Skip to content

Insights

Reading for a considered purchase.

Short, sourced pieces from the property, investment and legal-liaison desks. They sit alongside — not on top of — the foreign-buyer guide and the investor notes, and every legal-topic piece carries the same reminder that it is general information, not legal advice.

Legal insight

  1. Legal insightDoes buying a condominium give you the right to live in Thailand?No — a Thai condominium confers ownership of the unit, not a visa or the right to stay. Ownership and immigration are separate systems; here is why, and the routes that actually grant a long-term stay.25 July 20265 min read
  2. Legal insightRetirement visas in Thailand: the Non-O, O-A and O-X comparedThailand's retirement routes for the over-50s — the Non-Immigrant O, O-A and O-X — set against their financial thresholds, health-insurance rules and the annual extension, with dated sources.25 July 20266 min read
  3. Legal insightThe marriage visa (Non-O) for spouses of Thai nationals: money, documents and the annual extensionThe marriage-based Non-Immigrant O is a long-stay permission for a foreigner married to a Thai national, extended year to year by the Immigration Bureau on a financial test — not granted by the marriage itself, and separate from any property your spouse owns.25 July 20266 min read
  4. Legal insightWorking in Thailand: do you need a Non-B visa and a work permit?Yes — working lawfully in Thailand takes two separate documents from two separate authorities: a visa that permits employment (usually the Non-Immigrant B) and a work permit from the Department of Employment. Here is the sequence, the employer's requirements, and why managing your own rental can raise a work-permit question.25 July 20267 min read
  5. Legal insightThe Education (ED) visa: studying in Thailand, the requirements, and an honest caveatThe Non-Immigrant ED visa lets a foreigner come to Thailand to study, and only to study. Here are the published requirements and limits, and the honest caveat on treating it as a long-stay route — with dated Immigration Bureau and embassy sources.25 July 20266 min read
  6. Legal insightThe SMART visa: BOI endorsement, the five categories, and what a 2025 reform changedThe SMART visa is a Board of Investment (BOI) route for skilled and entrepreneurial foreigners in Thailand's targeted industries. Its five categories (T, I, E, S, O) were restructured in February 2025 — talents, investors and executives now go to the LTR visa, leaving the startup route open. Here is the current position, dated to BOI sources.25 July 20265 min read
  7. Legal insightShort stays in Thailand: visa exemption, tourist visas and extensions of stayVisa exemption, a tourist visa and a 30-day extension are all short-stay tourist permissions counted in days — and none of them is a right to live in Thailand, even for an owner. This note sets out the current durations, the extension process and the overstay penalties, with dated MFA and Immigration Bureau sources.25 July 20265 min read
  8. Legal insightThe Destination Thailand Visa (DTV): a five-year visa for remote workers — not a Thai work permitThe DTV is a five-year, multiple-entry visa for remote workers and soft-power participants, letting you stay up to 180 days per entry on proof of THB 500,000. It is not a Thai work permit and does not let you work for a Thai employer. Here is how it works, and how it compares.25 July 20265 min read
  9. Legal insightThe LTR visa in depth: the four BOI categories, criteria and processThe Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa is a ten-year visa run by Thailand's Board of Investment for four categories of applicant. This note sets out the published qualifying criteria, benefits, documents and process for each — with dated BOI sources and no promise of approval.25 July 20266 min read
  10. Legal insightThe Thailand Privilege visa (formerly Elite): tiers, fees and what it does not giveThailand Privilege is a paid long-stay membership run by Thailand Privilege Card Co., Ltd. — not residence, not citizenship, and no right to work. Here are the current published tiers and fees, and how the firm assists with the application.25 July 20264 min read
  11. Legal insightPermanent residence in Thailand: eligibility, quota and how it differs from a long-stay visaPermanent residence (PR) lets a foreigner stay in Thailand indefinitely without renewing a visa, but it is governed by an annual per-nationality quota and strict eligibility under the Immigration Act. This note sets out the years required, the categories, the process, the fees and the difference from a long-stay visa — with dated official sources and no promise of approval.25 July 20266 min read
  12. Legal insightStaying compliant in Thailand: 90-day reporting, re-entry permits and the TM30Holding a long-stay Thai visa carries four continuing duties: 90-day address reporting, the TM30 notification, a re-entry permit before you travel, and never overstaying — and the TM30 duty falls on the property owner, so it is yours when you let your condominium. This note sets out each, with current figures and dated Immigration Bureau sources.25 July 20266 min read
  13. Legal insightWhat does a lawyer check before you buy a Thai condominium?The six things a lawyer independently verifies before your money is committed — title, encumbrances, foreign quota, the developer, the contract and the juristic person — and why each is a separate legal engagement.25 July 20269 min read
  14. Legal insightNominee company structures: why we will not set one upA nominee company — Thai shareholders holding shares in name only so a foreigner can control land — is unlawful under the Land Code and the Foreign Business Act. We decline to build one, and here are the lawful routes we use instead.25 July 20268 min read
  15. Legal insightWhat happens to a foreign-owned Thai condo when the owner dies?A foreign-owned unit passes to the owner's heirs under Thai succession law — it is not lost on death. A foreign heir must qualify to hold it under the Condominium Act or dispose of it within one year. Here is how succession works, and why a Thai will is worth having.25 July 20268 min read
  16. Legal insightTax for foreign property investors in ThailandA foreign owner who lets a Thai condominium pays Thai tax on the rent, and taxes fall due again on sale — but the exact bill depends on how long and how you hold the unit, so this is a map of the charges, not a calculation of yours. Here is how rental income is taxed and what is withheld, what arises when you sell, and where your own tax residence starts to matter.25 July 202610 min read
  17. Legal insightIs renting your Thai condo on Airbnb legal? Short-term letting and the Hotel ActNo — nightly and weekly letting of a Thai condominium is generally a hotel business under the Hotel Act B.E. 2547 (2004) and needs a licence most buildings would never allow; a lease of one month or longer is the lawful route.25 July 20267 min read

Insights

Start with the fundamentals

These pieces assume the ownership rules the foreign-buyer guide sets out, and the machinery the investor notes explain. If any of it is new, begin there.