How to move to Thailand

The seven steps

1. 01

   Decide why you are coming — it picks your visa

   Retirement, remote work, marriage, study, business or investment each map to a different long-stay route with different money and paperwork. Get this wrong and everything downstream (banking, insurance, driving licence, long leases) gets harder.

   Match my visa
2. 02

   Do a scouting trip on the visa exemption

   Enter visa-free, submit your TDAC arrival card online beforehand, and spend a few weeks in two or three shortlisted areas — not one. Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Samui are genuinely different countries in terms of pace, cost and medical access.

3. 03

   Build a real monthly budget in Thai baht

   Rent, health cover, visa renewals, transport, schooling, trips home and a nightlife line. Then hold your home-country income against it and check what a 10% currency swing does to the total.

   Open the cost calculator
4. 04

   Choose the area before the apartment

   Sea, mountains or city; walkable or scooter-dependent; hospital within 20 minutes or not. Pick the area on lifestyle, then rent short-term inside it before committing to a 12-month lease.

   Find my area
5. 05

   Sort health cover and hospitals early

   Underwriting gets harder every birthday, so arrange cover before you move rather than after. Know which private hospital you would use in an emergency and what it charges.

   Health cover options
6. 06

   Handle the admin: bank, phone, licence, scooter

   A Thai bank account, local SIM, Thai driving licence, and legally-registered vehicle ownership are the four things that turn a long holiday into a life. Each depends on your visa type and address paperwork.

   Get help with paperwork
7. 07

   Stay legal after arrival

   90-day reports, TM30 address filings, re-entry permits and renewal windows. Put them in a calendar on day one — immigration does not send reminders.

What people ask before they move

Do I need a visa to move to Thailand?

For a short look-around trip, most Western passport holders enter under the visa exemption (currently up to 60 days on arrival, extendable once by 30 days at an immigration office). To actually live here you need a long-stay route: a retirement visa if you are 50+, a DTV if you work remotely, a marriage visa if you are married to a Thai national, an education visa if you are studying, or LTR/Privilege if your finances qualify.

What is the TDAC and do I have to fill it in?

The Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) replaced the old paper TM6 arrival card. Every foreign traveller submits it online within three days before arriving. It is free, takes a few minutes, and you should keep the confirmation on your phone for the immigration desk.

How much money do I need to live in Thailand?

Comfortable single-person living runs roughly 45,000–80,000 THB a month in Chiang Mai or Pattaya and 60,000–120,000 THB in central Bangkok or on Phuket and Samui, depending on rent, healthcare, schooling, and how often you eat and drink out. Our cost calculator lets you build your own figure line by line.

Can I move to Thailand if I am under 50?

Yes. Under 50 you cannot use the retirement visa, but the DTV (remote work or Thai soft-power activities), education visa, marriage visa, Elite/Privilege membership, business visa, and LTR programme are all realistic long-stay routes.

Should I rent before I buy?

Almost always. Rent for at least three to six months in each area you are considering. Seasons, noise, traffic, flooding and neighbours are invisible on a two-week holiday, and Thai property is far easier to enter than to exit.

Do I need health insurance in Thailand?

Some visa categories require proof of cover, and even where it is optional, private hospital care is the norm for foreigners and bills add up quickly. Most people arriving over 50 or with existing conditions need a broker rather than a comparison site, because underwriting decides whether the policy is worth anything.

What happens after I arrive on a long-stay visa?

Three things run in the background: 90-day address reporting to immigration, a TM30 address notification filed by your landlord, and re-entry permits if you leave and want to keep your extension alive. Missing them creates fines and, at renewal time, awkward questions.