Visiting
Since 15 September 2026, Australian passport holders can enter Thailand without a visa for tourism for up to 30 days. One extension of up to 30 days is at the immigration officer's discretion. Land-border entries on the exemption are limited to two a calendar year.
- Smartraveller says to be ready to show accommodation, funds and an onward or return ticket, with a passport valid for more than six months.
- The embassy page on the scheme asks for a minimum amount of cash per person. To be safe, carry more than THB 21,000.
More detail
Smartraveller says you may only be allowed two visa-free entries a calendar year without a justifiable reason.
Complete the digital arrival card within three days before you arrive.
Sources: Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT Newsroom), Royal Thai Embassy, Smartraveller (Australian Government, DFAT). Checked 16 October 2026.
Staying longer
The Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) lasts five years with multiple entries. Each entry allows 180 days, and you can apply once at immigration to extend by another 180 days. After that you must leave and re-enter. The embassy pages do not say whether you may serve Thai clients, and the DTV is not a Thai work permit.
- The test is a balance, not an income. Washington asks for three months of statements, each ending at the minimum balance. To be safe, hold more than THB 510,000, about A$21,800.
- The Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa is set as an income instead. To be safe, plan for more than US$81,000 a year on average over two years, or more than US$41,000 with a master's degree or higher.
More detail
The LTR Work-from-Thailand category is for employees of a listed company, or of one with at least three years of operation and US$50 million in combined revenue over three years. Freelancers do not fit it as written.
Working for a Thai company needs a Non-Immigrant B visa and a Ministry of Labour approval letter (WP32).
The LTR gives five years, renewable for five more, with yearly instead of 90-day reporting. It needs health cover and a Board of Investment endorsement first.
Sources: Royal Thai Embassy, Thailand Board of Investment (BOI), Bank of Thailand. Checked 11 October 2026.
Documents, fees and timing
The Canberra embassy takes DTV applications from residents of the ACT, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, Tasmania, South Australia and the Northern Territory. New South Wales residents apply to the Sydney consulate-general. Everything goes through the Thai e-Visa system, and fees are not refundable. Processing takes at least 10 business days and can take four to six weeks.
- Canberra publishes no DTV checklist. Washington's asks for a passport valid for six months, a recent photo, proof of permanent residence, three months of bank statements, proof of work (an employment contract, or a portfolio for freelancers) and a criminal record clearance issued within three months.
- Sydney's fee list of 15 July 2024 shows A$600 for the DTV, A$3,000 for the LTR and A$120 for a single-entry Non-Immigrant visa. Canberra publishes no fee list, so we do not know if it charges the same.
- Confirm the amount in the e-Visa system before you pay.
More detail
Since 31 August 2026, Canberra's announcement replaces the document showing your current location with proof of permanent residence, and adds a criminal record clearance. Earlier applications follow the old rules. Ask the embassy which police check it accepts from Australian applicants.
Sources: Royal Thai Embassy, Royal Thai Consulate-General. Checked 15 October 2026.
Tax
Thailand treats you as a tax resident after about 180 days in a calendar year, and a resident is taxed on foreign income brought into Thailand. The Revenue Department's 2024 return guide applies this to foreign income earned from 1 January 2024 onwards and remitted to Thailand in the same or a later year. A year away does not by itself end Australian tax residence. Australia and Thailand have a tax agreement but no social security agreement.
- Thai rates on net income: nothing on the first THB 150,000, then 5% rising in steps to 30% between THB 2 million and 5 million, and 35% above THB 5 million.
- The LTR visa lists a tax exemption for overseas income among its privileges. The DTV pages list none, and a DTV stay of 180 days plus a 180-day extension can make you resident.
More detail
The ATO says you are generally an Australian resident if you go overseas temporarily and do not set up a permanent home in another country. You declare income from Australia and overseas, with a possible offset for foreign tax paid.
As a citizen you cannot cash out super because you move. The departing Australia superannuation payment is for temporary residents who are not citizens or permanent residents.
The 1989 agreement settles dual residence by permanent home, then habitual abode, then closer personal and economic relations. It lets Thailand tax employment income for work done there if you are present more than 183 days or paid by a Thai employer, and freelance income if you are there more than 183 days or have a fixed base. Australia credits Thai tax paid, but where Thailand taxes income only when it is remitted, the relief covers only the part remitted. Treasury lists the Multilateral Instrument as modifying the agreement.
If you stop being an Australian resident, assets other than taxable Australian property, such as many shares, are treated as sold at market value unless you choose to disregard this. Thailand is not on Australia's list of 32 social security agreement countries.
If you have a HELP, VET Student Loan or Australian Apprenticeship Support Loan, you must still repay it. Submit an overseas travel notification within 7 days of leaving if you intend to be away 183 days or more in any 12 months, and report your worldwide income each year. If you get Age Pension, you move to an outside-Australia rate from the day you leave.
We found no official source for what Thai social security costs, so it is unknown here.
Sources: The Revenue Department (Thailand), Australian Taxation Office, Federal Register of Legislation (Australian Government), Australian Treasury, Department of Social Services, Services Australia, Royal Thai Embassy, Thailand Board of Investment (BOI). Checked 15 October 2026.
Setting up
Medicare does not cover you overseas, and Australia's reciprocal health agreements cover eleven countries, not Thailand. Smartraveller says hospitals may ask for a deposit, your insurance and a valid visa before admitting you, and medical evacuation can be very expensive. The DTV pages list no insurance requirement, and the LTR asks for at least US$50,000 of cover or an alternative. We found no official prices for private insurance, so that cost is unknown.
- If you have income taxable in Thailand, apply for a tax identification number on form L.P. 10.1 within 60 days of first earning it, at a revenue office.
- Your landlord must notify immigration within 24 hours of your arrival at the property (form TM.30).
- If you stay more than 90 days, report your address to immigration every 90 days, within 7 days either side. Reporting late carries a fine of THB 2,000, and at least THB 4,000 if you are arrested before you report.
- With a myGov account linked to ATO online services, you can lodge your return, manage your super and update your contact details from overseas.
More detail
We found no official source on opening a Thai bank account as a foreign resident, so we cannot say what banks accept.
Sources: The Revenue Department (Thailand), Services Australia, Victorian Department of Health, Australian Taxation Office, Royal Thai Embassy, Thailand Board of Investment (BOI), Smartraveller (Australian Government, DFAT), Royal Thai Consulate-General. Checked 16 October 2026.
Living in Chiang Mai
Smartraveller advises a high degree of caution in Thailand, and warns that air pollution can reach hazardous levels, particularly in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. It says smoke haze affects the north from December to April. We found no official source for rents or other living costs in Chiang Mai, so they are unknown here.
- Heavy rain, floods and landslides can happen in the wet season, from May to November.
- Thailand has one of the highest traffic-related fatality rates in the world, and motorcyclists are most at risk.
Sources: Smartraveller (Australian Government, DFAT). Checked 16 October 2026.
Other places we looked at
The research also looked at Bangkok and Phuket, for contrast. We found no official source for rents in either, so they are unknown here.
- Bangkok: Smartraveller says large protests have occurred, and that air pollution can reach hazardous levels.
- Phuket: Smartraveller says swimming conditions at some beaches are unsafe, with strong rips, and that earthquakes occur in Thailand.
Sources: Smartraveller (Australian Government, DFAT). Checked 16 October 2026.
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