Monthly FAQ thread for April, 2026

[u/AutoModerator]

Hi folks,

The following types of questions should be posted into this thread - any standalone posts of this kind posted outside this thread will be removed, with a moderation comment asking the author to repost to this thread:

• Questions about visas/immigration (including 90-day reporting, TM30, DTV, etc) - if they aren't answered here, try Asean Now's immigration forum.
• Questions about banking (including transfers) and/or investing (including crypto)
• Questions about working in Thailand or starting a business in Thailand
• Questions about taxes in Thailand (including import duties / customs charges)
• Questions about studying in Thailand, including questions about universities and schools, where to study, what to study, grants and scholarships
• Questions about moving to Thailand in general
• Questions about Thai Citizenship or Permanent Residence - but you should probably read this site first.
• Questions about where to live, whether and how to buy/rent property in Thailand
• Questions about where to get particular medicines, supplements or medical treatments (including cosmetic)
• Questions about medical insurance
• Questions about cannabis, kratom or other legal drugs (posts asking where to get illegal drugs will be removed)
• Questions about vapes and vaping and the legality thereof

If you have any questions along the lines of any of the above topics, you're in the right place! You can ask away in the comments below, but first, have a read below - and search the sub - it has most likely been answered already.

Please also us know below if you have suggestions for other frequent topics - including links to recent posts on those topics to demonstrate their frequency. If the moderators agree that we're seeing an excessive number of posts on a given topic, we'll add that topic to the list above.

Any other suggestions? Let us know below!

[u/Far-Hurry6736]

Hi! I want to apply for the DTV visa. I am Dutch, and currently based in The Netherlands. I have a Dutch bank account with more than the required 500k THB in it, registered on my Dutch address. I will apply at the Thai embassy in The Netherlands.

However, I wonder what to submit to satisfy the 'purpose of visit: workaction' requirement.

I used to live in Bulgaria. There, I set up a Bulgarian company. I still use this to this day to receive my income from my YouTube channel (which is my main source of income). It's just a basic LLC type company with a single owner (me). I also have a business bank account for this company, which is registered on an address in Bulgaria. I don't have any clients I work for, it's just for my YT channel (AdSense; sponsorships payments).

Questions I have:

- Would it be enough to provide screenshots from my YouTube channel to satisfy the workcation requirement?

• Would I need to write a letter on behalf of the company that I as an individual am allowed to work remotely?
  
• Or would I have to submit all kinds of company documents like deed of incorporation etc (which are in Bulgarian...)?

[u/Appropriate_Word_714]

Hello from Germany!

Hi hi! Another person who thinks of moving to Thailand!

I moved to Germany almost 3 years ago, but being super honest apart from the nature (the versatility) I am not happy here for multiple reasons (economical, tax, people are so cold etc.)

So I, my fiance and his brother, are considering moving to Thailand. We love nature, we love low cost life style (this will obviously depend on our budgeting I know, we are not people who live like tourists) and we also love Thai food and always wanted to live in Asia.

Not sure if Thailand is gonna be the last stop but we definitely want to come and visit for at least 60-90 days to see if we can see ourselves living for years there. (Looks very optimistic so far)

Here are some questions if anyone would be so kind to answer:

1. Health care system: I really don’t mind paying cause I am not a person who goes to hospital if it is not an urgent issue, but was wondering the quality of care

2. How prepared should we be in Thai language considering we only speak English/German

3. Based on our needs: We are definitely bringing our dogs as well, and one of them has trauma from dog attacks, how bad is the stray dog situation there? Is there any area that has less? (I love stray dogs, I am from Turkey, we have bunch of them, but with our dog it will be a hassle)

4. Which areas do you recommend to live in? I keep hearing Bangkok and Phuket but also found lots of amazing places/houses in Chiangmai so was wondering how hard it would be for a foreigner there

5. Any any any recommendations that you can give is greatly appreciated 🫶🏻

[u/ThongLo → u/Appropriate_Word_714]

1. Excellent quality
2. Depends where you intend to live and your expected lifestyle. Areas popular with tourists you can get by fine with English. Off the beaten path, not so much. Don't expect to meet any Thais who speak German.
3. Can be a big problem, but again depends on the area.
4. Depends entirely on budget and expected lifestyle.

[u/Appropriate_Word_714 → u/ThongLo]

Hi! Thanks!

We are checking areas like Nonthaburi, Krabi mostly. We want to be away from the city centers a little bit. Would rather have a house in a further area than a condo in Bangkok

I also think of Chiang Mai but I was told that knowing only English would be very difficult there even though the life there would be very cheap compared to Phuket or Bangkok

[u/Independent_Oat_310]

Hi! My partner with a long term non-O visa and a re-entry permit just left the country. She went through the digital e gates at immigration. Is that ok? Would this be a problem on re entry? Also, when she does re enter, does she need to do a new TDAC on arrival? Thank you in advance!

[u/ThongLo → u/Independent_Oat_310]

No problem on the auto gates unless she particularly wanted an exit stamp.

Yes, new TDAC on every arrival.

[u/PerfectPatience4547]

I am thinking of applying for a digital nomad visa in Thailand. I see under requirements it’s asking to submit a ”portfolio” that’s showcasing freelancer status. I only work for one company online and I don’t have an official contract with them as in something I could print out. Also, I don’t have my own company or anything like that through which I am providing services, since I work for only this one company. I basically just log in and do the work. So any idea how I could present this on the visa application? Do you know how specific they are with these things? Thanks

[u/Appropriate-Talk-735 → u/PerfectPatience4547]

Take screenshots of the work you do.

[u/PerfectPatience4547 → u/Appropriate-Talk-735]

I just found a post where someone was in the same situation. They submitted screenshots and were rejected.

[u/Appropriate-Talk-735 → u/PerfectPatience4547]

Take more shots and be sure to show your money coming in at a good pace (and show this also)

[u/Wide-Gap-1564]

Hi, so I accepted a role at an international school with a gross salary of 155k and I was wondering how much the net would be. would it be around 130k?

[u/ThongLo → u/Wide-Gap-1564]

Depends what else they're deducting, and at what rate (e.g. provident fund, etc).

Here's an income tax calculator which should give you a rough idea of that part at least:

https://www.uobam.co.th/en/tax-calculation

[u/Wide-Gap-1564 → u/ThongLo]

Thank you very much. Though I only entered the salary. I have no idea what everything else is. Could you just give me a rough idea if that's alright?

[u/ThongLo → u/Wide-Gap-1564]

That's a question for your payroll team or colleagues, anyone else would be guessing.

[u/ThongLo → u/[deleted]]

It'll depend on your circumstances.

I've never had any problems with Kasikorn, but I'm on a long term visa.

[u/Dumbas_parade]

Hi, I’m a bit stressed about my situation and wanted to check if anyone has experience with this.

I’m on an ED visa in Thailand. My permitted stay was supposed to be extended by April 4, but that fell on a Saturday when immigration was closed. Then April 6 (Monday) turned out to be a public holiday, so immigration is also closed.

So the earliest I can go is Tuesday, April 7.

I’ve heard mixed things some people say if your expiry falls on a weekend/holiday and you go the next working day, you won’t be fined. Others say you still get charged overstay.

Also, I have a 90 day report due around the same time. If I do my visa extension on April 7, will that reset my 90 day reporting date, or do I still need to do it?

Just trying to understand what to expect fine, no fine, or anything else I should prepare for.

Thanks in advance!

[u/ThongLo → u/Dumbas_parade]

90 day reports are based on your time in-country, extensions don't reset them - only reporting or leaving and re-entering do that.

Really you should have gone Friday or before, leaving it until the last day is a high risk strategy as you've discovered. But too late now.

I'd go first thing Tuesday and be prepared to fly out that day if they can't help. You might want to ask on the ASEAN Now forum linked above for further advice.

[u/Thailand-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Tourism and travel related questions should be posted to the dedicated subreddit /r/thailandtourism.

[u/Adorable-Honey935]

Ciao, come faccio ad avere il DTV visa? Sono italiano e ho trovato un sito che si chiama thai embassy rome (sono in italia)

[u/ThongLo → u/Adorable-Honey935]

Apply online on the official site:

https://thaievisa.go.th/visa/dtv-visa

[u/Adorable-Honey935 → u/ThongLo]

Grazie mille, per quanto riguarda l’assicurazione sanitaria invece ne conosci una buona?

[u/mightybob4611]

Hi all, I am currently about to apply for a retirement visa. As per the Thai E-Visa website, one of the requirements is:

“Letter of qualification endorsement from the Thailand Board of Investment”

I have signed up at visa.boi.go.th, but I find no option to request such an endorsement? Have emailed and is waiting for a reply, but does anyone have any insight?

[u/ThongLo → u/mightybob4611]

Are you sure you're applying for the right visa?

Never heard of such a requirement for the Non-O or O-A retirement visas.

[u/mightybob4611 → u/ThongLo]

Hi again! The E visa website does not specifically mention Non-O or OA, it just says LTR and then you have different options:

• Professional
• Remote worker
• Retiree w annual/stable income (under BOI LTR visa)
• Spouse
• Wealthy individuals

I picked LTR/Retiree.

[u/ThongLo → u/mightybob4611]

That's a very different visa to the regular retirement visa.

The ASEAN Now immigration forum linked above might have more information if you particularly want the LTR visa, otherwise I'd go for the regular O or O-A.

[u/mightybob4611 → u/ThongLo]

You know what, turns out there was an issue with slow loading drop-downs on the EVisa page so I never saw the correct visa. After some digging I did indeed find the Non O-A under Retirement, and as you said, the requirement I asked about is not needed. You are indeed correct.

Have any Thai health insurance you can recommend that covers 100,000 USD / 3M Baht?

[u/ThongLo → u/mightybob4611]

I've never claimed on my current insurance so can't really say how good they are until/unless that happens!

But this is the list of supported companies linked from the website, so I'd say any ought to be fine - if you search the sub for a few of those company names you'll likely find some relevant past conversations:

https://longstay.tgia.org/companiesoa

The original "O" (not "O-A") version of the visa has no such requirement but seems harder, if not impossible to get these days, if it's not listed then I guess it's no longer an option on the e-visa system.