Thailand has long been a country that remote workers have flocked to for the beautiful weather, decent internet connection, and affordable cost of living.
One of the benefits of being a digital nomad is being able to earn a western wage whilst living in a country where the monthly cost of rent is equal to a really good meal out in your home country.
It’s true that you can live in Thailand very comfortably for under $1,000 per month, and the year-round sunny climate makes Thailand an excellent choice for a long-term stay.
If you’ve been a digital nomad for a while, you’ll know that visas have been a sticky situation up until recently.
With the concept of a laptop lifestyle being relatively new, countries have been a little slow on the uptake to welcome foreigners into the country for longer periods of time than they generally allow for tourists.
A lot of countries only allow tourists to stay for a period of 60-90 days, which is great for a vacation, but not so great for digital nomads who want to set up a base rather than hop around every month or two.
Chiang Mai is famed for being a digital nomad hot spot, possibly even the biggest in the world, which makes it crazy to think that Thailand hasn’t had a visa in place for digital nomads and remote workers before now.
It’s a bit like a game of Chinese whispers at the moment, but there are talks that Thailand will be the next country to set up a specific visa for those wishing to stay in the country longer whilst working remotely, and spend their hard-earned Thai Baht locally.
Up until now, nomads have had to get a 60-day tourist visa, extend it for a further 30 days at an immigration office, and then do a visa run to a neighboring country such as Malaysia, Vietnam, or Laos, before returning to Thailand to repeat the whole process again.
For those who don’t know, a visa run is where you take a quick flight to another country when you’re nearing the end of your visa, before returning after 24-48 hours to get a new tourist visa.
For those who think this process seems like a lot of hassle (and it is), the best visa option for digital nomads currently is the Thai Elite Visa, which suits those looking to live in the country for a long period of time.
It costs 600,000 Baht including annual fees (approx $18,000 USD) for 5 years and is extendable for a further year. There are also 10-year and 20-year options, which are upwards of 1,000,000 THB (approx $30,000 USD).
Although these options are great, they aren’t accessible for everyone, and we hope the Thai digital nomad visa will be announced soon.
When Thailand launches its new digital nomad visa, it will join a host of other countries welcoming remote workers, including Croatia, Greece, and the Bahamas.
