.
These agencies include the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Labor, the Board of Investment of Thailand, and the Immigration Bureau.
The Thai government hopes that the SMART Visa will encourage foreign talents and investors to invest in the 10 targeted industries in Thailand and will also enhance knowledge transfer and increase the competitiveness of Thailand in the global economy.
The SMART Visa is a new type of visa specially designed to encourage highly-skilled professionals and talents to work or invest in the 10 targeted S-Curve industries, namely (1) next-generation automotive, (2) smart electronics, (3) affluent, medical and wellness tourism, (4) agriculture and biotechnology, (5) food for the future, (6) robotics, (7) aviation and logistics, (8) biofuels and biochemicals, (9) digital, and (10) medical hub.
The four categories of people who are eligible to apply for SMART Visa are (1) Talent (2) Investor (3) Executive (4) Startup and (5) Others (i.e. legal dependents, namely spouse and children, if any).