[LATEST UPDATED] Moving to Thailand Guide | Expat & Digital Nomad Relocation Checklist, DTV Visa, Cost of Living Budget | Printable PDF

Planning to live in Thailand for months or years? This guide takes you from choosing a visa to your first month on the ground, in the order you'll need it. Updated October 2026, after the visa-free stay was cut to 30 days.

WHO IT'S FOR

Remote workers and digital nomads, retirees, people taking a job in Thailand, and families relocating together.

WHAT'S INSIDE (14 pages, A4)

1. Choose your visa: a step-by-step path from a 30-day scouting trip to the DTV and beyond, plus a side-by-side table of the visa exemption, DTV, retirement (Non-O, O-A), work (Non-B), LTR and Thailand Privilege

2. Find a home: leases, deposits, TM30 address reporting, and a five-minute flood check before you sign

3. Money and phone: Thai SIM, opening a bank account, PromptPay

4. Health: local vs international insurance, hospitals, emergency numbers

5. Taxes: the 180-day rule and how foreign income is taxed since 2024

6. Cost of living: Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket compared, plus a budget worksheet with monthly and one-off costs

7. Staying legal: 90-day reports, re-entry permits, extending your DTV step by step

8. Moving with family: dependant visas and international school fees

Plus: five mistakes newcomers make, a first-30-days checklist, and a source list with every page checked

WHY THIS GUIDE

- Written by a Thai who works in business across Southeast Asia

- Every section shows the date it was last checked

- Tick-box checklists you can print or fill in on a tablet

FORMAT

- Instant digital download: 1 PDF (A4, 14 pages)

- Opens on phone, tablet or computer, or print it

PLEASE NOTE

- Digital item: nothing will be shipped

- General information only, not legal, tax or immigration advice. Thai rules change often: confirm with the Thai embassy or Immigration before you act

Made by Frontier by Jetni, a newsletter on business opportunities in Southeast Asia.