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Month 6: choose the visa
You have six months, a family to move and a tax year to protect. Here is the order that works.
Choose the visa first, because it shapes everything else on this relocation checklist. Most wealthy families pick one of three routes: the Long-Term Resident visa, Thailand Privilege membership or, for remote workers, the Destination Thailand Visa. If you are 50 or older, a retirement visa is also open to you.
Long-Term Resident (LTR). 10 years, multiple entry, ฿50,000 fee when collected in Thailand. Four categories, run by the Board of Investment.
Thailand Privilege. Membership from ฿900,000 for 5 years (Gold) to ฿5,000,000 for 20 years or more (Reserve).
DTV. 5 years, up to 180 days per entry, a ฿500,000 bank balance and a ฿10,000 fee.
O-A and O-X. For age 50 and over; O-X is open to 14 nationalities only.
Compare them in our visa comparison.
Month 6: take tax advice
Take tax advice before you move. The Revenue Department treats anyone in Thailand 180 days or more in a calendar year as tax resident. Foreign income that arose from 1 January 2024 is taxed when you bring it into Thailand. Income from before 2024 is not taxed when remitted.
The LTR's Highly-Skilled Professionals category pays a 17% rate on qualifying income. Book the tax adviser before you book the movers. The 180-day count starts on the day you land, not the day your furniture arrives. We introduce you to an independent tax adviser, on request.
Month 5: see it before you commit
Book a scouting trip of four or five days. Visit two or three neighbourhoods, tour the schools on your list and see the hospital nearest each area. With a driver and a local guide, you see all three in a day. On request, we connect you with a property agent we trust and a lawyer who acts only for you.
☐ Neighbourhoods shortlisted
☐ School visits booked
☐ Hospital and clinic checked near each area
Our guide to moving to Thailand compares the main cities.
Month 4: home
Foreigners may own a condominium unit freehold in their own name. Foreign ownership in the building must stay within 49% of the floor area. The money must come from abroad in foreign currency. Land cannot be owned by a foreigner, but you can lease it for up to 30 years per term.
On a transfer, the Department of Lands charges a 2% registration fee on the official value. Who pays it is agreed in the contract. See our buying property guide.
☐ Buy or lease decided
☐ Lawyer engaged for the contract
☐ Proof of the foreign-currency transfer kept
Month 3: schools, healthcare and insurance
Book school places early, as the best fill up. The Office of the Private Education Commission counted 276 international schools in February 2026, 125 of them in Bangkok. For healthcare, Bumrungrad International, Samitivej Sukhumvit, BNH and Vejthani in Bangkok are on the JCI list.
Health insurance is required for the O-A, O-X and LTR visas. The LTR asks for cover of at least USD 50,000, or Thai social security, or a USD 100,000 deposit. See our guide to international schools.
☐ School applications sent
☐ Health insurance arranged to match your visa
Month 2: move the pieces
Ship your household goods to arrive close to you. The Customs Department lets people moving to Thailand import used household effects free of duty if they owned and used them before. The goods must arrive within one month before or six months after you do. Electrical appliances are limited to one of each kind, or two for a family.
☐ Shipping booked to match the Customs window
☐ Pets: import permit requested 7 to 60 days before travel; wait 21 days after a first rabies vaccination
☐ Medicines: up to a 30-day supply of some controlled medicines with a prescription; more needs a Thai FDA permit
Month 1 and arrival week
File the Thailand Digital Arrival Card online within 3 days before you land. In the first week, open a bank account, buy a local SIM at the airport with your passport and arrange a driver. A 1949 Geneva International Driving Permit is valid for one year; after that, get a Thai licence.
☐ Thailand Digital Arrival Card filed
☐ Bank account and local SIM
☐ Driving permit or Thai licence plan
After you land: the paperwork that repeats
Anyone staying more than 90 days must report their address every 90 days, online or in person; the late fine is ฿2,000. A re-entry permit costs ฿1,000 for one trip or ฿3,800 for multiple trips. Each extension of stay costs ฿1,900. LTR holders report once a year instead.
Plan it with Tanner
Tell Tanner, your planner, when you plan to move and who is coming. You decide where to live. He runs the scouting trip, the cars and the school visits on one plan. We introduce you to a property agent, a lawyer and a tax adviser on request. Our relocation service explains how we help.
Month 1 and arrival week
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