Visiting
Since 15 September 2026, New Zealand passport holders can enter Thailand without a visa for tourism for up to 30 days. You need a passport valid for six months, a ticket out within 30 days and a minimum amount in funds. To be safe, show more than NZ$2,100. 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.
- Every foreign visitor, including those entering visa-free, completes the Thailand Digital Arrival Card online within three days before arriving.
Sources: Royal Thai Embassy, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT Newsroom), Royal Thai Consulate-General. Checked 15 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. The Washington and Helsinki embassies ask for statements ending with the minimum balance, and Washington asks for it in each of the last three months. To be safe, hold more than THB 510,000, about NZ$27,000 at the Bank of Thailand rate of 9 October 2026.
- 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.
- 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, which the Wellington embassy issues for work, and a Ministry of Labour approval letter (WP32).
More detail
The LTR gives five years, renewable for five more, with yearly instead of 90-day reporting. It needs health cover.
The O-A long-stay visa is only for people aged 50 or over.
Sources: Royal Thai Embassy, Thailand Board of Investment (BOI), Bank of Thailand. Checked 11 October 2026.
Documents, fees and timing
The Wellington embassy only accepts applications from residents of New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Samoa and Niue, and it publishes no DTV checklist of its own. All applications go through the Thai e-Visa system, and fees are not refundable. Processing takes around 5 to 10 working days once the embassy has every document, and an application missing documents for 90 days is cancelled.
- The Washington embassy's checklist asks for a passport valid for six months, a recent photo, proof of where you live, 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. Ask Wellington which criminal record check it accepts from New Zealand applicants.
- Wellington's reduced fees run from 5 July to 31 December 2026: NZ$1,500 for the DTV, NZ$5,000 for the LTR and NZ$700 for a single-entry Non-Immigrant visa. Its visa pages list the earlier fees of NZ$2,000, NZ$6,000 and NZ$800, so check which apply if you apply after 31 December.
- Fees differ from one Thai mission to another, so confirm the amount in the e-Visa system before you pay.
More detail
Non-Immigrant visas from Wellington need a reference letter from a company in New Zealand or Thailand and a return ticket or itinerary. The LTR needs a Board of Investment endorsement first.
The Board of Investment lists its own LTR fee as THB 50,000 per person for the 10-year visa, collected in Thailand. It says embassy and e-visa fees vary and can be considerably higher.
Sources: Royal Thai Embassy, Thailand Board of Investment (BOI). 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 New Zealand tax residence. New Zealand 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.
- You stop being a New Zealand tax resident only if you are away more than 325 days in a 12-month period and have no permanent place of abode in New Zealand. Family and economic ties count towards one.
- Until then, New Zealand taxes your worldwide income, with a credit for overseas tax that is usually capped.
More detail
The agreement settles dual residence by permanent home, then closer personal and economic ties. It lets Thailand tax employment income for work done there when you are present more than 183 days in a 12-month period or are paid by a Thai employer, and freelance income after 183 days or with a fixed base. It says pensions are taxed only where you are resident.
If you do become non-resident, tell your bank so the right withholding tax is deducted. The agreement caps it at 15% on dividends and 10% or 15% on interest.
Thailand is not on New Zealand's list of social security agreements. We found no official source for what Thai social security costs, so that is unknown here.
Government KiwiSaver contributions need you to live mainly in New Zealand. After a year living overseas (not in Australia) you can withdraw most of your savings, but not government contributions.
A student loan stops being interest-free from the day after you leave if you become overseas-based, which happens when you spend less than 32 days in New Zealand in a 184-day period. If you already get NZ Super, you may be able to keep it in Thailand, at a rate based on how long you lived in New Zealand between 20 and 65. Apply at least six weeks before leaving.
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.
Sources: The Revenue Department (Thailand), Inland Revenue (New Zealand), New Zealand Legislation, Work and Income (Ministry of Social Development, New Zealand), Royal Thai Embassy, Thailand Board of Investment (BOI). Checked 15 October 2026.
Setting up
New Zealand's reciprocal health agreements cover only Australia and the UK, and public health care for citizens is provided in New Zealand, so nothing covers you in Thailand by default. SafeTravel says people living in Thailand should hold comprehensive insurance that includes medical evacuation by air. 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.
- Keep your New Zealand bank informed. If you become non-resident, Inland Revenue says to update your details so the right withholding tax is deducted.
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), Health New Zealand (Te Whatu Ora), New Zealand Government (govt.nz), Inland Revenue (New Zealand), Royal Thai Embassy, Thailand Board of Investment (BOI), Royal Thai Consulate-General, SafeTravel (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, New Zealand). Checked 16 October 2026.
Living in Chiang Mai
New Zealand advises increased caution in Thailand, and warns of poor air quality and high PM2.5 levels in urban areas, Bangkok in particular. We found no official source for the weather, rents or other living costs in Chiang Mai, so they are unknown here.
- Road accidents are common, and motorcyclists and pedestrians are most at risk.
Sources: SafeTravel (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, New Zealand). 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: SafeTravel notes regular large political demonstrations, and says poor air quality and high PM2.5 levels affect urban areas, Bangkok in particular.
- Phuket: we found no official source on conditions there.
Sources: SafeTravel (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, New Zealand). Checked 16 October 2026.
New Zealand
Thailand