How to Move to Thailand as an American

Moving to Southeast Asia is an absolute dream for many of us. Affordable rents, warm weather, delicious food, friendly people, and stunning scenery all sound idyllic. One of the most popular expat locations is Thailand, with its amazing beaches and top-tier cuisine. So, here’s how to move to Thailand as an American.

Figure Out the Right Visa for Your Situation

First things first, we’ve got to talk about visas. It’s not the most interesting or exciting part of expat life, but it is a necessity. Without a reliable visa, there’s no legal way to set up your life abroad. 

Luckily, there are a few different ways to approach getting a Thai visa as an American.

Visa-free

If you just want to dip your toe into living in Thailand, US citizens can get visa-free entry to Thailand for 60 days.

Now, of course, this isn’t a long-term commitment, but if you’re unsure about moving overseas, living somewhere for a month can give you a basic idea of where you want to live and the financial and emotional commitment it’s going to be.

However, you can also extend this tourist or short-term visitor visa while you’re in Thailand. You can extend it by an additional 30 days, giving you a total of 90 days with visa-free travel.

To do this, you need to go to a local immigration office in Thailand with at least 15 days left on your visa.

Border hopping

Now, if you’ve ever tried to stay longer in Europe, you’ll know that you can border hop between Schengen and non-Schengen countries to kill time before you’re eligible to apply for another visa. Thailand has a similar loophole.

For the tourist visa (60 days with a 30-day extension), there’s a six-month usage on it from when you first enter Thailand. This means you can come and go as much as you like within that six-month period, as long as the total number of days you spend in Thailand doesn’t exceed 60 days (without extension).

However, if you hit your 60 or 90-day limit in Thailand, you just need to leave the country for a while and re-enter on a new visa-free allowance. While the guidance around popular “border runs” is shaky, it seems like you can do this twice in a calendar year.

Other guidance says every six months, so it’s best to spend some time in another amazing Southeast Asian country for a couple of weeks at least.

Both Singapore and Malaysia allow US citizens 90 days of visa-free travel, and the Philippines is visa-free for 30 days. 

Non-Immigrant visas

If you’re not traveling for tourism or leisure, you’ll need one of 11 non-immigrant visas. They come for all purposes, so make sure it’s the right one:

• F Visa Category: For Government official business and consulates.
• B Visa Category: For business purposes, including working and investing.
• IM Visa Category: For investment purposes, with the permission of the Thai Ministries and Government Departments.
• ED Visa Category: For educational purposes, including college, language, conferences, and more. 
• M Visa Category: For media purposes.
• R Visa Category: For religious purposes.
• RS Visa Category: For conducting, training, or teaching scientific research.
• EX Visa Category: For highly skilled expert workers who are coming to Thailand to advise and work.
• O Visa Category: For spouses, medical purposes, to work in a household of people traveling for diplomatic reasons, for judicial reasons, to work as a sports coach, or to work in a Thai state enterprise or social welfare organization.
• O-A and O-X Visa Category: The two types of retirement visa. O-A is for one year and is renewable, and O-X is for five years and is renewable for a further five years.

Non-immigrant visas are usually eligible for a 90-day stay, with extensions available at the local immigration bureaus. 

On the whole, the cost is 2,000 THB for a single-entry Non-Immigrant visa for 90 days. It’s 5,000 THB for a multiple-entry Non-Immigrant visa for the full year. 

Pretty much all types of formal visas and permits fall under these categories. If you’re planning to work in Thailand for a Thai company, you’d get a B non-immigrant visa and then apply for a work permit when you get to Thailand.

All of these last for 90 days, within which time you have to do a check-in with immigration to extend your stay. There are only really two main types of visas that fall outside of this bracket: Digital Nomad visas and the Thai SMART visa.

Thai SMART visa

So, if you work in a certain industry, you could be eligible for a Thai SMART visa. This is eligible for up to four years with an annual renewal fee based on your continued employment. 

The eligible industries are:

• Next-Generation Automotive
• Smart Electronics
• Affluent, Medical and Wellness Tourism
• Agriculture and Biotechnology
• Food for the Future
• Automation and Robotics
• Aviation and Logistics
• Biofuels and Biochemicals
• Digital
• Medical Hub
• Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Human Resource Development in Science and Technology
• Environmental Management and Renewable Energy

However, just to make it a little bit more confusing, there are also key categories depending on your position within these industries.

• SMART Visa T: for Talents
• SMART Visa I: for Investors
• SMART Visa E: for Executives
• SMART Visa S: for technology-based startup Entrepreneurs
• SMART Visa O: for the dependents, spouse, and children of one of the SMART Visa holders above.

We’re just going to dive into the eligibility for T, E, and S here.

I‘ve lived abroad for many years and love helping others find work abroad and figure out their “Move Abroad Plan.” Check out my class below to get you started ASAP!

SMART T Eligibility Requirements

• You need to work in one of the aforementioned areas, with a specialism in science and tech.
• Earn at least 100,000 THB per month, or if you’re a retired expert or work for a start-up with references, 50,000 THB per month.
• Have a work contract for at least a year.

SMART E Eligibility Requirements

• You must hold a senior management position within one of these industries.
• Earn at least 200,000 THB per month.
• Have a Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 10 years of work experience in the specific field.
• Have a work contract for at least a year.

SMART S Eligibility Requirements

• You must establish the startup in Thailand, in one of the specified industries.
• Have 25% of the company’s registered capital, or be a director.
• Hold a deposit of 600,000 THB in your bank account, either in Thailand or the country of residence for the past three months.
• You must have health insurance.

Cost

• 10,000 Thai Baht per year and renewable for up to four years.

Thai Work visa and permit

The Thai work visa technically runs through the B non-immigrant visa. So, you need to get this visa to travel to Thailand in the first place, and then you can apply for your work permit. 

Eligibility Requirements

Unlike other work visas, there are eligibility criteria for the business as well as the individual. 

The criteria for the business are:

• Employ at least 50 Thai nationals
• Have registered capital of at least 2,000,000 THB.
• Have paid at least 5,000,000 THB in tax to the revenue department in the past three years.
• Or, is an export business that has a foreign remittance of at least 3,000,000 THB in the last year.
• Adheres to the foreigner hiring cap, i.e., one foreign worker per 50 Thai nationals.

The criteria for the individual are:

• A work contract for up to a year with the designated business.
• Proof of funds equaling 20,000 THB if you’re traveling alone and 40,000 THB if you’re with family.

Cost

The price for Thai work permits depends on the duration, up to a year. Keep in mind that you also have to pay the 2,000 or 5,000 THB work visa fee for the B non-immigrant section.

• Work Permit for up to three months: 750 THB
• Work Permit between three and six months: 1,500 THB
• Work Permit between six and 12 months: 3,000 THB

Thai retirement visa

If you’re looking to retire in the sunshine, Thailand is a popular destination. You can choose from either OA or OX non-immigrant visas, depending on how long you want to stay in Thailand – up to one year or up to five.

As with most retirement visas, it comes down to how much money you have in your bank account.

To be eligible for this visa, you need to be over 50, have at least 800,000 THB in your Thai bank account for two months, have a monthly passive income of at least 65,000 THB, or have a combination of the two that equals 800,000 THB annually.

Digital nomad

Okay, so Thailand’s digital nomad visa (Destination Thailand Visa (DTV)) is one of the most generous ones out there, with a total of five years of validity. However, it’s important to note that strictly speaking, it’s not five years straight through with no extensions.

With the Thai digital nomad visa, you get a multiple-entry visa for up to five years with 180 days per stay. These 180-day stays can have a 180-day extension, which brings each stay to a year. However, after that extension is made, you need to leave Thailand and re-enter to restart the clock again. 

So, every year or so, you need to do a border run to a neighboring country or a weekend away somewhere. It’s not super difficult, but you need to remember how many days you have left in your current segment. 

Overall, the processing timeline for this visa is between 4-8 weeks from applying online to submitting biometric data to receiving your approval. This is pretty speedy when it comes to visas, especially considering you can pretty much move to Thailand for five years without a full renewal.

Eligibility Requirements

• Be 20+ years old
• Have at least 500,000 THB (approximately $14,400 USD) in your bank account for the previous three months.
• Have an employment contract from a business outside of Thailand, be a registered business owner, or be a freelancer with clients or a portfolio.

Costs

• The visa fee is 10,000 THB ($285 USD) 
• You have to have Thai health insurance, which can cost from $300 to $1,500 USD per year.

Permanent residency

If you’re looking to gain permanent residency in Thailand, it’s pretty competitive. On the whole, you need to hold a non-immigrant visa of some kind consecutively for at least three years and meet a financial minimum that varies depending on your pathway.

You also need to demonstrate a decent level of Thai language proficiency to be eligible. The tricky part, however, is the residency quota.

The Thai government only gives 100 people permanent residency each year, and the application window is between October and November and the end of December. If you’re not successful or miss the window, you have to wait another year and pay more application fees. 

90-Day Check-Ins

For everyone who stays in Thailand for over 90 days, you have to report to the Immigration Office. This is every single 90-day segment you spend there. 

This can be up to 15 days before the 90-day cut-off and up to seven days afterwards. While most people do this in person, there is an electronic service as well. However, most people prefer the certainty of a physical meeting and assessment. 

Getting a Job in Thailand

If you’re planning on getting a work permit visa, it’s not always super easy. Aside from the eligibility criteria of the business, there are a lot of local rules, especially in Bangkok, which means businesses have to have an 80% Thai national workforce.

However, there are plenty of international companies with headquarters in Thailand, or tourism-related roles that benefit from overseas nationals. These are probably your best bets if you’re looking to work in Thailand, rather than remotely.

Remote work means you can apply for the digital nomad visa, which is more flexible. It also means that you can benefit from a higher wage than you’d get in Thailand.

Thai laws state that you have to pay nationals and overseas workers the same for the same role, which is completely valid, but may be a huge pay cut from what you’re used to.

Look for remote jobs online using LinkedIn as well as sites like Working Nomads, Just Remote, and more. 

Finding Accommodation as an American in Thailand

If you’re looking to rent an apartment in Thailand, the best sites to check out are DDproperty, Hipflat, and FazWaz. There is also a wide range of Facebook groups, created by expats, where landlords post vacancies, and you might find people looking for roommates. 

When you land, you’ll need somewhere to stay, so make sure you have an Airbnb, hotel, or hostel booked. I’d recommend trying to stay in the area you’re looking to live in long-term, so you can get a feel for the neighborhood before committing. 

Many expats opt to use agents to find accommodation to overcome language and cultural barriers and to get around all the bureaucracy. This can be handy, but be prepared to pay extra fees.

With so many expats already in Thailand, it’s a good idea to get in touch with an expat group to get their expert knowledge. After all, they’ve been in your shoes.

Where to Live in Thailand as an Expat

So, putting practicalities and paperwork aside for a moment, let’s look at some key destinations. Thailand is full of beautiful places, but some spots are more popular with expats than others. 

Bangkok

Of course, the capital, Bangkok, is bustling with expats from all around the world. As a key travel hub and business capital, it’s a great place to find work, check out the nightlife, and enjoy everything that Thailand has to offer.

In terms of popular expat neighborhoods, we have Ekkamai and Thong Lo. Ekkamai is a semi-party area, but it’s also home to a lot of co-working spaces and start-ups.

As a result, the digital nomad scene is pretty strong here. There are plenty of cool coffee shops and restaurants here as well, so you can be social without having to go out too hard every night. 

Thong Lo is a more upmarket, stylish, and fancy area of the city. It’s full of great shopping and eateries, but it’s a little bit more of a young and rich playground.

That’s why it’s exciting to a lot of expats, especially those with overseas jobs that give them more disposable income due to the low cost of living.

Chiang Mai

Up in the north of Thailand, Chiang Mai has more of a laid-back vibe, despite still being a major city. As a result, there are a ton of digital nomad co-working and co-living spaces and expat communities.

It’s surrounded by natural beauty and plenty of tranquil temples, making it a less hectic expat home, compared to Bangkok, but still with all the amenities and transport connections. 

Koh Samui

If you’re looking for the island life, Koh Samui has around 12,000 expats living there at the moment. The balance of a low cost of living, stunning beaches and views, and enough tourist-driven amenities and facilities makes it possible to live and work in paradise. 

Phuket

For a coastal vibe with existing tourist infrastructure and outdoor activities, head to Phuket. There are plenty of flights here, making it accessible, and the growing digital nomad scene means that you can work outside of your apartment and meet like-minded people.

It’s got a decent nightlife scene, but retains a relaxing beach vibe at the same time.

Krabi

If you’re not bothered about the hustle and bustle of the city or intense nightlife scenes, consider Krabi instead. It’s a much more natural destination with beautiful beaches, rock climbing spots, and rainforest mangroves.

If you want to feel like you’re living off the grid while maintaining a steady Wi-Fi connection, this is a great spot.

The Cost of Living

One of the main reasons why Americans move to Thailand is because of the low cost of living. While some places are more expensive than others.

For example, Bangkok city center is going to be expensive, as are luxury neighborhoods along Thailand’s best beaches — on the whole, it’s a cheap place to live.

On average, you can have a reasonably comfortable life in Thailand on around 30,000-50,000 THB per month. At the moment, that works out at approximately $1000-$1600. Excluding rent, it’s estimated that a single person’s realistic outgoings are around 20,330 THB or $614 per month.

When it comes to rent, the average price of a one-bed apartment in a city center is around 16,000 THB, which is just $485. If you’re traveling as a family, a three-bed place in the city center costs around 39,500 THB ($1195) per month.

Even adding utilities on top of this, it’s still ridiculously affordable, especially if you’re on an overseas wage.

Things to Know Before Moving to Thailand

While visas, work situations, and accommodation are the main things to think about before moving overseas, here are some other key things to remember before moving to Thailand.

Moving fees

If you’re moving on a permanent basis, you need to factor in moving costs. Of course, you can buy furniture and household goods over there, but you’ll still want to take certain things with you.

You can weigh up between bringing suitcases with you and paying oversized luggage costs, or being organized with a slower cargo ship service that’ll be a lot cheaper.

Photocopies and original paperwork

If your documents need to be translated into Thai or English, this may cost a fee. You’ll also have to get the copies notarized to make them legit. All in all, with the amount of documents you need, this can cost between $50 and $100.

Pet moving fees and quarantines

If you’re moving with a pet, you’ll have to pay moving charges for them as well. This will include animal passports, vaccinations, and more.

While Thailand doesn’t tend to quarantine pets except in extreme circumstances, it does happen, so have some contingency budget to pay for this. 

What you will need is a Notice of Approval and an import license, which costs 500 THB per animal. This lasts until the animal leaves the country again.

Airfare

In the excitement of moving, it can be easy to overlook the cost of one-way airfare in your budgeting. Remember that you’ll be bringing excess luggage, and wait for your visa approval before committing to a hard flight ticket that you can’t change.

Temporary accommodation

When you land, you’ll need an address. Unless you already know someone out there that you’re planning to live with or who is helping you find your new place, you’ll need to book and pay for a hostel, hotel, or Airbnb.

This is also the registered address you’ll put down on your arrival form and visa paperwork until you find somewhere more long-term.

Transport costs

When you move to another country, you need to be able to get around. If you’re in the bigger cities like Bangkok, that might just be a public transport pass, or it might be a scooter.

If you’re more rural, you need to buy a car and fuel to get around. This needs to be factored into your moving budget, depending on how quickly you need to buy it.

Embassy visits

Sometimes, when you’re applying for visas, the consulate or embassy will ask you to physically come to an appointment for biometric data collection or for a clarification interview.

While this is fairly standard, your nearest embassy might be hours away and require an overnight stay in another city. It’s a potential cost to consider!

Weather and seasons

Remember that Thailand has three seasons: wet, hot, and cool. Chances are, when you’re imagining moving to Thailand, you’re thinking of the cool dry season or the start of the humid hot season.

When you’re figuring out where to live, consider the impact the monsoon season may have. Beachfront might be great until the monsoon storms come in and your house has no protection.

Language barriers

As I mentioned to all potential expats, if you’re going to live in a country, you need to speak at least a little bit of the language before you go, and be committed to learning as you go.

Even if you only stay in expat communities, to get a feel for Thailand and its people, you need to show a willingness to speak Thai. It’ll also make assimilation and bureaucracy a lot easier further down the line!

Culture shocks

Even if you’ve visited Thailand multiple times, living there is different. You’re going to face culture shocks and differences that might scare or surprise you. It’s inevitable!

Just be prepared and remember that you’re the foreigner here, and the culture is part of why you moved overseas.

Tax

Not a glamorous thing to remember, but an important one. If you stay in Thailand for under 180 days a year, you won’t be taxed on foreign income in Thailand.

So, if you’re border-hopping or not extending your digital nomad visa for one year, you don’t have to pay tax locally in Thailand.

As an American, the IRS follows you everywhere, regardless of how long you’re over there or which country your clients are based in. You need to fill in tax returns each year, and if you’re overseas, I’d recommend services like MyExpatTaxes.

FAQs

So, let’s round out this guide with a few frequently asked questions about moving to Thailand as an American

Does Thailand allow dual citizenship?

Yes, Thailand allows dual citizenship with other countries, including the US, if this is a route open to you. Usually, this is through marriage or other familial connections.

Is Thailand friendly to Americans?

Yes, Thailand is super friendly to Americans and tourists generally. It’s why it’s so popular with expats and vacation lovers. 

Is Thailand a good place to live?

On the whole, Thailand is a good place to live, with a low cost of living, plenty of major cities with amenities, natural beauty, and transport connections across the world.

It’s also been ranked sixth on the Global Health Security Index for its robust healthcare system, so that’s a huge benefit that many people don’t realize.

What is the safest city in Thailand to live in?

Chiang Mai is considered the safest city in Thailand to live in due to its relaxed nature and the fact that it’s smaller than many other Thai cities.

There are plenty of expats who live here peacefully, and the natural landscape and low levels of crime are key contributors. 

How much do you need to make to live comfortably in Thailand?

To live comfortably in Thailand, it’s estimated that you need between 30,000-50,000 THB (approximately $1000-$1600 USD) per month. This varies depending on whether you’re living in a city center or rural community, and is based on a single person living alone.

Can foreigners buy real estate in Thailand?

Foreigners can buy condos or apartments, but they cannot buy land in Thailand. Many expats create companies with Thai locals to get around these laws to build their own places or buy houses or villas, rather than apartments.