Moving-to-Thailand checklist, tied to the visa journey

Summary

Moving to Thailand goes smoothest when you treat it as a sequence locked to your visa, not a pile of unrelated errands. The order that actually works is: sort documents and your visa before you fly → arrive → register your address (TM.30) → open a bank account → season any required funds → keep up 90-day reporting.

The single most overlooked step happens before departure: Thailand is not part of the Apostille Convention, so foreign civil documents (marriage, birth, police checks) must be consular-legalised — authenticated at home and then legalised through the Thai system — which can take weeks. Asking for an "apostille" gets you nowhere. Get those done early, keep your passport valid well beyond six months, and you avoid the classic newcomer stall where you cannot open a bank account because you have no Residence Certificate, and you have no Residence Certificate because your TM.30 is not filed.

Key points

Sequence matters: visa/entry → TM.30 (address) → bank account → fund seasoning (if your visa needs it) → 90-day report. Each step often unlocks the next.
Do document legalisation BEFORE you arrive. Thailand is not in the Apostille Convention — there is no apostille; documents need authentication plus consular legalisation (e.g. via the Thai MFA Legalization Division and/or a Royal Thai Embassy).
Passport validity: keep at least six months' validity — more is safer, as some long-stay visas effectively need ~18 months of remaining validity — plus plenty of blank pages.
TM.30 within 24 hours of arriving at your address; it is the prerequisite for the 90-day report and the Residence Certificate.
Bank account needs a long-stay visa plus proof of address since 2024–2025 — line this up early (see the banking guide).
Fund seasoning (retirement 800k / marriage 400k) must start as soon as the account exists — the clock is months long (see the proof-of-funds guide).
PromptPay (Thailand's instant-transfer/QR rail) is worth registering once your account is open — it is how everyday payments and refunds move.

Step by step

Before you fly (home country)

Confirm your visa route and its money/insurance rules (retirement, marriage, DTV, LTR — see the relevant guides).
Renew your passport if it has under ~12–18 months validity; ensure it has blank pages.
Legalise key documents you will need in Thailand (marriage/birth certificates, police clearance, a degree for some work routes): authenticate at home, then consular-legalise for Thai use. Start early — weeks of lead time.
Get the visa or e-Visa (Thailand's e-Visa system has been available worldwide since 1 January 2025) and buy visa-compliant health insurance if your visa requires it (O-A/O-X/LTR — see the insurance guide).
Pre-arrange funds: know how you will transfer the deposit as foreign currency (for the FET / proof-of-funds trail).

Week 1 in Thailand

Secure an address or lease and get a Thai SIM / mobile number (needed for banking OTP and PromptPay).
File TM.30 within 24 hours of arriving at your address (or confirm your landlord/hotel did).
Complete the TDAC / arrival formalities as required on entry.

Weeks 2–8

Open a Thai bank account (Bangkok Bank or KBank; bring passport, visa and proof of address — get a Residence Certificate from Immigration first if a branch asks for it, which needs your TM.30 on file).
Transfer and start seasoning any required deposit, requesting the FET form / proof-of-conversion letter.
Register PromptPay and mobile banking.

Ongoing

File the 90-day report in its window (15 days before to 7 days after) once you pass 90 consecutive days; re-file TM.30 after any trip abroad.
Track your extension date and rebuild seasoned funds ahead of renewal.
Get Thai tax advice if you will be a tax resident (180+ days a year) and are remitting foreign income.

Figures & thresholds

Item	Figure	Dated / note
Passport validity	6+ months (longer is safer for long-stay visas)	As of 2026 — confirm exact months for your visa
TM.30 deadline	Within 24 hours of arrival at the address	As of 2026
90-day report window	15 days before to 7 days after the due date	As of 2025–2026
e-Visa availability	Worldwide since 1 January 2025	As of 2025
Apostille status	Thailand is NOT a party to the Apostille Convention — use consular legalisation	As of 2026
Fund-seasoning amounts	Retirement 800,000 THB / marriage 400,000 THB / DTV 500,000 THB	See the proof-of-funds guide for seasoning months
Tax residency	180+ days/yr triggers residency; foreign income remitted by residents taxable since 1 January 2024 (pre-2024 exempt; proposed grace window not enacted as of early 2026)	As of 2026 — take professional advice

Watch out for

"Apostille" is a trap for Thailand — asking for an apostille gets you nowhere; you need consular legalisation, which is slower. Start before you fly.
The bank / Residence-Certificate / TM.30 loop: no TM.30 → no Residence Certificate → harder bank account. File TM.30 first.
Seasoning clock vs extension date: if you arrive too close to an extension deadline, the deposit may not have seasoned long enough — plan months ahead.
Insurance bought too late or at the wrong limit: O-A/O-X/LTR need compliant cover at application — sort it before you apply, not after arrival.
Re-entry resets things: every departure cancels your TM.30 and, on re-entry, restarts the 90-day clock.
Tax surprises: remitting a large relocation lump sum as a tax resident can be assessable — get advice before transferring.

When to get professional help

Use a relocation/visa agent if your timeline is tight (seasoning vs extension), your documents need complex legalisation, or you are combining income and deposit methods. Use a Thai tax adviser before remitting significant funds as (or about to become) a tax resident. For LTR, the BoI's own unit assists free with the visa and bank-account steps.

Sources

Sources accessed 24 May 2026.