Thailand Digital Nomad Visa: A Guide for Australians

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Thailand digital nomad visa
Are you ready to live and work in Thailand for the next decade? Photo by Pascal Debrunner/Unsplash.

There’s a newly launched digital nomad visa for Australians to live and work in tropical Thailand for up to 10 years! Here’s everything you need to know about the visa before applying, including the requirements, costs and application process.

What is a digital nomad visa?

While each visa is different, they generally offer those who earn their income independently of the country that they are in (such as remote workers, freelancers, entrepreneurs and online business owners) 1-3 years in which to legally travel and work in that country.

Thailand Digital Nomad Visa

New Thailand 10-Year Digital Nomad Visa 2022 Announcement

Thailand’s new digital nomad visa, called the Long-Term Resident Visa (LTR), has been designed to attract “…one million wealthy or talented residents into the country over the next five years.” The Thai Government has offered to ease restrictions for foreign residents who enter on this new visa, including yearly reporting to the Immigration Department (instead of the current 90 days).

There are four main categories of people that Thailand wants to encourage to live and work in the country. All categories offer sponsorship for your spouse and up to four children under the age of 20 to accompany you.

  • Wealthy Global Citizen – Those with $1 million USD (≈$1.4million AUD) or more in assets;
  • Wealthy Pensioner – Retirees aged 50 years or older with an “annual pension or stable income“;
  • Work from Thailand Professional – Remote employees working for a “well-established company“;
  • Highly Skilled Professional – Professionals or experts in targeted industries that will be using these skills in a Thai organisation (see below).

Keep reading to find out all the requirements and if you qualify.

Thailand Digital Nomad Visa Requirements

The requirements for the Thailand Digital Nomad (LTR) Visa differ for each application category:

Wealthy Global Citizen

This Visa is similar to other Investment/ ‘Golden’ Visas worldwide. In order to apply under this category, you must:

  • Have at least $1 million USD [≈$1.4million AUD] or more in assets;
  • Have had a personal income of $80k USD/year [≈$112k AUD] for the last two years;
  • Make an “Investment of at least $500k USD [≈$705k AUD] in Thai government bonds, foreign direct investment, or Thai property“.
  • Have health insurance with at least $50k USD [$70k AUD] coverage or benefits ensuring treatment in Thailand or $100k USD [$140k AUD].

Wealthy Pensioner

This Visa is similar to other Retirement Visas worldwide. In order to apply under this category, you must:

  • Have a personal income of $80k USD/year [≈$112k AUD];
  • In case of personal income between $40k USD [≈$56k AUD] and $80k USD/year [≈$112k AUD], you must make an investment of “…at least $250k USD [≈$352k AUD] in Thai government bonds, foreign direct investment, or Thai property“.
  • Have health insurance with at least $50k USD [$70k AUD] coverage or benefits ensuring treatment in Thailand or $100k USD [$140k AUD].

Work-from-Thailand Professional

This Visa is aimed at remote workers who can do their job from within Thailand. In order to apply under this category, you must:

  • Have a personal income of $80k USD/year [≈$112k AUD];
  • In case of personal income between $40k USD [≈$56k AUD] and $80k USD/year [≈$112k AUD], you must have a Master’s Degree (or above); OR your own Intellectual Property (IP); OR have received Series A funding [for entrepreneurs].
  • The company that you work for must be “…a public company listed on the stock exchange; OR a private company in operation for over 3 years with combined revenue of $150M USD [≈$211M AUD] in the last three years.
  • At least 5 years of work experience in the relevant fields in the last 10 years.
  • Have health insurance with at least $50k USD [$70k AUD] coverage or benefits ensuring treatment in Thailand or $100k USD [$140k AUD].

Highly Skilled Professional

This Visa isn’t exactly for digital nomads but is instead aimed at remote workers who will be going to Thailand to work for Thai businesses, higher education institutes, research centres, and specialised training centres and Government agencies. Those who qualify for this category will be eligible for a 17% personal tax rate. In order to apply under this category, you must:

  • Have a personal income of $80k USD/year [≈$112k AUD];
  • In case of personal income between $40k USD [≈$56k AUD] and $80k USD/year [≈$112k AUD], you must have a Master’s Degree (or above) in Science or Technology relevant to the job assignment in Thailand.
  • Have health insurance with at least $50k USD [$70k AUD] coverage or benefits ensuring treatment in Thailand or $100k USD [$140k AUD].

Thailand Digital Nomad Visa Costs

The processing fee for the 10-Year Digital Nomad (LTR) Visa is 50,000 Baht (≈$2000 AUD). Once approved, you will need to pay a yearly fee of 3,000 Baht (≈$120 AUD) for your Work Permit.

Thailand Digital Nomad Visa Application

Applications for the Thailand Digital Nomad (LTR Visa) open on September 1, 2022. You need to register and submit your application online with your verified documents. You will know the outcome within 20 working days after your application. ‘Qualified’ applicants then need to apply for the visa formally at their nearest Thai Embassy or Consulate within 60 days of their endorsement letter.

To apply, visit: Long Term Resident Visa

Thailand Digital Nomad Cost of Living

If you are eligible for the Digital Nomad Visa in Thailand, the low cost of living will make for an appealing lifestyle. The COL in Bangkok, Thailand is 43.70% lower than in Sydney, Australia.

Thailand Digital Nomad Community

There are significant ex-pat/digital nomad communities in Bangkok, Koh Phangan and Koh Samui.

Thailand Digital Nomad Information

Fixed internet speed (Global): ≈206.81 Mbps (7/100)
Global peace index: 103/163
Official site: Royal Thai Embassy Canberra

Thailand Digital Nomad Visa / Long Term Resident (LTR) Visa

As you can see, Thailand makes an affordable and attractive location for digital nomads, but the strict eligibility requirements for the new Digital Nomad (LTR) Visa mean that many will not quite make the cut. For those who do, the 10-year visa will be the longest currently available remote work visa in the world and offers an amazing opportunity to base yourself in South-East Asia for the next decade!

If you don’t quite meet the criteria, the digital nomad visa for Thailand isn’t your only option. If you’re aged 18-30 and have completed at least 3 years of university, you could apply to live in Thailand for up to 12 months with a Working Holiday Visa. The visa costs ≈$300 AUD.

For everyone else, there are still more than 50+ other countries where you can live and work, so check out our guide…

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