In your opinion how long does someone need to be living in Thailand to be considered actually living in Thailand?

I ask this question because there are so many people in social media to make such claims only to up and leave or never really settle in the first place. You see them online, you see them in the pubs, they are simply everywhere.

The most egregious offenders are the TikTokers and social media mavens. Often times these people are so absurd they don't even know that without a resident visa and or being 50 years old their life is going to get very difficult in a year. Thai immigration usually give you about a year to have fun and then you start getting the questions

This lot often rarely if ever considers that they're going to need income not only to actually live off in the moment but for decades to come till their death. What to do? I guess the answer is make TikToks for 70 more years

Next perhaps are those on OA and perhaps 90 day O retirement - Do the latter still exist anymore? They're here but they're not. OA actually requires an anchor back in one's home country. So, I think this alone.

Does the person have a home or homes or a family back in their home country? Are they back in their home country as much as they are in Thailand?

Do they work in a third country? If they have a home and a family here I would say that sort of qualifies.

Then you have all of the TikTokers on some form of Education visa. This lot is good for probably for few years at best. They never go to their schooling, the schools are shonky, they run out of money. This is another young crowd with serious money problems to facilitate their life here

The global gonad visa which I don't think anyone actually qualifies for or uses ... because older people with money get a different visa and younger people don't have the income.

What about assimilation? While a person actually might have some sort of residence here ... Maybe nothing is really known about the culture in meaningful way. Anyone remember Thai culture courses? How long does this take before you can really consider yourself living in Thailand / local? Certainly if you lived up country you get a far heavier dose of it then a lifetime in Pattaya or life on Sukhumvit. If you have a girlfriend and especially wife that's going to make a large difference.. again unless you're living in Pattaya..

Certainly having a child or two ups your game

The vast majority of those teaching English in Bangkok that I have met did not did not seem to have any particular or special knowledge based upon the years that they've been here quite the opposite. They all live on Sukhumvit, eat farang food and pretty much live like they do in their home countries. Running a business and dealing with Thai staff might be different.

Dealing with immigration. I used to go out of my way not to walk into an immigration office. I had spent 20 years in East Asia of which that includes a great deal of in and out of Thailand not once in 20 years. This only changed when I started dating my wife and living in Bangkok.

Given how transient the the foreigners are here and the massive volume of them ... I really don't consider someone having roots here unless they're 10 years plus. It seems by 10 years all of the flotsam and jetsam, the short timers, the riff raff have all washed away

After 10 years someone has legitimacy, credibility, been around the block a few times. That is also to say that they have visited the country extensive way, been in at least one serious relationship if not married.

As I said before I think those living a rural existence probably ramp up faster although the geriatric set in Chiang Mai probably as clueless as those living on Sukhumvit although they're probably far more likely to have a girlfriend or online wifey

I find that older men that meet women online and then move into their lives -the women often take care and insulate the partner. They're also old, don't do much traveling if any. If this lot has been here a year or two are they living the dream in Thailand?

How about filing taxes? If you file taxes in your home country with that residence? If you file taxes in Thailand?

Having a resident visa certainly points in the more grounded direction. Can you say you live in Thailand 6 months a year? Perhaps If you actually live here a full 6 months a year and have done so for 10 years. 3 months? Why not one month like the TikTokers?

It seems like many posters on this board don't live in Thailand. Looking through many of the posts in the last week especially in the political section many contributors never leave those forums.

Anyway for myself I'd say it's about 10 years. There are those that make it in seven or eight and those that never make it at all after two decades.

It goes without saying that those with permanent residency, citizenship here have bonifides.

How about the elusive pink card for which all of the geriatric members covet. They with their wives homes and nothing but time on their hands.

Living in Pattaya is not living in Thailand. I know I live there for a few years. It's a lot of fun and it's a great place for single men but it's not Thailand. After living in Bangkok for 15 years I can pretty much say the same thing for the Sukhumvit crowd.

Edited May 11May 11 by StarOfLight

Worked and resided here (Chonburi) full time for 20+ years.

I consider myself to be living here.

1 minute ago, Ralf001 said:

Worked and resided here (Chonburi) full time for 20+ years.

I consider myself to be living here.

I would agree, but that's not the question although I'm thinking that means you struggled through as an "English teacher" for a few years and have spent the bulk of time living in Pattaya. You didn't mention you're married, so I presumably you're single

Edited May 11May 11 by StarOfLight

All depends on if you're planning to live here forever or considering moving back home or elsewhere. Some have homes back in their countries and move back and forth, so are actually residing in two places during a calendar year. Some, like myself, integrated into Isaan, worked the family farm weekly with them, and ate with them daily, along with doing things with other foreigners.

It's never really been home, as we're all considered outsiders anyway, but some choose to make this their last place. I got divorced, and have a daughter that will do better in the US, along with myself, as it's still home. After the divorce, the move back became the priority and will happen as soon as I take care of house business here and find another place for us back in Texas near my family there.

Again it's a matter if you're thinking of making this your forever place, and if so, you're living here as soon as that's decided, although not really integrated. Every year has you integrating more, so if it's a matter of how many years, I guess you could say 5 or more, especially if it's without moving back to your own country.

The longer you stay the more you're integrated into it's society, especially, like you said, you're living away from tourist areas where the majority of the population is Thai, and you're the one blending in. Helping out on the farm, even if you're older, has you blend in more, as they appreciate any help you can give them, farm work here being as hard as most any jobs around. Learning Thai helps if you're planning to stay here permanently, and having children, no matter if you send them to the west for education, has you blend in more.

Edited May 11May 11 by fredwiggy

<joke>

I have a Makro card. I consider that as living here.

</joke>

When you are living here more than 180 days a year on proper visa, and have legal stay, you are pr definisjon living here.

56 minutes ago, StarOfLight said:

How long does one need live in Thailand to be considered as such

Simple test, if you go over to Thailand and you are still breathing when you get there then you are considered to be "living" there.

This topic feels less like a question and more like an immigration themed census mixed with a long winded existential crisis about who is “qualified” to exist in Thailand. Half the post reads like an audit of strangers’ visa categories and tax filings, while the other half sounds like frustration that other people are happy but not living according to some arbitrarily approved template you have thought up.

The reality is most people are not sitting around obsessing over whether they have achieved some mystical “Thailand legitimacy threshold.” They live where they want, move around when they want, and many have options spread across multiple countries. Some people stay six months, some decades, some move around regularly and have multiple bank accounts with different addresses on three continents and could reasonably say they live in any of those places. None of that automatically makes one life more authentic than another.

The fixation on defining who “really” lives in Thailand also misses the point entirely. Most normal people care more about whether they are healthy, financially stable, and enjoying their lives than whether they have passed some ten year certification process designed by random forum posters.

Honestly, by the end it starts sounding less like an observation about Thailand and more like a very long whingeing attempt to reassure yourself that your own version of life in Thailand is somehow more legitimate than everybody else’s.

Who cares?

If you remain here for more than 183 days most governments consider you to be living here.

Is living here different from being resident here?

Have people been here for 20 years or one year 20 times?

O visa. Lived here for forty years. I think I'm getting used to it.😉

10 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

Who cares?

If you remain here for more than 183 days most governments consider you to be living here.

Is living here different from being resident here?

Have people been here for 20 years or one year 20 times?

Exactly. It is all just arbitrary metrics anyway, and it depends entirely on the purpose of the definition. Tax resident? Immigration resident? Permanent resident? Socially “living there”? Everyone draws the line in a different place. Some would say needing to file a 90 day report means you live there. Others would say nobody is truly a resident without permanent residency. Overstay a tourist visa by one day and technically you could be accused of living there illegally. Have a local bank account with your name and address on it and plenty of people would accept that you reside there. Hold a one year non immigrant visa while barely spending time in the country and others would still insist you “live” there. Some might even say if you have a gym membership in Thailand then you are living there.

At the end of the day, most of these are just administrative labels people become strangely emotionally invested in for no real reason. As you said, who actually cares?

Edited May 11May 11 by BilllyGOAT

3 hours ago, StarOfLight said:

In your opinion how long does someone need to be living in Thailand to be considered actually living in Thailand?

I ask this question because there are so many people in social media to make such claims only to up and leave or never really settle in the first place. You see them online, you see them in the pubs, they are simply everywhere.

The most egregious offenders are the TikTokers and social media mavens. Often times these people are so absurd they don't even know that without a resident visa and or being 50 years old their life is going to get very difficult in a year. Thai immigration usually give you about a year to have fun and then you start getting the questions

This lot often rarely if ever considers that they're going to need income not only to actually live off in the moment but for decades to come till their death. What to do? I guess the answer is make TikToks for 70 more years

Next perhaps are those on OA and perhaps 90 day O retirement - Do the latter still exist anymore? They're here but they're not. OA actually requires an anchor back in one's home country. So, I think this alone.

Does the person have a home or homes or a family back in their home country? Are they back in their home country as much as they are in Thailand?

Do they work in a third country? If they have a home and a family here I would say that sort of qualifies.

Then you have all of the TikTokers on some form of Education visa. This lot is good for probably for few years at best. They never go to their schooling, the schools are shonky, they run out of money. This is another young crowd with serious money problems to facilitate their life here

The global gonad visa which I don't think anyone actually qualifies for or uses ... because older people with money get a different visa and younger people don't have the income.

What about assimilation? While a person actually might have some sort of residence here ... Maybe nothing is really known about the culture in meaningful way. Anyone remember Thai culture courses? How long does this take before you can really consider yourself living in Thailand / local? Certainly if you lived up country you get a far heavier dose of it then a lifetime in Pattaya or life on Sukhumvit. If you have a girlfriend and especially wife that's going to make a large difference.. again unless you're living in Pattaya..

Certainly having a child or two ups your game

The vast majority of those teaching English in Bangkok that I have met did not did not seem to have any particular or special knowledge based upon the years that they've been here quite the opposite. They all live on Sukhumvit, eat farang food and pretty much live like they do in their home countries. Running a business and dealing with Thai staff might be different.

Dealing with immigration. I used to go out of my way not to walk into an immigration office. I had spent 20 years in East Asia of which that includes a great deal of in and out of Thailand not once in 20 years. This only changed when I started dating my wife and living in Bangkok.

Given how transient the the foreigners are here and the massive volume of them ... I really don't consider someone having roots here unless they're 10 years plus. It seems by 10 years all of the flotsam and jetsam, the short timers, the riff raff have all washed away

After 10 years someone has legitimacy, credibility, been around the block a few times. That is also to say that they have visited the country extensive way, been in at least one serious relationship if not married.

As I said before I think those living a rural existence probably ramp up faster although the geriatric set in Chiang Mai probably as clueless as those living on Sukhumvit although they're probably far more likely to have a girlfriend or online wifey

I find that older men that meet women online and then move into their lives -the women often take care and insulate the partner. They're also old, don't do much traveling if any. If this lot has been here a year or two are they living the dream in Thailand?

How about filing taxes? If you file taxes in your home country with that residence? If you file taxes in Thailand?

Having a resident visa certainly points in the more grounded direction. Can you say you live in Thailand 6 months a year? Perhaps If you actually live here a full 6 months a year and have done so for 10 years. 3 months? Why not one month like the TikTokers?

It seems like many posters on this board don't live in Thailand. Looking through many of the posts in the last week especially in the political section many contributors never leave those forums.

Anyway for myself I'd say it's about 10 years. There are those that make it in seven or eight and those that never make it at all after two decades.

It goes without saying that those with permanent residency, citizenship here have bonifides.

How about the elusive pink card for which all of the geriatric members covet. They with their wives homes and nothing but time on their hands.

Living in Pattaya is not living in Thailand. I know I live there for a few years. It's a lot of fun and it's a great place for single men but it's not Thailand. After living in Bangkok for 15 years I can pretty much say the same thing for the Sukhumvit crowd.

You have been very busy over the past 6 days since you joined. Help us out here. What are/were your other user names?

No need to ask an already answered question and then pad it with AI generated filler. It is 181 days, unless exempt by treaty.

I pay income tax in Thailand.

I live here.

2 hours ago, BilllyGOAT said:

This topic feels less like a question and more like an immigration themed census mixed with a long winded existential crisis about who is “qualified” to exist in Thailand. Half the post reads like an audit of strangers’ visa categories and tax filings, while the other half sounds like frustration that other people are happy but not living according to some arbitrarily approved template you have thought up.

The reality is most people are not sitting around obsessing over whether they have achieved some mystical “Thailand legitimacy threshold.” They live where they want, move around when they want, and many have options spread across multiple countries. Some people stay six months, some decades, some move around regularly and have multiple bank accounts with different addresses on three continents and could reasonably say they live in any of those places. None of that automatically makes one life more authentic than another.

The fixation on defining who “really” lives in Thailand also misses the point entirely. Most normal people care more about whether they are healthy, financially stable, and enjoying their lives than whether they have passed some ten year certification process designed by random forum posters.

Honestly, by the end it starts sounding less like an observation about Thailand and more like a very long whingeing attempt to reassure yourself that your own version of life in Thailand is somehow more legitimate than everybody else’s.

Nailed it Billy !!

This topic follows a standard format in that:

a) nobody cares

b) the OP asks a question then proceeds to try and answer it himself

c) the OP is so long winded that several posters reply by obviously only reading the title

d) nobody cares

e) smacks of “ i am new to the forum but need to make people aware i know my stuff “

f) re e) obviously i have so much Thailand experience i have to share my knowledge without revealing my previous usernames

g) this topic will only succeed in posters trying to “ beat “ others by claiming they have lived here longest

finally and most importantly

h) nobody cares

Sound like Bob to me!

20 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

this topic will only succeed in posters trying to “ beat “ others by claiming they have lived here longest

Aw! common Andrew you know well I served in the SAS longer than you.

4 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

Worked and resided here (Chonburi) full time for 20+ years.

I consider myself to be living here.

I agree, 20 years minimum, the rest are just newbees.

I came here and worked for 3 years on a Non-B visa. I lived here. Married to a Thai national, I've been living here ever since.

An "influencer" or digital nomad on a 60 day visa isn't "living here" although they claim they are.

If you are a tax resident, you are "living here."
If you are teaching yoga in the local park - illegally - and gaming the immigration and work permit systems, you are not "living here." You're making problems for the rest of us and should be unceremoniously deported with extreme prejudice.

Edited May 11May 11 by connda

In my view simple to answer: Long term visa or full year extension of stay plus staying for more than one year and given up earlier home in one's home country, so Thailand now is one's home.

I don't claim to live anywhere even though I have a home base here.

For sure If one still has a bedroom covered in plushie toys to return to in your parents house in Surrey one is not "living in Thailand". Drop the tedious pretensions.

23 hours ago, HappyExpat57 said:

<joke>

I have a Makro card. I consider that as living here.

</joke>

Me too because you don't need a makro card

19 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Nailed it Billy !!

This topic follows a standard format in that:

a) nobody cares

b) the OP asks a question then proceeds to try and answer it himself

c) the OP is so long winded that several posters reply by obviously only reading the title

d) nobody cares

e) smacks of “ i am new to the forum but need to make people aware i know my stuff “

f) re e) obviously i have so much Thailand experience i have to share my knowledge without revealing my previous usernames

g) this topic will only succeed in posters trying to “ beat “ others by claiming they have lived here longest

finally and most importantly

h) nobody cares

I don't expect anyone to care. I don't really. It was just something that occurred to me a few years back with my first experience with TikTok. Lately, I've had very similar posts pop up in my X feed.

Not Bob

19 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

this topic will only succeed in posters trying to “ beat “ others by claiming they have lived here longest

The question had nothing to do about me or about the people responding to it other than how long that they think qualifies for stating that one "lives in Thailand" or has lived in Thailand.

I wasn't eliciting anyone to offer any opinions about their personal experience.

You mentioned that I drone on and perhaps I did, but your post is probably half the length.

Edited May 11May 11 by StarOfLight

Anyway, it was a serious question that I was curious about from other expats that actually live in Thailand. This has gone nowhere as I suspect it would. The admins can close to this. It's just going to get stupid and nasty from here on in

On 5/11/2026 at 6:34 AM, StarOfLight said:

I would agree, but that's not the question although I'm thinking that means you struggled through as an "English teacher" for a few years and have spent the bulk of time living in Pattaya. You didn't mention you're married, so I presumably you're single

From the comment from Ralf, where does it say that he "struggled through as an English teacher"?

You're making things up!

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes...

There's a difference in 'living' somewhere and 'settled' somewhere. The former tends to be more flexible in terms of mobility. The latter has a more permanence about it. So you could 'live' here for a year on anything other than a tourist visa. But in a more general and subjective respose to your question about 'living here', I'd say a decade or more, married with kids, working legally, speaking a reasonable level of Thai, and learning/practicing some basic cultural norms (don't touch professional women you meet unless they extend their hand to you to shake, being courteous, not too loud or aggressive, not losing your rag over small things (in public), etc. Keep a smile on your face.

bla bla bla

some make it on the first day, others never make it, and everything in-between...

Some here confuse tax residency with actual legal residency.

I pay tax in Australia as that is where my income is sourced.

I have physically lived in Thailand for 15 years; however, the Thai government regards me as a non-immigrant. They require me to report my whereabouts continually and undergo an extension inquisition yearly. Yet they now declare me to be a tax resident and want to (double) tax the funds I remit into the economy.

I think it is quite reasonable for any country to tax money earned in their country, but not to force long term visitors, who do not even have permission to work, to pay tax on their pension money earned elsewhere!

I consider Thailand to be my forever home, unfortunately the government does not. As someone else mentioned, miss a visa deadline by a single day and you could end up in a detention center awaiting deportation (I know of someone that happened to).

Edited May 12May 12 by Old Croc

If you don't have a Non-Immigrant Type "O" visa (Non-O) that gets extended every year, then I'd consider you just a visitor. Owning a home and putting down some roots would add pluses to 'living here'.

There's a few that split their time about 50 / 50, for years, so about as close as 'living here' as one can get without just being an occasional visitor.

I know people that say they have a Thai wife or GF, but see her a couple times a year, for couple weeks maybe, and not even monogamous. Don't think that counts as being married or in a relationship.

Edited May 12May 12 by KhunLA