You can send money to a Thai bank account either as an international bank transfer (SWIFT) or through a licensed money transfer service such as Wise, and Thailand sets no limit on how much comes in. What you pay is the sum of the sending fee, any fees taken along the way, the receiving bank's charge and the exchange-rate markup, so compare the baht that actually arrives (Bank of Thailand rules, October 2026).
Long-stay residents move money for rent, for the deposit that a retirement extension requires, for a condo or simply to live on. The method you choose affects the cost of every transfer and, for a property purchase, the paperwork you will need later. This page compares the two routes and explains what the Thai side records.
We explain the Bank of Thailand's rules and how transfers work in general. We do not name a "best" service, and we print no exchange rates or fee tables, because they change daily and differ by bank and country. This is not financial advice; for large sums, ask your bank and, where tax is involved, an adviser.
Money into Thailand (October 2026)
- Limit on money coming in
- None (Bank of Thailand)
- Who may handle it
- Banks, authorized money changers and authorized money transfer agents licensed by the Finance Ministry
- Record of the transfer
- The bank records every foreign-currency transaction and issues evidence (FET form or credit advice)
- Documents asked
- Supporting documents required for transactions of USD 200,000 or more
- USD 1 million or more
- Must be sold for baht or deposited in a foreign currency account within 360 days
- Tax
- Money brought in may be taxable for Thai tax residents
Two routes: a bank transfer or a transfer service
A SWIFT bank transfer goes from your bank at home to your Thai bank, sometimes through one or more intermediary banks. You can send it in your home currency, in US dollars, or in baht if your bank offers that. It is the standard route for large sums and for money that must be documented, such as a condo purchase.
A money transfer service converts your money and pays baht into your Thai account, usually through its own local arrangements rather than a chain of banks. Wise is one widely used example; banks and other providers offer similar services. These services can be cheaper for regular amounts, and they show the amount that will arrive before you confirm.
Where a bank transfer fits
- Large one-off sums and property purchases
- When the money must arrive in foreign currency and be converted in Thailand
- When you want the payment to come from your own account at a regulated bank you already use
Where a bank transfer costs more
- Fees on both ends, and sometimes in the middle
- An exchange-rate margin that is not always shown as a fee
- It can take several working days
The fees you see and the ones you do not
A transfer can be charged in four places. Your bank or service charges a sending fee. An intermediary bank on a SWIFT transfer may deduct a fee from the amount in transit. The Thai bank may charge for crediting an incoming international transfer. And whoever converts the currency takes a margin on the exchange rate.
The last one is the easiest to miss. A bank may advertise a low or zero sending fee and still give a rate that is well below the mid-market rate you see on news sites. The only fair comparison is the final number of baht credited to your Thai account for the same amount sent. Our baht converter gives a reference rate to measure against.
We could not verify the incoming-transfer fees of the large Thai banks on their own pages in October 2026, so we print none. Ask your Thai branch for its current fee for an inward international transfer, ask whether it depends on the currency, and ask whether it is deducted from the amount or charged separately. Your home bank can tell you whether you can choose who pays the charges on a SWIFT transfer (often shown as options such as OUR, SHA or BEN).
Send one test amount first. Before the first large transfer, send a small sum by your chosen route and check exactly how many baht arrive and how long it takes. It also confirms that the account name and number are right, which is much easier to fix with a small amount.
Send in foreign currency or in baht?
You can usually choose whether the conversion happens at home (you send baht) or in Thailand (you send dollars, euros or another currency, and the Thai bank converts it). Neither is always cheaper; compare the final amount. For one purpose the choice is fixed: to buy a condo in a foreigner's name, the money is expected to arrive from abroad in foreign currency and be converted in Thailand. Our guide to buying a condo explains why and what to ask the bank for.
Non-residents may also hold foreign-currency accounts in Thai banks without a limit, according to the Bank of Thailand. That can be useful if you want to hold money in Thailand without converting it straight away. Ask your branch whether it offers such an account to someone with your visa.
Licensed providers only
Under Thailand's exchange control rules, buying, selling and transferring foreign currency must go through people licensed by the Finance Ministry, such as commercial banks, authorized money changers and authorized money transfer agents. We could not check the Bank of Thailand's list of licensed transfer agents, or the Thai licensing position of any named service, so ask a provider which Thai bank or licensed partner pays out your money before you use it.
Never let a stranger's money pass through your Thai account. Offers to "receive a transfer for a friend" or to change money informally are a known way of recruiting people into scams, and accounts used this way can be frozen. Our page on phone scams and fake parcels explains the 1441 hotline for reporting fraud.
The FET record and when banks ask for documents
Section 7 of the Bank of Thailand's exchange rules obliges every customer who buys, sells, deposits or withdraws foreign currency at an authorized bank to tell the bank what the transaction is. In return, the bank hands the customer a record of it. People call that record the "FET form", although in practice it may be a printed FET or simply a credit advice. Once a transaction reaches USD 200,000, the bank has to see papers that back it up, such as a contract showing the purpose.
Many websites still say that an FET form is only issued for transfers above USD 50,000. That threshold comes from an older Board of Investment summary and is not on the Bank of Thailand's current page. Keep the evidence for every transfer you may later need to explain, particularly money for a property or a long-term deposit.
Banks may also ask you to state the purpose of an incoming transfer, such as living expenses, a property purchase or a gift to family. We could not find an official list of purpose codes, so ask your bank how it wants the purpose written, and give the same description to the sending bank. Clear wording now avoids questions when the money arrives.
Very large sums have one more rule: anyone receiving foreign currency of USD 1 million or more from abroad must sell it for baht or deposit it in a foreign-currency account within 360 days.
Cash, cards and ATMs as an alternative
For a visitor, withdrawing baht from an ATM with a foreign card can be simpler than a transfer, but each withdrawal carries a Thai ATM fee on top of your own bank's charges. Our older article on saving money on ATM fees covers that route, and our guide to using cards in Thailand covers card payments, Alipay and WeChat Pay.
Carrying cash is the least documented option. Foreign banknotes worth more than USD 15,000, or Thai banknotes over 450,000 baht, must be declared to Customs on arrival; our page on customs allowances explains the declaration. A bank can also limit cash deposits of foreign notes to the amount you declared or USD 15,000 a day.
Receiving the money: the Thai account
Most transfer routes need a Thai bank account in your own name. Our guide to opening a bank account in Thailand explains which visas banks accept and what to bring. For the sending bank you will need the exact account name as the Thai bank has it, the account number, the bank's SWIFT code and often the branch. Copy them from the bank's own documents rather than typing them from memory.
If your transfers are for a retirement extension, the money usually has to sit in a Thai bank for set periods; our retirement visa guide explains the timing. For the trip home, our guide to selling a condo covers sending sale proceeds back abroad.
Is money you send to Thailand taxed?
Possibly, if you are a Thai tax resident. Since 2024, foreign income that a resident brings into Thailand can be taxable in the year it arrives, while your own savings from before 2024 are treated differently. Our page on tax residency and foreign income explains the rule; keep a record of where each transfer came from.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a limit on how much money I can send to Thailand?
No. The Bank of Thailand says foreign currency or baht can be transferred into Thailand without limit. The bank records each foreign-currency transaction, asks for supporting documents at USD 200,000 or more, and receipts of USD 1 million or more must be converted or deposited within 360 days.
Do Thai banks charge for receiving an international transfer?
They can, and intermediary banks on a SWIFT transfer may also deduct fees. We could not verify the current fees on the banks' own pages, so ask your branch for its inward-transfer fee and compare the final baht amount between routes.
Do I need an FET form for every transfer to Thailand?
Every foreign-currency transaction is recorded, and the bank gives you its record of it. You mainly need that record for a condo purchase or to show later where money came from. The often-quoted USD 50,000 threshold is not on the Bank of Thailand's current page.
Is it cheaper to send money with a transfer service than with my bank?
Sometimes, especially for regular smaller amounts, but not always. It depends on your country, currency and amount, so compare the number of baht that will arrive, not the advertised fee.
Sources
- Bank of Thailand – Exchange control regulations (checked October 2026)
- Bank of Thailand – Foreign exchange regulations overview (checked October 2026)
- Board of Investment, One Start One Stop – Exchange control summary (checked October 2026)