Thailand digital nomad visa (2026)

Who can apply

Apply through the Thai mission covering your nationality or country of permanent residence (since 31 August 2026).

• Remote worker, digital nomad, freelancer or foreign talent working for clients or employers abroad
• At least THB 500,000 in funds
• Apply from the country of nationality or permanent residence
• Clean criminal record

Income requirement

You need to show at least THB 500,000 in savings (about US$14,903 at rates from 11 Nov 2026). Applicants show at least THB 500,000 in funds (e.g. bank statements); embassies may express it in local currency, e.g. £12,000 in London.

Documents you need

• Passport bio page
• Photo taken within 6 months
• Proof of permanent residence where you apply
• Bank statements showing at least THB 500,000
• Employment contract, employer letter or portfolio showing remote or freelance work
• Police clearance certificate (London: issued within 6 months)

How to apply, step by step

1. Create an application on the Thailand e-Visa website
2. Choose the mission covering your nationality or residence
3. Upload documents and pay the fee
4. After approval, enter Thailand; extend at an Immigration office if needed

Where and how to apply

The DTV is applied for online through the Thailand e-Visa portal (thaievisa.go.th), but every application is lodged with, and decided by, a specific Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate-General abroad. Since 31 August 2026 you must choose the mission that covers the country where you hold permanent residence, and prove that residence: the Ho Chi Minh City consulate, for example, accepts only a Vietnamese temporary or permanent residence card from foreigners, while Los Angeles accepts a US permanent resident card or a valid US visa, and London asks non-UK citizens for a BRP or a UKVI settlement letter. In practice this means you cannot apply from inside Thailand or from a country where you are only passing through. Most missions handle the file entirely online; some, such as Oslo, also run an appointment booking system for in-person matters, and any mission may call you for an interview or ask for more documents. The consular officer's decision is final for the visa itself. Once you are in Thailand, everything else (the 180-day extension, 90-day reports, residence notifications) is handled by the Immigration Bureau, not by the embassy that issued the visa.

Timeline

1. Collect documents 2-6 weeks before applying
   Order the police certificate early: London wants it issued within 6 months of submission, Los Angeles wants an FBI record issued within the past 3 months. Download bank statements covering the last 3 months.
2. Translate and certify 1-2 weeks, if needed
   Documents not in English or Thai need certified English translations; London and Los Angeles also ask that papers issued outside Thailand and the host country be notarised by an embassy or foreign ministry.
3. Submit on the e-Visa portal and pay Same day
   Upload clear PDFs (screenshots are a common cause of delay) and pay by card. The fee is not refunded if the visa is refused.
4. Mission processing About 5 working days at some posts; longer elsewhere
   Ho Chi Minh City publishes 5 working days, not counting the submission day, and restarts the clock if documents are missing. It advises applying at least 2 weeks before travel; most other missions do not publish a time.
5. First entry Within the 5-year validity
   Each entry gives permission to stay up to 180 days. Your host (landlord or hotel) must file a TM.30 residence notification within 24 hours of your arrival at the address.
6. 90-day report Every 90 days of continuous stay
   File form TM.47 with Immigration. The count restarts from zero each time you leave and re-enter Thailand.
7. Extension of stay Before day 180
   Apply once per entry at a local Immigration office for up to 180 more days; the standard extension fee (form TM.7) is THB 1,900.
8. Exit and re-entry After at most 360 days
   Leave Thailand, then re-enter on the same DTV for a new 180-day period while the visa is still valid.
9. Tax return (if resident) By 31 March of the following year
   If you spent 180 days or more in Thailand in a calendar year and brought taxable foreign income into the country, a personal income tax return is due by the end of March.

Proving your income

The DTV tests savings rather than salary. Missions that state a period ask for bank statements covering the last three months with an ending balance of at least THB 500,000 (Oslo and Los Angeles word it this way); the balance on the final statement matters more than the total of deposits. Statements must show your name and the dates. Embassies usually quote the threshold in their own currency (for example GBP 12,000 in London, MYR 65,000 on the Kuala Lumpur checklist), so check the figure your mission uses on the day you apply. Los Angeles accepts a family member's statement if you add proof of the relationship, and Ho Chi Minh City mentions a sponsorship letter as an alternative. Separately from the funds, workcation applicants must prove the work itself: an employment contract or employer certificate from a company outside Thailand, or a portfolio for freelancers. Some missions add extra requirements; Los Angeles and London want a hand-signed HR or manager letter from non-citizens (a job offer or pay stubs are not enough) and a business registration for the self-employed, and an older Kuala Lumpur checklist asked for six months of income slips and embassy-authenticated contracts. Everything must be in English or Thai, with certified translations otherwise.

Bringing your family

A spouse and children under 20 can apply in the DTV dependant category, but each person files a separate e-Visa application and pays a separate fee, and the dependant application refers to the main holder's DTV. Dependants provide the same core documents as the main applicant (passport, photo, proof of permanent residence where they apply) plus a copy of the main holder's visa and a marriage, birth or adoption certificate. The Oslo embassy also expects financial evidence of THB 500,000 for the dependant and requires a criminal record certificate only for dependants aged over 20; London adds extra papers for applicants under 16, such as a full birth certificate and the parents' IDs and proof of address. The dependant visa does not give permission to work: Thai missions state that a foreigner may work in Thailand only after obtaining a work permit, and working without one is an offence under the Immigration Act and the foreign worker rules. Children reaching 20 no longer fit the dependant definition.

Health insurance

None of the DTV checklists reviewed (London, Oslo, Los Angeles, Ho Chi Minh City, Kuala Lumpur, Moscow) list health or travel insurance as a required document, and the 31 August 2026 changes did not add one. Insurance is therefore not a visa condition at the time of writing, but medical costs in private Thai hospitals are paid by the patient, so holding international or Thai cover for the whole stay is sensible. If your mission adds an insurance requirement, follow its checklist.

Cost and processing time

The fee is set per embassy in local currency, e.g. £300 (London), €350 (Budapest). Processing takes about 5 working days at missions that publish a time. Budget extra for translations, certified copies and health insurance.

After you arrive

• TM.30: the owner or manager of the place where you stay must notify Immigration within 24 hours of your arrival (hotels do this automatically). If you rent privately, ask your landlord to file it, as you may need the receipt for later Immigration visits.
• 90-day report (TM.47): due for every 90 days of continuous stay, in person, through an authorised person, by registered mail or online. The Immigration Bureau accepts it from 15 days before to 7 days after the due date; reporting late on your own costs THB 2,000, and higher fines apply if you are caught. Leaving Thailand resets the count, and the first extension application counts as a report.
• Extension: apply at your local Immigration office before your 180 days end; one extension of up to 180 days per entry, fee THB 1,900, approval at the officer's discretion.
• Work: only work for employers or clients outside Thailand. Taking a Thai employer, Thai clients or local paid work requires a work permit, which the DTV does not include.
• Tax number: if you become a Thai tax resident and bring foreign income into Thailand, you will need a taxpayer identification number from the Revenue Department to file the annual return (PND 90 or 91) by 31 March.
• Keep proof of your stays: entry and exit stamps decide both your 360-day limit and your tax residency, so keep copies of each page and of every receipt from Immigration.

Tax

Holding a DTV does not change your tax position and there is no special regime for it. Under Section 41 of the Revenue Code, anyone who is in Thailand for one or more periods totalling 180 days in a calendar year is a Thai tax resident for that year. Residents pay tax on Thai-source income and on foreign income they bring into Thailand. Revenue Department order Por. 161/2566 (15 September 2023) made foreign income taxable in the year it is brought into Thailand, regardless of the year it was earned, for money brought in from 1 January 2024; order Por. 162/2566 (20 November 2023) excludes income earned before 1 January 2024. Tax already paid abroad may be credited where a double tax agreement allows it. Section 41 also taxes income from work performed in Thailand whether it is paid inside or outside the country, so a DTV holder who stays a long time and works from Thailand should take professional advice; the Revenue Department has not published DTV-specific guidance. Personal income tax rates are progressive, reaching 35% on taxable income above THB 4,000,000, and the annual return and payment are due by the last day of March.

Does it lead to permanent residence?

Time on a DTV is unlikely to count toward Thai residence. The Thai residence permit (permanent residence) requires a non-immigrant visa that has been extended yearly for at least three consecutive years before applying, followed by a quota-based application in categories such as investment, employment, family or expertise, with Thai language ability and a criminal record check. DTV stays are granted in 180-day periods with a single 180-day extension per entry, not as yearly non-immigrant extensions, so they do not match that requirement. No official source states that DTV time can be used for permanent residence.

Why applications get refused

• No acceptable proof of permanent residence in the country of the mission you chose (for example a short-term visa, a tourist entry or a local address registration that the mission does not accept).
• Bank statements that are older than the mission allows, cover less than three months, do not show your name or the dates, or end below the THB 500,000 equivalent.
• Weak evidence of remote work: a job offer instead of a signed employer letter, a contract with a Thai company, or a portfolio that does not show real foreign clients.
• Missing or out-of-date police clearance, or a criminal record that the mission considers a risk.
• Screenshots, unclear scans, or documents without certified translations and notarisation, which trigger requests for more documents and restart the processing clock.
• Past immigration problems in Thailand, such as overstays or a pattern of long stays on other visas that suggests the DTV is being used for local work.

Cost of living in Bangkok

1-bedroom rent

THB 16,000-40,000 per month in the city centre (average about THB 24,300); THB 8,000-20,000 outside the centre (Numbeo, updated 12 November 2026)

Coworking desk

About THB 2,000-6,000 per month for a hot desk, depending on operator and contract length (operator listings and guides, 2026)

Home broadband of 60 Mbps or more typically costs THB 500-800 a month (Numbeo, November 2026).

Good to know

• After 180 + 180 days you must leave and re-enter to start a new stay
• Spouses and children under 20 can apply as DTV dependants
• Applications paid before 31 August 2026 follow the older document rules

Visiting first? Entry rules for popular passports

97 passports can enter Thailand visa-free for a short stay, a common way to try the country before applying. Check Thailand visa requirements for your passport.

Official source

Thailand e-Visa (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Not yet confirmed on an official source: fee, tax. Check these with the consulate before you apply.