Key tax rules for European expatriates living and working in Thailand. Updated for 2025. Thailand's foreign income tax rules changed materially from 1 January 2024 and many long-term expats are not aware of the shift. This page covers the current position.
How you become a tax resident
Thailand determines tax residency by physical presence. Spend 180 days or more in Thailand in a calendar year and you are a Thai tax resident for that year. The count applies to the calendar year running 1 January to 31 December. There is no day-count exception based on immigration status or employment pass type.
Non-residents earning Thai-sourced income are taxed at the resident rates, but are not liable on foreign income. Residents are taxed on Thai-sourced income and, from January 2024, on foreign-sourced income remitted to Thailand in the same year it is earned.
Progressive rate schedule for residents
| Chargeable Income (THB) | Rate |
|---|---|
| 0 to 150,000 | Exempt |
| 150,001 to 300,000 | 5% |
| 300,001 to 500,000 | 10% |
| 500,001 to 750,000 | 15% |
| 750,001 to 1,000,000 | 20% |
| 1,000,001 to 2,000,000 | 25% |
| 2,000,001 to 5,000,000 | 30% |
| Above 5,000,000 | 35% |
Capital gains treatment
Thailand does not have a separate capital gains tax. However, gains from the sale of assets may be treated as assessable income and taxed at the progressive income tax rates if the Revenue Department determines the activity constitutes a trade or a repeated pattern of disposal for profit.
Gains from the sale of shares listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) are exempt from personal income tax. Gains on unlisted shares are assessable. Property sale proceeds: a withholding tax applies at the point of transfer, calculated on the assessed value or sale price, whichever is higher.
How foreign-sourced income is treated
Before 1 January 2024, Thailand only taxed foreign-sourced income remitted to Thailand if it was remitted in the same year it was earned. The common planning approach was to let foreign income accumulate offshore and remit it in a subsequent year, when it was treated as capital rather than income.
From 1 January 2024, Thailand Revenue Department Departmental Instruction No. P. 161/2566 clarified that foreign-sourced income remitted to Thailand is taxable in the year of remittance, regardless of when it was earned. Income earned and remitted in the same year has always been taxable. The 2024 change removed the prior-year deferral benefit.
Income that was earned before 1 January 2024 and remitted after that date may retain the old treatment, but this requires documentation of when the income was earned. Overseas pensions, foreign rental income, foreign dividends, and foreign employment income remitted to Thailand are affected. The position requires case-by-case analysis for each income type.
Key DTA partners
Thailand has DTAs with over 60 countries. Key provisions for European expats:
Can foreigners own property in Thailand?
Foreign nationals cannot own freehold land in Thailand. Foreigners can own condominium units freehold, subject to the building maintaining a maximum of 49% foreign ownership across all units. Long-term leasehold arrangements (typically 30 years, renewable) are commonly used as an alternative structure for land.
The Thailand Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa, introduced in 2022, provides certain tax advantages for eligible foreigners including an exemption from personal income tax on foreign-sourced income remitted to Thailand, provided the income was earned before taking up residency. This is a specific carve-out from the general 2024 remittance rule and applies only to qualifying LTR visa holders.
Filing calendar
- 31 March Deadline for filing the annual personal income tax return (PND 90 or PND 91) for the preceding tax year. E-filing via the Revenue Department portal extends to 8 April.
- 31 December End of the Thai tax year. Residency assessed on a calendar-year basis.
- 180 days Residency threshold. Days physically in Thailand counted across the calendar year.
- Mid-year filing Half-year tax return (PND 94) required by September for certain categories of assessable income including property rental, professional fees, and other specified income types.
Get the Thailand tax calendar for expats
Filing deadlines, residency milestones, and key dates for European expats in Thailand.