Emigrating to Thailand: the 15 most common mistakes

Thailand attracts Dutch and Belgians who dream of peace, lower expenses, and life in a warmer climate. But those who wish to settle there long-term or permanently quickly realize that the step is much more complex than applying for a visa, renting a condo, and opening a Thai bank account for daily use.

Expensive mistakes occur, particularly regarding visas, taxes, healthcare, real estate, and leaving the Netherlands or Belgium. Many emigrants rely on outdated stories, advice, or holiday experiences. As a result, they risk tax problems, medical expenses, legal hassle, and a stay that is less secure than it appears at first glance.

Living in Thailand long-term works differently than many emigrants think.

Dutch or Belgian nationals wishing to live in Thailand long-term usually do not receive permanent residency rights, but rather a temporary residence permit that must be renewed repeatedly. In practice, this often involves a Non-Immigrant O visa based on a pension, an OA visa for people aged fifty and over, a route via marriage to a Thai national, or an LTR visa for specific groups with higher incomes or assets. Permanent residence is a separate process. To obtain this, one normally has to have been on annual renewals for several consecutive years. Moreover, an annual quota applies per nationality. Many people speak of emigration, but legally, it usually concerns extended temporary residence.

The financial and administrative requirements are also concrete. For retirement, a requirement is usually 800.000 baht in a Thai bank account, 65.000 baht of demonstrable monthly income, or a combination thereof. For marriage to a Thai national, this is lower, at 400.000 baht or 40.000 baht per month. An O A visa is intended for long-term stays and does not permit work. LTR has stricter income, investment, and care requirements. Additionally, you will face recurring obligations such as the 90-day notification, address registration via TM30, and a re-entry permit if you leave Thailand. Anyone leaving without a re-entry permit may lose their current right of residence.

Dutch and Belgians do not leave under the same rules

For Dutch and Belgian nationals, emigration begins even before departure. In the Netherlands, you must deregister from the BRP if you stay outside the Netherlands for more than eight months in a year. You do this shortly before departure, and proof of deregistration is often required later. In Belgium, you report your move abroad to the municipality and usually receive a Model 8 form, which is important for further administration and registration with the Belgian postal service abroad. There are also tax differences. In the year of departure, Dutch nationals deal with an M-form and sometimes a protective assessment. Belgians must file a special tax return covering the period up to the date of departure.

The differences continue with pensions, healthcare, and taxation. For Dutch nationals, private pensions are often taxable in the country of residence, with exceptions. For Belgians, however, a pension accrued in Belgium may remain taxable in Belgium. Another factor for Dutch nationals is that, upon living in Thailand, one is usually no longer automatically insured for the continued accrual of AOW and Anw benefits, although voluntary insurance may sometimes still be possible. For Belgians, pension payments remain possible in principle, but an annual proof of life must often still be arranged in Thailand. In the area of ​​healthcare, for both groups, Thailand is not a simple extension of the Dutch or Belgian healthcare system. Private coverage is therefore usually indispensable.

The first five mistakes often occur before departure.

Many problems do not start in Thailand itself, but during the preparation. Emigrants often rely on stories from acquaintances, old internet forums, or rules that once applied but are now interpreted differently. This creates a false sense of security. Things often go wrong, particularly regarding residency status, visa selection, re-entry, reporting requirements, and financial requirements. These are not details, but the foundation of your stay. As soon as you make mistakes here, the rest of your plan falls off balance as well. After all, your housing, banking, insurance, and tax position are directly linked to whether your stay is legally sound and whether your records are in order.

• Mistake 1: confusing temporary residence with permanent residence
  • Why people do this: a one-year extension feels stable and is quickly perceived as permanent establishment.
  • Possible consequences: you build a life on a legal foundation that must be proven anew every year.
  • Here's how to avoid it: plan as if your right of residence is reviewed again every year and view permanent residence as a separate, later process.
• Mistake 2: choosing the wrong visa for your real purpose
  • Why people do this: retirement or OA often seems like the fastest and best-known route.
  • Possible consequences: anyone wishing to work, start a business, or work remotely on a permanent basis may be acting in violation of the conditions.
  • Here is how to prevent it: link your visa to your actual situation, such as retirement, marriage, work, or LTR.
• Mistake 3: Leaving Thailand without a re-entry permit
  • Why people do this: they think that a one-year extension automatically continues after a short trip.
  • Possible consequences: your current permission to stay may expire.
  • Here's how to avoid it: check whether you need a valid re-entry permit before every departure.
• Error 4: Underestimating the 90-day notification and TM30
  • Why people do this: in Europe, much address registration is automated and seems like a side task.
  • Possible consequences: fines, delays in renewals, and additional problems with immigration.
  • Here's how to prevent it: use calendar reminders, scans, and a fixed verification system after every move or return.
• Mistake 5: reading the financial requirements too simply
  • Why people do this: online, often only the well-known amounts are mentioned.
  • Possible consequences: rejection or delay because the evidence, timing, or origin of the funds is incorrect.
  • Here is how to prevent it: don't just look at the amount, but also at bank letters, statements, proof of income, and the required period during which money must remain in the account.

Taxes, healthcare, and home country administration are often taken seriously too late.

The next group of errors often only arises after someone is already living in Thailand. It then becomes apparent that long-term residence is not just a Thai matter, but also an ongoing file with the Netherlands or Belgium. Confusion arises particularly regarding tax residency, remittances, pensions, health insurance, and departure administration. Many emigrants believe that their fiscal ties to their home country automatically fade after departure. In reality, Thailand, the Netherlands, and Belgium can remain relevant simultaneously. That is precisely why it is dangerous to rely on isolated anecdotes without considering the official rules and your personal situation.

• Mistake 6: discovering too late that you are a tax resident in Thailand
  • Why people do this: many emigrants still think in terms of old rules of thumb regarding foreign income.
  • Possible consequences: unexpected obligation to file a tax return, disputes regarding money transferred to Thailand, and the risk of errors in your tax planning.
  • Here is how to prevent it: have what you transfer, when you do so, and what the tax treaty means assessed in advance for each income stream.
• Mistake 7: thinking that the Netherlands or Belgium is done with you fiscally after that.
  • Why people do this: emigration feels like a clean slate.
  • Possible consequences: duplicate inquiries from the tax authorities or pension institutions, incorrect deductions, and problems with exemptions.
  • Here is how to prevent it: have your departure year, pension type, benefits, and treaty position worked out in advance.
• Mistake 8: Not arranging good health insurance
  • Why people do this: Thailand seems cheaper than the Netherlands or Belgium, and people opt for a cheap policy too quickly.
  • Possible consequences: high out-of-pocket payments, exclusions for pre-existing conditions, or no usable coverage in private hospitals.
  • Here's how to avoid it: check age limits, pre-existing conditions, admission ceilings, repatriation, and coverage for Thailand.
• Mistake 9: partially handling departure administration in your own country
  • Why people do this: all attention goes to the Thai visa.
  • Possible consequences: problems with tax, pension, banking, healthcare, and subsequent proof of evidence.
  • Here's how to prevent it: arrange deregistration, supporting documents, and notifications to authorities completely before or immediately around departure.
• Mistake 10: thinking that state pension, private pension, or payment automatically remains the same
  • Why people do this: they expect that only the residential address changes.
  • Possible consequences: missed voluntary insurance, lower future accrual, or delays due to missing proof of life.
  • Here's how to prevent it: discuss the consequences for the state pension, pension payments, proof of life, and any voluntary insurance before you leave.

Housing, banking, and daily life make the difference between dream and reality.

The final group of mistakes revolves around life itself. Many emigrants focus heavily on visas and housing, but forget how intertwined living, money, transport, language, culture, and legal safety are. Thailand can seem accessible, especially if you have been there often. Yet, living is different from traveling or spending the winter abroad. A housing contract, a bank account, a driver's license, medical care, or a disagreement with a real estate agent feels very different when you are unable to fly back after a three-week holiday. It is precisely during this phase that costly choices are made that are difficult to reverse later.

• Mistake 11: renting or buying too quickly without a legal basis
  • Why people do this: after arrival, you want peace and certainty.
  • Possible consequences: loss of down payment, weak contracts, or a structure that is not legally what you thought.
  • Here is how to avoid it: rent first, and only have the purchase or long-term lease legally reviewed afterwards.
• Mistake 12: thinking that foreigners can easily buy land
  • Why people do this: informal use is confused with legal ownership.
  • Possible consequences: serious legal risks, especially regarding land, and problems with condo registration if the flow of funds is incorrect.
  • Here is how to prevent it: remember that foreigners are generally not allowed to own land, that condos fall under a foreigner quota, and that the origin of the funds must be demonstrably correct.
• Mistake 13: starting banking too late
  • Why people do this: they expect opening an account to be quick and straightforward.
  • Possible consequences: delays with visas, rent, utilities, tax matters, and real estate transactions.
  • Here's how to avoid it: plan in advance which bank, account type, and documents you will need.
• Mistake 14: Relying on informal visa agents and sham arrangements
  • Why people do this: Thai practice seems complicated and quick solutions sound appealing.
  • Possible consequences: you are in a weak position as soon as rules change or a file is reviewed.
  • Here is how to prevent it: always have advice reviewed against official rules and do not base your choices on promises without a legal basis.
• Mistake 15: underestimating the practical feasibility of daily life
  • Why people do this: vacationing in Thailand and living in Thailand get confused.
  • Possible consequences: financial pressure, dependence on others, integration problems, and an overly optimistic budget.
  • Here's how to avoid it: test a longer trial stay first, learn the basics of the language and culture, and budget for an emergency fund for healthcare, travel, and unexpected expenses.
• Practical checklist for emigration to Thailand
  • Choose your actual purpose of stay first, and only then the visa.
  • Have it calculated in advance whether you meet the financial requirements and how you prove it.
  • Create a tax plan for Thailand and the Netherlands or Belgium.
  • Arrange a health insurance policy that really works for long-term living in Thailand.
  • Complete the deregistration and departure administration.
  • Report your departure to the Tax and Customs Administration, pension provider, bank, and health insurer.
  • Rent first, and buy later.
  • Plan banking and cash flows before departure.
  • Set up a system for 90-day notification, TM30, and re-entry.
  • Prepare for your driver's license, transportation, and traffic.
  • Work with a generous emergency buffer.
  • Test the intended place of residence in practice first.
• The five biggest risks for the Dutch and Belgians
  • A false sense of residence security, because temporary residence is viewed as permanent.
  • Underestimating taxes, especially on pensions and money transferred to Thailand.
  • Arranging care incorrectly, while private coverage is usually necessary.
  • Handling real estate, visas, and intermediaries in a legally frivolous manner.
  • Creating an overly optimistic budget based on holiday prices instead of housing costs.

Thailand is only truly feasible for Dutch and Belgian citizens if your plan is legally sound, financially solid, and administratively prepared down to the last detail. It is not the sun, the rent, or the pace of life that determines the success of emigration, but rather whether you take regulations, healthcare, taxes, and daily realities seriously enough.

Sources: Immigration Bureau Thailand, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Thailand, BOI Thailand, Thailand Revenue Department, Department of Land Transport Thailand, Netherlands Worldwide, National Government, Tax and Customs Administration of the Netherlands, SVB, Belgian Government, Federal Pension Service, Belgian Embassy in Bangkok, Kasikornbank, Numbeo

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