Thailand

01The country in 30 seconds

Thailand is one of the most established relocation spots for people leaving Russia. Life is cheap, warm, and easygoing, with great food everywhere. But right now, visas and banking need real planning — rules for Russians are shifting fast in 2026.

• Visa-free stay drops from 60 to 30 days on 15 September 2026
• Mir cards don't work at all — bring backup cards and cash
• Best long-term options: DTV for remote workers, retirement visa for 50+
• A comfortable single-person budget runs about $900-1,800/month
• Facts checked as of September 2026

02Who it's for

Thailand fits you well if:

• you can work remotely for clients or an employer outside Thailand
• you want warm weather and cheap daily life
• you're comfortable planning around visa deadlines and paperwork
• you don't mind using cash and workarounds instead of one simple bank card
• you like a big, active expat community
• you're flexible about which city you settle in

Maybe not for you if:

• you need a Thai employer and a normal work visa without hassle
• you want simple, guaranteed banking from day one
• you can't handle a visa or banking rule changing on short notice

03Entry & visa

Right now, Russian citizens can enter Thailand without a visa for up to 60 days. But this is changing soon.

Before you fly, you also need to fill in the TDAC (Thailand Digital Arrival Card). Do this online, usually up to 72 hours before your flight. It is separate from your visa.

If you want to stay longer on one trip, you can apply for a 60-day Tourist Visa (TR) at the Thai Embassy in Moscow. You can extend it once, for 30 more days, at a local immigration office (about 1,900 baht).

There is an e-visa site, thaievisa.go.th. But online payment does not work yet for applicants from Russia. You pay in cash, in US dollars, at the embassy in Moscow. Processing takes up to 14 business days.

Visa runs (leaving and coming back just to reset your visa-free days) are getting harder. Immigration officers now often give shorter stamps or refuse entry if they see this pattern at land borders. A safer option is the official 30-day extension (about 1,900 baht) at an immigration office, or getting a proper visa if you plan to stay longer.

04Residency & legalization

Thailand has no special visa just for Russians. You use the same long-term options as everyone else. The hard part for Russians is usually moving money into Thailand, not the paperwork itself (more on this below).

Main paths to a long-term stay:

1. Retirement visa (Non-O-A/Non-O-X) — for people 50 and older. You need ฿800,000 in a Thai bank (held for 2 months before you apply, never below ฿400,000 during the year), or income from ฿65,000/month. You also need health insurance (฿40,000/400,000 outpatient/inpatient). Renew every year.
2. Marriage visa (Non-O) — for people married to a Thai citizen. Lower money requirements: about ฿400,000 on deposit or income from ฿40,000/month.
3. Work visa (Non-B) — needs a Thai employer, a contract, and a spot in the company's foreign-worker quota.
4. Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) — for freelancers and remote employees of foreign companies. 5 years, multiple entries, up to 180 days per entry, extendable once for another 180 days (฿1,900). You need ฿500,000 in funds. Since late August 2026 you also need a criminal-record certificate from your home country.
5. Thailand Privilege (formerly Elite) — a paid status, 5-20 years, from about ฿650,000 to ฿5,000,000 one-time. No work rights, no age or job requirements.
6. Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa — 10 years, for high earners, pensioners, remote workers, and skilled professionals. You need a high income or large assets, and the exact amount depends on the category. It comes with a work permit and a flat 17% tax rate.

Getting the required money into Thailand is often the real obstacle for Russians. Some Russian banks are cut off from SWIFT, and Russian banks often ask for proof of purpose or refuse large transfers. Thai banks also apply extra checks to money coming from Russia.

05Work & taxes

You can work remotely for foreign clients or employers, but only the DTV visa makes this fully legal. It does not allow you to work for Thai clients or companies without a work permit.

Many remote workers just work quietly on tourist or visa-exempt stays. This is a gray area. It is not clearly enforced, but it is not technically legal either.

Tax residency: if you spend 180+ days a year in Thailand, you are a tax resident. You then pay Thai tax on:

• all Thailand-source income
• foreign income, only if you bring it into Thailand in the same year you earn it

Income tax for residents goes up in steps, from 0% to 35% on income above ฿5,000,000. LTR visa holders pay a flat 17% instead.

There is no separate simple tax setup for freelancers. Instead, freelancers can deduct a fixed 60% of income as expenses under Section 40(6)/40(8), with no receipts needed (capped around ฿600,000). Income from professional services under Section 40(2) gets a smaller 50% deduction, capped at ฿100,000. VAT registration (7%) only applies above ฿1.8 million/year in revenue.

06Banks, cards & money

UnionPay cards from some Russian banks still work for ATM withdrawals and payments. This can change at any time — it depends on which bank issued the card. Gazprombank cards stopped working, but Rosselkhozbank cards still worked in 2026. Bring a backup: a non-Russian Visa/Mastercard if you can get one, plus cash in US dollars or euros.

You cannot open a Thai bank account on a tourist stamp or tourist visa anymore. Since early 2025, banks only open accounts for people with a long-term visa (Non-O, Non-B, retirement, Elite/Privilege), or with a signed property purchase or long-term lease contract.

Without a Thai bank account, you can still use TrueMoney Wallet. You register it with your passport and a Thai phone number. You top it up with cash at 7-Eleven — a foreign card will not work for top-ups.

Without a linked Thai bank account, this wallet often cannot scan PromptPay QR codes at markets and street stalls. But it works fine in chain stores.

Always carry some cash. It is still the most reliable backup for any situation.

07Renting a place

Look for rentals on DDproperty, Hipflat, FazWaz, RENT.co.th, or Facebook expat groups. In Phuket and Chiang Mai, many good listings are only on Facebook groups or with small local agents. Agents are often free for tenants — the landlord pays the fee.

Standard deposit: 2 months' rent as a security deposit, plus 1 month rent in advance. That is 3 months of rent upfront when you sign. This is normal everywhere in Thailand, not a red flag by itself.

Typical contracts run for 1 year, sometimes with a break clause after 6 months. Short-term furnished condos are easy to find in tourist areas, but cost more per month.

Also check that the agent has a real license, and match the landlord's ID and the property's title deed (chanote) to the person you are actually dealing with. Get deposit-return terms in writing — some landlords later invent "damage" just to keep the deposit.

08SIM card & internet

The two main carriers are AIS and True (True merged with dtac in 2025). eSIMs are widely available from all providers and resellers like Airalo or Holafly.

A local prepaid SIM with about 10-15GB data costs around ฿200-300/month (~$6-9). Airport tourist SIMs cost ฿300-400 for 8 days of unlimited data. eSIM tourist plans run about $5-8 for 5GB/30 days, or $20-28 for a bigger monthly plan.

Home fiber internet (500 Mbps-1 Gbps) costs about ฿500-900/month (~$15-27). It is widely available in Bangkok, Phuket, and Chiang Mai from AIS Fibre, True, and others.

09Healthcare & insurance

Public hospitals are technically open to foreigners, but they are not built for you: mostly Thai-language only, long waits, and full price (not free). Most expats use private hospitals and insurance instead.

Private or travel health insurance costs roughly $50-150/month, depending on your age and coverage. Note: the retirement visa's legal minimum (฿40,000 outpatient/฿400,000 inpatient) is often lower than what you actually need as a working-age adult.

Good private hospitals: Bumrungrad, Bangkok Hospital, and Samitivej in Bangkok; Bangkok Hospital Phuket; Bangkok Hospital Chiang Mai and Chiangmai Ram in Chiang Mai. They all speak English and meet international hospital standards. A basic private ER visit without insurance can cost ฿15,000-50,000+ (over $500).

10Transport

Bangkok has the BTS Skytrain and MRT metro — fast, air-conditioned, and cheap (a single ticket is about ฿36, a monthly pass about ฿1,177). Phuket and Chiang Mai have no metro. There you'll use songthaews (shared pickup trucks), Grab, or a rented scooter.

Grab is the main ride-hailing and food delivery app in all three cities. There is no Yandex Go or Didi in Thailand.

Scooter rental is cheap (about ฿150-300/day) and very common, but scooters are also the top cause of tourist injuries.

11Safety & important laws

Thailand is generally safe. Violent crime against foreigners is rare. The real risks are petty scams, traffic accidents (especially on scooters), and rules that are easy to break by accident.

Common scams:

• Tuk-tuk drivers claiming a shop is "closed today" and taking you somewhere else — always use the meter or Grab instead
• Scooter or jet-ski rental scams, where the owner claims fake "damage" — photograph the vehicle before and after renting
• Officers asking for cash "fines" on the spot — you can ask to go to the police station instead

Cannabis was re-restricted in 2025. Unauthorized use can mean up to 1 year in jail plus a ฿20,000 fine.

Other things that trip up foreigners: vaping is fully illegal (fines of ฿20,000-30,000+ and confiscation, with enforcement rising sharply in 2026), missing your TM30 address registration, riding a motorbike without a helmet or IDP, and overstaying your visa (฿500/day fine, and repeat offenses can get you blacklisted).

Emergency numbers — see Health above.

12How much money you need per month

Total: $900-1,800 per month per person

13Step-by-step moving plan

1. Check your visa-free days before booking flights (30 days from 15 September 2026).
2. Fill in the TDAC form online, up to 72 hours before your flight.
3. Book a short-term room for your first weeks, then look for a longer rental in person.
4. Ask your host or hotel to confirm they filed your TM30 registration, and keep the receipt.
5. Get private health insurance before you fly, or right after you land.
6. Buy a local SIM or eSIM at the airport or a 7-Eleven.
7. If you plan to work remotely, look into the DTV visa instead of staying on tourist status.
8. Once you have a long-term visa, open a Thai bank account and set up an e-wallet like TrueMoney.
9. Renew your visa or extension before it expires, and track TM30 filings whenever you change address or travel.

14Useful links & Telegram

• Thailand Immigration Bureau
• Thailand e-Visa portal
• TDAC — Thailand Digital Arrival Card
• Thailand income tax for foreigners — Wise
• DTV visa guide — Emerhub
• Bangkok rental scams — Superagent