Moving to Thailand as a luk khrueng: the first 90 days

For a lot of us, moving to Thailand isn’t moving abroad. It’s moving to the other half of the family. That’s a big, emotional thing, and it’s also, very plainly, a pile of paperwork in a particular order. This page is the order. It links to our detailed guides instead of repeating them.

Last checked 14 October 2026. Rules change. Confirm every step with the Thai embassy where you live, the district office in Thailand, and, for tax, a qualified adviser. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.

Do you need a visa if you’re half Thai?

If you are a Thai citizen and use your Thai passport, you enter as a Thai national, not under the visa rules for foreigners. Thailand’s Constitution says no person of Thai nationality shall be prohibited from entering the Kingdom, and we found no official page that sets a stay limit for a Thai national on a Thai passport (details in our which passport guide). Confirm with your Thai embassy before you move. The catch is the word citizen: being Thai by family and having Thai papers are not always the same thing yet. If a parent is Thai, you can usually be Thai too, but the papers come first: see Should I get my Thai passport? and, if you hold two passports, which passport to use for Thailand.

If you don’t have a Thai passport yet, you enter on your other passport, under the rules for foreigners and with a foreigner’s time limit. Since 15 September 2026, the Thai embassy in Stockholm says nationals of the 60 countries on the visa-exemption list can stay up to 30 days without a visa “for tourism purposes and short-term business”. GOV.UK’s advice for British citizens says up to 30 days “for tourism only”. Either way, it’s for visiting, not moving.

Leave on the passport you entered with. Thai embassy pages in Washington DC and Paris say the passport you use to enter Thailand is the one you use to leave, and that mixing them can look like an overstay. So if you arrive on your other passport, plan to leave on it within its time limit, and ask your embassy before the trip if you expect to get Thai papers while you’re there. GOV.UK lists fines, detention and entry bans for foreigners who overstay. Details are in our which passport guide.

What should you sort out before you move?

The things that are done at a Thai embassy are easier while you still live near one:

1. Thai birth registration. If you were born abroad and never registered, that’s step one. Parents register children at the embassy covering the place of birth; see registering a birth at a Thai embassy.
2. Thai passport. The embassy guides we checked ask adults for a valid Thai ID card, which you can only get in Thailand the first time. If that’s you, you may enter on your other passport for the first trip, under its time limit, and plan to leave on that same passport; read the which passport guide before you book.
3. Military service (men). Thai embassy pages say the conscription law covers Thai men abroad too, including men with several citizenships who hold a Thai birth certificate. Read Thai military service for luk khrueng and ask your embassy before you move.
4. Your other country. Moving may change your tax, pension, health insurance or residence status there. Check with that country’s own authorities, and see Thai dual citizenship for what Sweden, the UK and the US say about keeping both.
5. Originals. Bring original birth certificates, your parents’ Thai ID or house registration details, and any name-change papers. The published district-office guides in our tabien baan guide list originals plus copies, for example of your passport.

What do you do in the first weeks in Thailand?

House registration (tabien baan). Your name goes into a Thai house registration, usually the family home, at the district or municipal office. That’s usually how you get a 13-digit Thai ID number. Our tabien baan guide has the steps and the documents. One 2015 municipal guide we read lists about 30 days for adding a name, and up to 60 or 90 days if the facts need checking, so ask the office how long it takes before you plan the trip around it.

Thai ID card. Your first card is made in Thailand, at a district office, once you are in a house registration. After that, embassies can usually renew it. Details: Thai ID card when born abroad.

Then the everyday things. A bank account, a phone contract, a driving licence and health cover each come with their own document list, set by the bank, operator or office, so ask them directly what they need; we don’t repeat lists here that can change any week.

A relative who knows the district office is worth more than any website. So is a good first line with the officer, and with the neighbours:

ฝากเนื้อฝากตัวด้วยนะ

faak nuea faak tua duai na

ฝากเนื้อฝากตัวด้วยนะครับ

faak nuea faak tua duai na khrap

ฝากเนื้อฝากตัวด้วยนะคะ

faak nuea faak tua duai na kha

Who is speaking?

ครับ said by a manค่ะ said by a woman

Draft: waiting for a native speaker’s review.

And for the question that will come up at every counter:

ถือสองสัญชาติ

thue sorng san-chaat

ถือสองสัญชาติครับ

thue sorng san-chaat khrap

ถือสองสัญชาติค่ะ

thue sorng san-chaat kha

Who is speaking?

ครับ said by a manค่ะ said by a woman

Draft: waiting for a native speaker’s review.

What about your non-Thai partner and children?

Family members without Thai citizenship enter under the rules for foreigners. The 30-day visa-free stay is for visits (see the visa section above), so ask about a visa that fits living there. The Stockholm embassy, for example, takes applications from residents of Sweden and Latvia through the official e-Visa portal, thaievisa.go.th, and says people who live elsewhere apply through the Thai embassy or consulate in their own country. Ask that embassy which visa category fits a family member of a Thai national in your situation.

If your children could be Thai too, ask your embassy whether registering them as Thai (birth registration, then their own passport) is an option for your family. Start with the birth registration guide and dual citizenship. Your children’s other citizenship can have its own rules once they grow up in Thailand. Sweden’s Migrationsverket, for example, says someone born outside Sweden who has never lived there, and has no ties to Sweden, loses Swedish citizenship at 22 unless they apply to keep it between 18 and 22. Check your own country’s rules.

Will you pay tax in Thailand?

Possibly. The Revenue Department says you are a Thai tax resident if you stay in Thailand for more than 180 days in total in a calendar year. Residents pay tax on income from Thai sources and on the part of their foreign income they bring into Thailand. If you work remotely for a company abroad or keep income in your other country, get advice from a qualified tax adviser who knows both countries. Don’t plan around forum posts.

Can you use Thai public healthcare?

Thailand’s Universal Coverage Scheme, introduced in 2002, is for Thai nationals who aren’t covered by the civil servant or Social Security schemes. Its funding goes through the National Health Security Office. Once you have your ID card, ask a local public hospital or the National Health Security Office how to register. If you work for a private Thai employer, the Social Security scheme may cover you instead. The Universal Coverage Scheme is described as a scheme for Thai nationals, so look into health insurance for non-Thai family members before you move.

What about school for the kids?

Choosing between Thai, bilingual and international schools is its own decision, and it depends a lot on how much Thai your children have now. Two pages to start with: raising bilingual Thai kids and should my kid go to Thai school? Our guide to schools in Thailand when you move back compares the school types and the school year.

What we couldn’t confirm

• A single official checklist for Thai citizens born abroad who move to Thailand. We found none; the steps above are assembled from separate embassy and agency pages.
• How long each district office takes. It varies; ask locally.
• Exact visa requirements for non-Thai family members in 2026. The official e-Visa portal and your embassy are the only reliable sources.

The part no form covers

Moving back can feel like coming home and like being new at the same time, and the first months can be lonely. If that sounds familiar, read life between two homes, and, for why people make the move and what it tends to feel like, moving back to Thailand. You’re not the only one.

Thai words on this page are a draft until a native speaker has reviewed them. Last checked 14 October 2026; confirm with your embassy and the district office.