Ravipas Chaloenchansa,
CFA, CFP®
Thailand
Finance & Retirement
The right visa for
a long stay
in Thailand
is the one that fits
the
life you are planning.
It is not simply the longest one. Start with why you are here, how long you want to stay and what you plan to do. The route follows from that.
Choosing a long-stay route in Thailand
Start with the life you are
planning, not the name
of the visa.
This page sets out the decisions behind a long stay in Thailand: why you are here, how long for, what you will do, and what each choice asks of you. It is a place to start, not legal or immigration advice. Rules change, so check the current ones at the source before you act.
What kind of stay are you planning?
Different routes.
One life in Thailand.
There is more than one way to stay long term, and which one fits depends on why you are here. These are ways of describing a stay, not visa categories.
Retiring
Is this where you plan to stay for good?
Working for an employer
Who employs you, and where are they based?
Working for yourself or remotely
Where do the work and the income come from?
Joining family
Who is here already, and how are you related?
Living here long-term
What would you do with your time here?
Investing or living on your wealth
What would you bring with you, and what could you show?
Life in Thailand
How long do you want to stay?
Decide how long
before you decide how.
How long you mean to stay changes what is worth arranging. It is fine not to know yet, as long as you know that you do not.
A season or a year
Are you trying a place before you commit to it?
A few years
What should stay flexible while you decide?
For good
What has to keep working, year after year?
Work and long-term status
What you plan
to do here
is part
of the decision.
Working for a Thai employer, working for clients abroad and not working at all are different situations. Be clear about which is yours before you look at routes.
Working in Thailand
Who would you work for, and is permission to work part of the route?
Working from Thailand
Where are your employer or clients, and where is the income earned?
Not working
Could that change, and what would it mean for your route?
Healthcare and insurance considerations
The route you stay on and the cover you hold are worth deciding together.
Ask whether a route sets conditions on health cover, and whether your cover would still fit if the route changed.
Financial and document planning
Have your papers
in order before anyone
asks for them.
Applying for any long stay means showing documents. Which ones depends on the route and can change, so treat this as a way of getting organised, not a list of requirements.
- IdentityDo names and dates match across your documents?
- MoneyWhat can you show about income or savings?
- HomeWhere will you live, and can you show it?
- HealthWhat cover do you hold, and what does it say?
- FamilyWhich relationships would you need to show?
A way of getting organised, not a list of requirements.
Planning for continuity
Choose a route
you can keep, not only
one you can get.
Whichever route you take, ask what it expects of you after you arrive, and whether you could keep meeting it.
- What has to be renewed, and how often?
- What would you need to show again each time?
- What happens if your circumstances change?
- What happens if you spend time outside Thailand?
Comparing long-stay options
The same questions,
asked of every route.
When routes are set side by side, these are the questions worth asking of each one. Route names and details will be added here once they are confirmed.
Ask of each route
- Who is it for?
- How long does it last?
- Can you work on it?
- Is health cover part of it?
- What do you have to show?
- What do you have to keep up?
The route that fits
Depends on your plans and circumstances.
Our experts
Our experts contribute to Thailand Ready content and guidance within their respective areas of experience and professional background.
Ravipas Chaloenchansa,
Noppakun Sasipibool
Thailand
Insurance
Ravinun Poovatanakul
Thailand
Tax & International Tax
Lattapon Chaloenchansa
Thailand
Visa & Relocation
CFA®, Chartered Financial Analyst®, CIPM®, and GIPS® are registered trademarks owned by CFA Institute.
CFP® and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ are trademarks owned outside the U.S. by Financial Planning Standards Board Ltd. Thai Financial Planning Association is the marks licensing authority for the CFP marks in Thailand, through agreement with FPSB.
Where to start
Three guides to read next, and the hubs that sit beside this one.
Plan the life first. Then choose the route.
Start with why you are here. We’ll help you see which questions to ask.