Persona picks: Couples · Digital nomads · Retirees 50+ · Embassy directory · Guides glossary
Hub stats: 40 guides · 7 categories · Last refresh June 2026 · Avg. depth ~3,000 words
Start here: Visa transitions if you're switching status, compliance if you're already long-stay, money/property for infrastructure setup.
Pillars + transitions
Visa transitions and switching
- Working in Thailand (Pillar)
- Retiring in Thailand (Pillar)
- Bringing family to Thailand (Pillar)
- Tourist → Non-O Retirement — In-country switch from tourist to retirement visa. The 90-day Non-O conversion mechanic, step by step. (Switch)
- Non-B → LTR — When to upgrade from a Business Non-B to an LTR — the tax, work-permit, and family-rights upgrade math. (Switch)
- ED → DTV — Education ED expiring? The DTV is often the next move. How to time it without leaving Thailand. (Switch)
- Marriage Non-O → Permanent Residency — After 3 years on Marriage Non-O, the PR door opens. Quota math, application timing, common rejections. (PR path)
Stay legal
Compliance, reporting, and renewal
The unsexy admin every long-stayer must keep up with — 90-day reports, TM30, re-entry permits, overstay fines.
- Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) — Mandatory within 72h before every entry; replaced TM6 in 2025. (Arrival)
- Non-O extension Pattaya — Annual retirement extension at Jomtien: ฿800K, TM30, TM7, ฿1,900. (Retirement)
- 90-day reporting — Online vs in-person, what counts as a reset, how to avoid the ฿2k fine. (Every 90 days)
- TM30 reporting — Landlord obligation that becomes yours when they ignore it. How to file, when, and what happens if you do not. (24-hour rule)
- Re-entry permits — Single vs multiple. ฿1,000 vs ฿3,800. When the airport counter saves you, when it traps you. (Before leaving)
- Visa overstay penalties — The ฿500/day fine, the 1/3/5/10-year bans, and why "I will pay at the airport" is a bad bet. (Defensive)
- Visa runs vs extensions — Border runs are mostly dead in 2026. When they still work, when they trigger denial. (2026 reality)
Money + property
Money, banking, tax, property
The financial infrastructure of living in Thailand long-term.
- Thai bank account as a foreigner — Bangkok Bank, Kasikorn, SCB — which accepts which visa, what documents, real-world success rates. (Banking)
- Thai tax for foreign residents — Remittance rules, foreign income tax, the 180-day residence test, LTR exemptions, FATCA/CRS. (2024 reform)
- Buying property in Thailand — Condos vs land, freehold vs leasehold, the foreign quota, due diligence, and the 30-year lease trap. (Property)
- Will writing in Thailand — Why your home-country will may not work for Thai assets. How to draft a Thai will alongside. (Estate)
- Cost of living in Pattaya 2026 — Rent, food, transport, healthcare, entertainment — real monthly budgets at three lifestyle tiers. (Pattaya costs)
Long horizon
Long-term residency and citizenship
For people thinking 5+ years out — the legal endpoints beyond the annual extension.
- Permanent Residency in Thailand — The PR application, quota system, language test, point system, and what PR gets you that long-stay visas do not. (PR · 3 yr quota)
- Thai citizenship — After PR or marriage Non-O — the citizenship pathway, language exam, naturalisation timeline. (5+ years)
Life in Thailand
Family, healthcare, and lifestyle
The non-visa decisions that still shape whether you stay.
- Healthcare in Thailand — Public vs private, hospital tiers, BNH/Bumrungrad/Bangkok Hospital, surgery costs, insurance integration. (Hospitals)
- Health insurance for Thailand — Mandatory for O-A, optional but smart for others. Cigna, BUPA, Aetna — what to compare. (Insurance)
- International schools in Pattaya — British, American, IB curricula. Tuition, location, dependent visa link, application timing. (Schools)
- Foreign marriage legalisation — Marrying in Thailand as a foreigner — affirmation of freedom to marry, embassy steps, registration. (Marriage)
- Verify MOE-accredited school — Before signing up for an ED visa, check the school is real. Free MOE registry lookup. (ED visa)
- Thai driving licence — Convert from your home country, or take the Thai test. International permit limits. (Driving)
Pattaya + defence
Defensive + Pattaya-specific
The "do not get scammed" guides and the on-the-ground Pattaya knowledge.
- Visa scams in Pattaya — The agent fraud playbook, fake DTV stamps, the "pre-paid extension" scam, and how to verify any agent. (Defensive)
- Jomtien Immigration Office guide — Hours, queue tactics, what to bring, photocopy shops nearby, and the Soi 5 vs main office split. (Pattaya)
- Jomtien queue times — field data — Wait times by arrival hour, weekday, and service, from repeated visits. Updated monthly. (Data)
- Setting up a Thai company — Thai limited company, BOI, Treaty of Amity. Foreign ownership rules, capital requirements. (Business)
- Thai embassy directory — Every Royal Thai embassy with current visa-issuing status, contact details, and processing times. (Worldwide)
- Visa glossary — Every Thai visa acronym, immigration term, and bureaucratic phrase translated into plain English. (Glossary)
- Pattaya vs Phuket vs Chiang Mai — Same retirement visa, three cities. Cost, healthcare, English-speaking expat density, social scene. (City compare)
- Best visa for couples — Two-person visa choice — both retired, mixed-status, working couples. (Scenario)
- Best visa for digital nomads — DTV vs LTR-Work-from-Thailand vs Education ED. Real income brackets and timelines. (Scenario)
- Best visa for families — Family of 4 with school-age kids. Dependent visas, school timing, healthcare. (Scenario)
- Best visa for remote tech workers — High-earning tech professionals — when LTR or SMART beats DTV. (Scenario)
- Best visa for retirees 50+ — Non-O vs O-A vs O-X vs Privilege vs LTR Wealthy Pensioner. Decision tree. (Scenario)
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