Moving to Thailand in 2026: Visas, Costs and First Steps

By the SettleBuddy editorial teamUpdated 14 October 20269 min read

Moving to Thailand starts with choosing the right visa, because each one is tied to a purpose: a job, study, retirement, family, remote work or long-term residence. One thing changed in 2026 that a guide written earlier will not show: the visa exemption scheme was revised with effect from 15 September 2026, and it now lists a 30-day exemption for 60 countries and territories. Arrival also runs through the Thailand Digital Arrival Card, which all passengers must complete. This guide walks through the routes, the money each one asks for, the rules after arrival and what households spend, using Thai government sources read on 14 October 2026.

Quick answer

To live in Thailand you need a visa that matches your purpose, applied for on the official Thai e-Visa website. A job needs a Non-Immigrant B visa plus a work permit. Study needs a Non-Immigrant ED visa. Retirees aged 50 or older must show a monthly income of at least 65,000 THB or a balance of at least 800,000 THB. Remote workers can apply for the 5-year Destination Thailand Visa with a balance of 500,000 THB. After arrival, a foreigner staying longer than 90 days must report their address to immigration every 90 days.

Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, seen across the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok under a blue sky with scattered clouds — Wat Arun and the Chao Phraya River, Bangkok. Photo: Clay Gilliland / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons).

Choose your route

The table uses the requirements and entry conditions printed on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Thai e-Visa website.

Your purpose	Visa	Key requirement	Entries and validity
A job with a Thai employer	Non-Immigrant B, Employment	Approval letter from the Minister of Labor for the WP32 application, and financial evidence of no less than 30,000 THB	Single, 3 months
Study	Non-Immigrant ED	Letter from the institution, a signed enrollment letter, and financial evidence covering tuition fees and living expenses	Single, 3 months
Remote work or freelancing	Destination Thailand Visa (DTV)	Bank statements with a minimum balance of 500,000 THB or sponsorship letters, plus an employment contract, employment certificate or professional portfolio	Multiple, 5 years
Retirement, aged 50 or older	Non-Immigrant O, O-A or O-X	Monthly income of at least 65,000 THB or a balance of at least 800,000 THB for O and O-A	Single, 3 months (O); multiple, 1 year (O-A); multiple, 5 years (O-X)
Joining Thai family	Staying with Family visa	Monthly income of no less than 40,000 THB or a current balance of 400,000 THB, and proof of relationship	Single, 3 months
Joining non-Thai family in Thailand	Staying with Family visa	Financial evidence of no less than 30,000 THB, and proof of relationship	Single, 3 months
High earners, investors and skilled professionals	Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa	Letter of qualification endorsement from the Board of Investment	Multiple, 10 years
Talents, investors, executives and startups	Smart Visa	Letter of qualification endorsement from the SMART Visa Unit at the Board of Investment	Multiple, up to 4 years

The entries and validity describe the visa. The website asks applicants to check the relevant embassy or consulate's own page for specifically required documents, and states that all applications are subject to approval and that visa fees are non-refundable.

Visiting first: the 2026 visa exemption

A notice on the Thai e-Visa website sets out the revised visa exemption and visa-on-arrival schemes for ordinary passport holders, effective from 15 September 2026.

Scheme	Who is listed
30-day visa exemption (60 countries and territories)	The European Union member states listed in the notice, and Australia, Bahrain, Bhutan, Brunei, Canada, Ukraine, Georgia, Iceland, Indonesia, Israel, Qatar, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, USA, Switzerland, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Philippines, UAE, UK, Taiwan, Türkiye, Fiji, Maldives and India
15-day visa exemption	Seychelles and Mauritius
Visa on arrival	Azerbaijan, Belarus and Serbia
Bilateral agreement, 14 days	Cambodia, and Myanmar at international airports only
Bilateral agreement, 30 days	China, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Laos, Macao, Mongolia, Russia, Timor-Leste and Vietnam
Bilateral agreement, 90 days	Argentina, Peru, Brazil, Korea (ROK) and Chile

Whatever your entry route, the Immigration Bureau's arrival card notice states that aliens are not allowed to work unless they are granted a work permit.

Moving for work

The Non-Immigrant B visa and the work permit are two separate steps. The visa's Employment purpose asks for an approval letter from the Minister of Labor for the WP32 application. Work permits are issued through the Department of Employment's e-WorkPermit system, which has a service for an employer to apply on behalf of a foreigner who is abroad, and another for a foreigner already permitted to stay to apply for a new work permit.

Professionals with a high income have a second route. The Long-Term Resident visa for Highly-Skilled Professionals asks for a minimum average personal income of USD 80,000 a year in the past two years, and comes with a digital work permit and a 17% personal income tax rate. Full details are in our Thailand work visa guide.

Moving to study

The Non-Immigrant ED visa covers seven purposes, from school and university study to short Thai or English language courses, Muaythai training, exchange programmes and curricular internships. Each needs a letter from the institution or organizing body. The details are in our Thailand student visa guide.

Moving to retire

The Thai e-Visa website has three retirement options, all for foreigners aged 50 or older.

Visa	Stay it is for	Money	Other requirements
Non-Immigrant O	No longer than 90 days	Monthly income of at least 65,000 THB, or a current balance of at least 800,000 THB	Passport biodata page, photograph and a document indicating current location
Non-Immigrant O-A	No longer than 1 year	The same	Among others, a medical certificate, health insurance with a minimum insured sum of 100,000 USD or 3,000,000 THB, and a certificate of criminal record clearance
Non-Immigrant O-X	5 years + 5 years	A fixed deposit of at least 3,000,000 THB, or at least 1,800,000 THB together with an income of at least 1,200,000 THB per year, in a Thai bank	Among others, a medical certificate, health insurance from an insurer in Thailand with an outpatient benefit of at least 40,000 THB and an inpatient benefit of at least 400,000 THB, and a certificate of criminal record clearance

The Board of Investment's Long-Term Resident visa has its own category for Wealthy Pensioners aged 50 and older. It asks for unearned or passive income of at least USD 80,000 a year, or not lower than USD 40,000 with an additional investment of USD 250,000 in Thai government bonds, Thai companies or Thai property.

Long-term residence: the LTR visa

The LTR visa is a 10-year renewable visa: permission to stay for five years at first, extendable for 5 more years if the qualifications are still met. It has four categories.

Wealthy Global Citizens: at least USD 1 million in assets, and an investment in Thailand of at least USD 500,000.
Wealthy Pensioners: aged 50 and older with an annual pension or stable passive income.
Work-from-Thailand Professionals: remote workers for well-established overseas companies, with a minimum average personal income of USD 80,000 a year.
Highly-Skilled Professionals: experts in targeted industries, with the same income test.

Each needs health insurance covering a minimum of USD 50,000, or social security benefits in Thailand, or a deposit of at least USD 100,000 kept for no less than 12 months. A spouse and children under 20 years old can apply as dependents, up to 4 dependents per LTR holder. The processing fee for the 10-year visa is 50,000 Baht per person when it is collected in Thailand.

Arriving and staying legal

Apply for your visa online. The Thai e-Visa website's six steps are: create an account, fill in the application form, upload supporting documents, pay the visa fee, wait for the visa to be processed, and receive the e-Visa confirmation document by email.
Submit the Thailand Digital Arrival Card. All passengers must complete it, and foreigners are required to submit it 3 days in advance of their arrival date. The official site is titled "No Fees Required".
Get a work permit before working. Aliens are not allowed to work unless they are granted one.
Report your address every 90 days. A foreigner who stays in the Kingdom longer than 90 days must notify the nearest immigration officer in writing of their place of stay, and do so again every 90 days. LTR holders report once a year instead.
Check your tax position. The Revenue Department treats a person residing in Thailand for more than 180 days in a calendar year as a resident.

What it costs to live there

The National Statistical Office's household survey gives average monthly household spending of 22,282 baht across the Whole Kingdom in 2024, and 30,464 baht in Greater Bangkok. The general Consumer Price Index was 2.82% higher in September 2026 than a year earlier. The daily minimum wage is 400 baht in Bangkok and runs down to 337 baht in Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala. The regional breakdown is in our cost of living in Thailand guide.

Tax basics

A resident is liable to tax on income from sources in Thailand and on the portion of foreign-source income that is brought into Thailand.
A non-resident is taxed only on income from sources in Thailand.
The personal income tax return is due by the last day of March following the tax year.
LTR holders are listed as receiving a tax exemption for overseas income.

We have not printed tax rates, because the Revenue Department's English page was last updated on 21.03.2024. Confirm current rates with the department.

Frequently asked questions

Can I move to Thailand without a job?

There are routes that do not depend on a Thai employer. The Destination Thailand Visa is for remote workers and freelancers with a balance of 500,000 THB, the retirement visas are for people aged 50 or older, and the Long-Term Resident visa has categories for wealthy individuals, pensioners and remote professionals.

How long can I stay in Thailand without a visa?

The notice effective from 15 September 2026 lists a 30-day visa exemption for 60 countries and territories, including the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia, India and the European Union member states. Bilateral agreements give some nationalities 14, 30 or 90 days.

Do I need a work permit in Thailand?

Yes, if you work. The Immigration Bureau's notice states that aliens are not allowed to work unless they are granted a work permit. Work permits are handled by the Department of Employment through its e-WorkPermit system.

What is the 90-day report in Thailand?

A foreigner who stays in the Kingdom longer than 90 days must notify the nearest immigration officer in writing of their place of stay, and do so again every 90 days. For LTR visa holders the report is extended to one year.

How much money do I need to retire in Thailand?

The Non-Immigrant O and O-A retirement visas ask for a monthly income of at least 65,000 THB or a current balance of at least 800,000 THB. The O-X visa asks for a fixed deposit of at least 3,000,000 THB, or at least 1,800,000 THB with an income of at least 1,200,000 THB per year.

What is the Thailand Digital Arrival Card?

It is the online arrival card run by the Immigration Bureau. All passengers must complete it, foreigners are required to submit it 3 days in advance of their arrival date, and the official site is titled "No Fees Required".

Is Thailand expensive to live in?

Average household spending was 22,282 baht a month across Thailand in 2024 and 30,464 baht in Greater Bangkok, according to the National Statistical Office. These are averages for resident households.

Official sources

All rules and figures verified against the official sources above on 14 October 2026. Requirements can differ by embassy or consulate, so check the mission that handles your application. Information, not legal or financial advice.