Expats

Thailand expat news, visas, work permits, property, and healthcare—stay informed with essential updates and insights for foreign residents. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted source for expat news in Thailand.

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    10 biggest challenges retirees face in Thailand (and how to overcome them)

    Retiring in Thailand comes with many benefits, like warm weather, affordable living, and a rich culture. However, it also brings challenges. Retirees must deal with visa rules, healthcare costs, language barriers, and cultural differences. Rising medical expenses, required insurance, and...

  • A guide to Thailand’s E-visa

    A guide to Thailand’s E-visa

    Planning your dream trip to the land of smiles and wondering how to obtain your visa effortlessly? Look no further, as the E-visa Thailand system is here to simplify the visa application process for you. To make the visa application process more accessible and stress-free, the Thai government has introduced this user-friendly online platform that allows visitors to obtain their…

  • Discover dreamy treehouse resorts in Thailand

    Discover dreamy treehouse resorts in Thailand

    If you’re looking for a unique and adventurous way to experience Thailand, why not consider staying in one of the country’s dreamy treehouse hotels? These treehouse resorts in Thailand offer guests an unparalleled opportunity to immerse themselves in nature while still enjoying the luxuries and comforts of a high-end resort. Nestled high up in the treetops, these treehouses provide breathtaking…

  • Pattaya motorcycle taxi rider threatens to kill 2 foreigners over fare dispute

    Pattaya motorcycle taxi rider threatens to kill 2 foreigners over fare dispute

    Pattaya Police yesterday arrested a Thai motorcycle taxi rider after he turned into a knife-wielding thug after a row with two foreign passengers over fare prices. According to reports, the taxi driver threatened to kill both foreigners during the altercation. The incident kicked off on Pattaya Second Road near Soi 6/1 early yesterday evening. Pattaya Police received a call about…

  • Beware of passport scam targetting British nationals in Thailand warns UK Foreign Office

    Beware of passport scam targetting British nationals in Thailand warns UK Foreign Office

    The British Foreign Office issued a warning to both UK residents and expats in Thailand about a passport scam that is currently targetting British nationals in the kingdom. Fraudsters are attempting to capitalize on the recent strikes by government workers in the UK, which have caused delays in passport renewals, by promising to bypass the three-month waiting period for a…

  • Thailand travel 2023: Unveiling Instagram worthy wonders

    Thailand travel 2023: Unveiling Instagram worthy wonders

    Thailand Travel 2023 is even more exciting with these most Instagram worthy spots in the country that will leave your feed looking nothing short of spectacular. Thailand, the mesmerizing jewel of Southeast Asia, has long been a favourite destination for globetrotters and photographers alike. With its breathtaking landscapes, rich cultural heritage, and mouthwatering cuisine, Thailand provides endless opportunities for awe-inspiring…

  • Fruitless: Tourists they face jail time for bringing fruits to Thailand, govt warns

    Fruitless: Tourists they face jail time for bringing fruits to Thailand, govt warns

    The Thai government issued a warning to tourists that it would be fruitless to bring fruits into Thailand unless they wanted to go to jail. The Department of Agriculture specifically stated that transporting fresh fruit into Thailand without a phytosanitary certificate could result in a fine of 20,000 baht or a jail sentence of one year. The director-general of the…

  • Airline industry blames rising costs for expensive airfares, is this true?

    Airline industry blames rising costs for expensive airfares, is this true?

    Expensive airfares look set to stay for the foreseeable future according to the airline industry. The industry is trotting out the usual excuses that the recent spike in expensive ticket prices is attributed to a rise in operational costs, including surging fuel prices and other factors. Nok Air CEO, Wutthiphum Jurangkool, cited a surge in prices for aviation supply chain…

  • Foreigner slips and breaks his neck on mossy seawall steps at Thailand beach

    Foreigner slips and breaks his neck on mossy seawall steps at Thailand beach

    A 55 year old foreign man slipped on some mossy steps and “broke bones in his neck” at Cha-am Beach in Phetchaburi province, Thailand, his wife reported on Friday. On Friday, the Facebook page ‘Beach for life‘ was contacted by a Thai woman seeking justice for her foreign husband who is still being treated in hospital after an incident at…

  • Big Oil Majors production cuts, what this means to airfares

    Big Oil Majors production cuts, what this means to airfares

    The recent move by the Big Oil Majors to cut production by over one million barrels a day as a “precautionary” measure to stabilize the oil market will have a domino effect on airfares, according to industry experts. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) yesterday announced plans to lower oil production by 1.16 million barrels per day, starting…

  • Surviving a sinister husband and a Thai cliff fall: A Chinese woman’s incredible resilience

    Surviving a sinister husband and a Thai cliff fall: A Chinese woman’s incredible resilience

    A Chinese woman is finally on her feet and on the road to recovery after the trauma of being pushed off a cliff in Thailand in 2019 by a sinister ex-con husband only interested in her wealth. Wang Nan spent the past four years of her life trying to survive her life-threatening ordeal and rebuilding and rehabilitating her life after…

  • Speeding concerns rise in Pattaya following motorcycle accident on Beach Road

    Speeding concerns rise in Pattaya following motorcycle accident on Beach Road

    Concerns about speeding vehicles on Beach Road in Pattaya have been raised once again following an accident involving a motorcyclist over the weekend. The incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday morning when the motorcyclist collided with a parked taxi, resulting in severe injuries. The injured motorcyclist, identified as Tatchaphonsit Jirasatirakul, was promptly transported to a nearby hospital for…

  • Swedish man arrested for alleged sexual assault on Bangkok-Mumbai flight claims mental health issues

    Swedish man arrested for alleged sexual assault on Bangkok-Mumbai flight claims mental health issues

    The lawyer of a Swedish man arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a member of the cabin crew on a Bangkok to Mumbai flight claims he has mental health problems and did not mean to touch the woman. Klas Erik Harald Jonas Westberg reportedly molested a stewardess on IndiGo flight 6E-1052 from Thailand to India on Thursday, the Indian Express reported.…

  • ‘Water Festival 2023’ promotes traditional Thai culture

    ‘Water Festival 2023’ promotes traditional Thai culture

    The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) announced plans to promote traditional Thai culture with a series of events for Songkran under the “Water Festival 2023” banner in four regions between April 13 and 16. The event is a collaborative effort between TAT, Thai Beverage Public Co Ltd (ThaiBev), and several other partners, including the Culture Ministry, the Royal Thai Navy,…

  • Police close nightclub after raid on Pattaya Walking Street

    Police close nightclub after raid on Pattaya Walking Street

    Pattaya Police will recommend the closure of a popular nightclub to the provincial governor after the venue’s repeated license violations on the district’s notorious Walking Street. Flexx Club on Walking Street in tambon Nong Prue, Bang Lamung district, was raided by police in the early hours of this morning for violating legal operating hours. The raid, led by Pattaya Police…

  • Managing blacktip reef sharks in Maya Bay, Thailand

    Managing blacktip reef sharks in Maya Bay, Thailand

    The National Parks Department of Thailand aims to enhance the management of the country’s popular tourist conservation areas following the return of blacktip reef sharks to Maya Bay. Maya Bay was closed for four years, from 2018 to 2022, to facilitate the recovery of the island’s wildlife. The bay’s popularity surged after the release of the 2000 movie The Beach,…

  • Following Chinese ransom case, Big Joke says Pattaya expats will be closely scrutinised

    Following Chinese ransom case, Big Joke says Pattaya expats will be closely scrutinised

    Assistant Commissioner of Police Surachate Hakparn, also known as “Big Joke,” says that expats in Pattaya will be scrutinised closely as part of Operation X-Ray. This news follows the recent case in which a Chinese woman was abducted in Pattaya as she went to get her child from school, and gangsters demanded 1 million yuan (4.7 million baht) in ransom.…

  • Prominent French retiree and Rotarian passes away in Pattaya

    Prominent French retiree and Rotarian passes away in Pattaya

    A prominent French retiree and former Rotarian has reportedly passed away in Pattaya at the age of 85, leaving his loved ones to pen an online obituary. The Frenchman, Pierre Yves Francois Andre Eraud, was born on October 16, 1938. He was described as being a great humanist and as being attached to the respect and benevolence characteristics that are…

  • Low reserves of Rh negative blood raise concerns for foreigners in Thailand

    Low reserves of Rh negative blood raise concerns for foreigners in Thailand

    Low reserves of Rh negative blood are raising concerns for foreigners in Thailand. While only 0.3% of the Thai population has Rh negative blood, around 15% of the UK and European population has the blood type. This shortage has resulted in concerning shortages of Rh negative blood in blood banks across Southeast Asia. Visitors to the region who have had…

  • Be like James Bond, drive the latest Aston Martin for only 25 million baht (video)

    Be like James Bond, drive the latest Aston Martin for only 25 million baht (video)

    Aston Martin is acknowledged as an iconic global brand synonymous with style, luxury, performance, exclusivity and James Bond, and if you have a few bob to spare then the latest model is yours for about 25 million baht. The latest Aston Martin, the DBX707, not only fuses the latest technology, time-honoured craftsmanship and graceful styling, but it is also the world’s…

  • LTR visa lures just 2,920 applicants in four months

    LTR visa lures just 2,920 applicants in four months

    Despite claims of being able to lure one million expats in five years – which averages to 200,000 a year, or just under 17,000 per month – the actual figures in the first few months have fallen flat. Thailand’s new long-term resident (LTR) visa has attracted almost 3,000 foreign applicants in the four months since its introduction, according to a…

  • Phuket farang offers 4,000 baht reward for missing duck

    Phuket farang offers 4,000 baht reward for missing duck

    A beloved pet duck has gone missing in Phuket, southern Thailand, and its farang owner is offering a 4,000 baht reward for the person who finds and returns it. A poster reveals that the duck is female and went missing on Friday, March 3, from behind Wat Khanaen Temple near Thalang Dog Hotel. CH3‘s Facebook page Nai Krasae (“In the…

  • US tourist takes legal action against slap happy Bangkok security guard (video)

    US tourist takes legal action against slap happy Bangkok security guard (video)

    The US tourist slapped by a security guard in a Bangkok nightclub says he still loves Thailand despite the assault but added he will be taking legal action against two guards. The tourist, Rodric Carkhuff, was slapped and handcuffed by a security guard last month outside The Club Khaosan nightclub on Khao San Road after the 34 year old took…

  • Thailand’s Phetchaburi immigration office to move next month

    Thailand’s Phetchaburi immigration office to move next month

    Thailand’s Phetchaburi Immigration office is set to move to a new location next month. The office will move from its current location in Tha Yang to a new office in Cha-am, with the opening date scheduled for March 20, 2023. The new location will be situated in Khao Yai sub-district, near Khao Nang Phanthurat Forest Park, and is expected to offer…

  • ‘My husband keeps disappearing to Thailand’ – and I don’t know why

    ‘My husband keeps disappearing to Thailand’ – and I don’t know why

    It sounds like a bad dream. But for one woman it is the very sad reality of her marriage. The New York Post reported how a 70 year old woman shared on UK television that after 50 years of marriage, her husband keeps disappearing to Thailand and spending “hundreds of pounds there monthly.” Speaking on a segment called the “Dear…

  • Russian invasion spreads to Thailand’s paradise islands

    Russian invasion spreads to Thailand’s paradise islands

    Ukraine isn’t the only nation suffering from a Russian invasion, Thailand is facing it too. Since Russia took exception to Ukraine’s aspirations to join NATO and the European Union thousands of Russian citizens have fled to avoid conscription to set up camp in Thailand. Russian roubles may have been welcomed by Thai businesses as the Covid-19 ravaged kingdom looks to…

  • Mosquito bite in Thailand causes Dutchman to lose both legs

    Mosquito bite in Thailand causes Dutchman to lose both legs

    A Dutchman living in Nakhon Rathasima in Thailand is on a mission to spread awareness about “flesh-eating bacteria” (necrotising fasciitis) after a mosquito bite led to the amputation of his left leg and lower right leg. Long-term expat, 62 year old Ed Olieslagers from the Netherlands, went to the hospital in April last year after a mosquito bite became inflamed and…

  • Don’t wank during video calls, warns police

    Don’t wank during video calls, warns police

    A day after Royal Thai Police warned women to be wary of “sextortion” on Valentine’s Day, men have been told not to wank during video calls. Police reckon it could lead men open to blackmail by fraudsters using fake profile photos of attractive women. Pol Col Siriwat Deephor, deputy chief of the Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD), reported that dozens…

  • Small hotels recover in Thailand as foreigners move downmarket

    Small hotels recover in Thailand as foreigners move downmarket

    As small hotels recover in Thailand, returning tourists are choosing different options from pre-pandemic staples. A study of small hotels and hostels found booking growth is now higher than before the pandemic, with bookings from overseas tourists exceeding those of local travellers. As small hotels recover in Thailand, bookings are up by a quarter from the pre-Covid levels, according to…

  • Victims of romance scams ‘at their wits end’

    Victims of romance scams ‘at their wits end’

    Most victims of romance scams in Thailand are women in their 40s. Middle-aged women are the main targets of criminal gangs who prey on those who have taken the questionable step of seeking true love online. Online fraud, including romance scams, has become a serious problem in Thailand, judging by the number of complaints filed with the Royal Thai Police.…

  • Khaosan Road businesses told to cut noise pollution, or else!

    Khaosan Road businesses told to cut noise pollution, or else!

    Businesses in the backpacker haven of Khaosan Road have been warned to cut noise pollution otherwise, they will suffer legal consequences, due to complaints received from nearby residents. City Hall says businesses have 15 days to get their houses in order and regulate noise levels, or else! After a gathering that brought together 30 members of the Khaosan Road Business…