Living and Working in Thailand

Living in Thailand for months or years is a different project from a holiday. You need the right long-stay visa, an address registered with immigration, a Thai bank account, health cover and an understanding of when Thailand starts to tax your income. The guides in this section cover each step, using the official sources as of October 2026.

Most long-stay foreigners fall into one of three groups: remote workers and freelancers, retirees over 50, and people who have a Thai partner. Each group has its own visa route, but the everyday duties are much the same once you are settled.

Choosing a long-stay visa

The 30-day visa exemption that most Western passports receive is meant for tourism, not for living here. For a longer stay, remote workers usually apply for the Destination Thailand Visa (DTV), which gives 180 days per entry and requires 500,000 baht in savings. People aged 50 or over can use the retirement visas, renewed once a year with 800,000 baht in a Thai bank or 65,000 baht of monthly income. High earners, wealthy pensioners and investors can look at the ten-year Long-Term Resident visa run by the Board of Investment.

If you are in a relationship with a Thai citizen, our guides to marrying a Thai citizen and sin sod, the Thai bride price explain the legal steps and the custom, and our older article on dating in Thailand covers the earlier stage.

The paperwork that comes with living here

Three routines matter once you have moved in. Every 90 days of continuous stay you report your address to immigration; our guide to 90-day reporting shows how to do it online, by post or in person. Your landlord must also register you with the TM30 notice, which our guide to renting a condo or house covers from the tenant's side. And a Thai account is needed for retirement deposits, rent and daily payments; see opening a bank account as a foreigner.

Money, tax and health

Spending 180 days or more in Thailand in a calendar year makes you a Thai tax resident, and since 2024 foreign income you bring into the country can be taxed. Our page on tax residency and foreign income explains the Revenue Department's rules; it is a starting point, not a substitute for a tax adviser.

Thai hospitals require a guarantee of payment before treatment, and the O-A retirement visa and the LTR make insurance compulsory. Our guide to health insurance for expats and retirees explains the visa rules, age limits and what to compare.

Working remotely from Thailand

Chiang Mai and Bangkok are the two main bases for remote workers. Our older article on working as a digital nomad in Thailand weighs the lifestyle, and the guide to coworking in Chiang Mai and Bangkok covers the neighborhoods, passes and backup internet you need to work reliably.

Rules on visas, tax and insurance change often. Every guide here gives the month it was checked and links the official source, so check that source before you act.