Guides · Earning while you're here

Working and digital nomads

Teaching, creating, remote work and the DTV. Who makes a living here, and why so many digital nomads don't last.

Remote work is legal here only on the right visa. Since September 2026 the visa exemption has been for tourism only (the entry rules board has the detail), so a laptop and a visa-free stamp is no longer a grey area.

The visa built for remote workers is the Destination Thailand Visa (DTV): five years, multiple entries, long stays per entry, and a savings test plus proof of work for employers or clients abroad. The visa guide has the current figures and how to apply. Embassies have been strict about savings that appear just before the application, so let the money sit for months first.

The DTV does not let you work for a Thai company or Thai clients. That needs a non-immigrant visa backed by a Thai employer and a work permit, which is how most foreign teachers work here. Working without a permit risks fines and deportation.

Tax follows time, not visas: spend 180 days or more here in a calendar year and you are a Thai tax resident, liable on foreign income you bring in.

Bangkok is cheap to arrive in and expensive to stay in comfortably. Most nomads who leave do so because the income ran out, not the visa.