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Last month, we looked at the paperwork your family needs when you die. This month, we follow the money while you are still very much alive: transfers from abroad, Thai tax numbers, bank accounts and a property-tax detail worth checking before January.
The aim is simple: know which rules apply, keep the right evidence and deal with the paperwork before a deadline becomes a problem.
Your October priorities: identify the source of money you transfer, confirm your tax registration and check whose name appears in your home’s house book. |
01 · Tax Money arriving from abroad: what counts as income?A transfer into a Thai account is not automatically taxable. The source of the money, when the income arose and your tax residence matter. You are generally Thai tax resident if you spend 180 days or more in Thailand during a calendar year, regardless of your visa.
Under the Revenue Department’s foreign-income guidance, the starting points are:
| Money transferred | Starting point |
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| Foreign income earned before 1 January 2024 | Outside the new remittance treatment when brought in later. Keep evidence of when and how you earned the money. |
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| Foreign income earned in a year you were not Thai tax resident | Outside this remittance rule, even if transferred later while you are resident. |
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| Foreign income earned from 2024 in a year you were Thai tax resident | Generally included in Thai tax calculations when remitted, even in a later year, subject to exemptions, treaty relief and allowable foreign-tax credits. |
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| Savings or investment proceeds | Trace the original capital and any income or gains separately. Calling a transfer “savings” does not settle its tax treatment. |
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Eligible LTR Wealthy Pensioners have a separate exemption for qualifying foreign-source income, subject to the scheme’s conditions. An ordinary retirement visa does not provide the same exemption.
What about the proposed same-year or following-year remittance exemption? Do not plan a transfer around a proposal. Confirm the enacted text, commencement date and eligibility first. Our remittance tracker records the position and its latest review date.
Keep a record of each significant transfer: amount, date, source account, the underlying income or capital, and supporting statements. For 2026 returns, work towards the standard 31 March 2027 filing deadline; check any announced online extension separately.
02 · Your tax number Retired does not mean outside the tax systemA Thai job is not the test. A retiree with assessable income might also need a tax identification number, or TIN. Where registration is required, the Revenue Department generally requires an application within 60 days of deriving assessable income.
Already have a 13-digit civil-registration number? Bring your pink ID card or house book and ask Revenue to confirm your tax record before applying for another number.
Applying for the first time? Start with your local Revenue office and form L.P. 10.1. Take your passport, visa or extension pages, proof of your Thai address and relevant income records. Confirm the office’s document requirements before visiting.
Having a TIN, needing to file a return and owing tax are three separate questions. Receiving a number does not create a tax bill. Read our Thai tax-number guide.
“Do not wake the giant”? Some influencers online tell foreigners not to register or file unless the Revenue Department asks them to. In practice, we would tend to agree. As a law firm, however, our role is to explain what the law says. How it is applied can differ from one office to another, and a newsletter is not the place for individual strategy.
03 · Banking Check eligibility before you depend on a new accountBanks set their own account-opening conditions. A passport and a Thai address do not guarantee acceptance. Ask your chosen branch to confirm which visas qualify and which original documents you need.
For retirement or marriage status, expect requests for your passport, current immigration permission and address evidence; workers should also prepare their work permit or employment documents. Banks might ask about your income, tax residence and overseas tax numbers.
Tourist, visa-exempt or DTV entry? Some banks expressly exclude these categories. Kasikornbank’s published savings-account policy does so. Do not base a move on an assurance from an agent or an old online post.
Buying a condo with imported funds? Agree the currency, payment reference and transfer route with the receiving bank before sending money. State the condominium-purchase purpose and obtain the bank evidence your Land Office requires.
Keep your existing phone number active until bank verification codes work on its replacement. For a large transfer, confirm the beneficiary details independently and consider a small test transfer first.
Opening a Thai bank account · Moving money to Thailand
Retirement funds: two different applications Changing to Non-Immigrant O status and obtaining the later annual extension have different requirements. The published conversion checklist requires more than 15 days of permitted stay remaining; allow extra time for local processing. For the standard 800,000-baht deposit route to an annual retirement extension, hold the funds for at least two months before applying and three months after permission. Afterwards, retain at least 400,000 baht and restore 800,000 in time for the next application. |
04 · Property Your condo, your house book and next year’s taxIn Supreme Court decision 144/2569, a husband was the sole registered owner of a condominium, but only his wife appeared in the unit’s house registration. Her entry did not secure the residential land-and-building-tax exemption for him, even though the property was claimed as marital property.
Section 41 of the Land and Building Tax Act links the qualifying residential exemption to ownership and the owner’s house-registration entry on 1 January of the tax year. A spouse’s entry alone is insufficient where the title is only in your name.
Check before 1 January 2027. Compare your title and house-registration details now. Foreign owners should confirm the appropriate registration with the district office and exemption eligibility with the local tax office. Registration alone does not remove the other conditions or exemption limits.
Read our analysis of the decision and what to check before January (full briefings for Silver members).
New Supreme Court decisions like this one are explained on our website every week. You will find them in our legal news section.
05 · Immigration Four updates worth knowingVisa-exempt entry changed on 15 September. The revised 30-day tourism scheme covers 60 countries and territories. Check the rule for your nationality. Earlier arrivals retain the permitted stay shown in their passport. Read the changes.
DTV applications in Laos are restricted. Since 31 August, Vientiane requires Lao nationality or permanent residence, plus criminal-record clearance. A short visit to Laos is insufficient. Read the DTV requirements.
Use the free official arrival-card website. Most foreign arrivals must complete the TDAC within the three-day window including arrival day. Submission is available through Immigration’s official website; downloading an app is unnecessary for web submission.
Deportation procedures changed on 28 August. The new regulation sets procedures for cooperation between agencies. Read the government announcement.
For updates between newsletters, follow This Week in Thai Law, our weekly news section: immigration changes, new Supreme Court decisions and the legal stories making the headlines in Thailand.
Coming soon · Free A practical retirement guide, from planning to settling inWe are preparing a completely free interactive guide to retiring in Thailand. The focus is on the decisions people face: choosing a visa, preparing their finances, finding a home and protecting their family.
We will share the guide when ready. Our November Retirement Special will take a closer look at these questions, including the order in which to handle the paperwork.
Beyond the paperwork A little food, travel and Thai lifeOn my personal website, two recent pieces offer a break from legal forms: Chinese restaurants in Hua Hin, with my own hot-pot and dim-sum experiences, and Wat Huay Mongkol, the giant monk statue, temple guardians and my honest impressions.
October also brings Phuket’s Vegetarian Festival, 10 to 18 October, with white clothing, shrine ceremonies and yellow flags marking jay food stalls. Ok Phansa falls on 26 October, marking the end of the Buddhist rains retreat.
Looking ahead: Loy Krathong falls on 24 November. On the full-moon night of the twelfth lunar month, people float small decorated baskets, called krathong, on rivers, lakes and ponds to thank the water and let go of the past year’s troubles. Sukhothai and Chiang Mai, where it coincides with the Yi Peng lantern festival, hold the best-known celebrations, but any riverside or temple pond will do. Choose a krathong made of banana trunk, leaves or bread instead of foam.
After more than twenty years here, these traditions remain part of what I enjoy about living in Thailand. If you are nearby, take time to watch, try the food and ask about the customs. There is more to settling here than getting the paperwork right.
Practical help when you need it Silver membership: 1,490 baht per year. Includes full weekly legal briefings and bilingual template downloads. For advice on your own situation, an online consultation costs 2,000 baht per hour. View membership · Book a consultation |
Best regards,
Sébastien H. Brousseau, LL.B., B.Sc.
ThaiLawOnline
Official references: Foreign income · Tax numbers · Visa exemption · DTV · Festival dates.
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