Expats

Stay updated on the latest expat news and insights in Thailand with The Thaiger. Our all-inclusive coverage brings you vital information on residency, visas, work permits, property, healthcare, and other expat-related issues. Adapt to the Land of Smiles seamlessly with our advice, guiding you through various aspects of life as a foreign resident in this enthralling country.

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    A healthy tomorrow starts today: Celebrate the great American Smokeout day

    The Great American Smokeout, held this year on November 17, is a nationwide event that encourages smokers to take their first steps towards a smoke-free life. If you’re an expat in Thailand, this day could be a timely reminder to...

  • Frenchman missing after hiking in Khao Sok National Park

    Frenchman missing after hiking in Khao Sok National Park

    The search is on for a French tourist that has been missing for five days since going on a hike around Khao Sok National Park. The man said on Saturday morning that he was going for a walk in the jungle and has not been seen since. The man was officially reported as missing yesterday. The 30 year old Gollio…

  • British man warns other after he was was hit on a Pattaya crossing

    British man warns other after he was was hit on a Pattaya crossing

    A British man says he was hit by a motorcycle at a “very dangerous” pedestrian crossing in Pattaya. The man, 69 year old Chris Baker, told The Thaiger that yesterday morning a motorcycle hit him at the crossing from Rompho market to Soi 7. The market is located in the Bang Lamung district. Baker says he suffered a broken tooth,…

  • PayPal to lock out Thai users at end of month

    PayPal to lock out Thai users at end of month

    Most PayPal users in Thailand will be locked out of the service next month unless they jump through a series of complex and quite silly hoops that are intelligible only to Thai citizens. After a year of nothing but statements, PayPal told customers this morning that they cannot use the service after December 15 unless they take “certain actions” that,…

  • British man sentenced for rape in UK flees to Thailand

    British man sentenced for rape in UK flees to Thailand

    A British man sentenced to eight years in jail for rape is believed to have fled to Thailand. A jury found Michael Foster unanimously found guilty of rape in absentia in September, reported Lancashire Police. Yesterday, he was found guilty once more at Preston Crown Court. The 35 year old man, formerly of Fishwick Parade, Preston, was given eight years…

  • Bangkok ranked one of top 5 expat cities

    Bangkok ranked one of top 5 expat cities

    Bangkok is one of the top five expat cities in the world, according to the language learning platform Preply. Thailand’s capital city came in at No.5 on a list of the 60 best cities for expats to live and work. The four cities that beat Bangkok, in order, were Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Tbilisi in Georgia, Lisbon in Portugal, and…

  • Edward Snowden received Russian citizenship

    Edward Snowden received Russian citizenship

    Controversial American whistleblower Edward Snowden has been granted Russian citizenship by Vladimir Putin. The former United States intelligence contractor fled to Russia for his safety after revealing to the public secret surveillance programmes the US National Security Agency had been running on its citizens. While US and Russian relationships are strained over the invasion of Ukraine, Putin included Snowden on…

  • American man falls 9 floors to his death outside Bangkok

    American man falls 9 floors to his death outside Bangkok

    An American man met his demise in the greater Bangkok suburb of Nontha Buri after plummeting out of the ninth-floor window of a rental building. For some reason, falling deaths, especially those of foreigners, have been an increasingly common occurrence in Thailand. In this most recent incident, a man that Pak Kret police identified as Mr Campi was reported to…

  • LTR visa: will the benefits lure expats to drive the economy?

    LTR visa: will the benefits lure expats to drive the economy?

    The new 10-year long-term resident visa was launched on Thursday to convert visitors into expats by offering benefits and tax breaks to attract foreigners from around the world. Though, they’ve made clear that they’re looking only for the top-tier wealthy travellers to move to Thailand and take advantage of the LTR visa. The new visa is only offered exclusively to…

  • UPDATE: Body of foreigner found dead in Phuket is US man

    UPDATE: Body of foreigner found dead in Phuket is US man

    UPDATE: The foreigner’s body that was found in waters off Yanui Beach in Phuket’s main city district yesterday morning has been named as US citizen John Joseph Sheridan. The 74 year old’s body was discovered floating in the water after he apparently fell on sharp rocks and bled to death. Fisherman found Sheridan, from Pennsylvania, floating on the rocky part of the shore…

  • Police investigate death of British man found in Pattaya canal

    Police investigate death of British man found in Pattaya canal

    Thai police are investigating the mysterious death of a British expat found dead yesterday morning face down in the Najomtien drainage canal in Pattaya. Richard Wayne Moorcroft is believed to have slipped when out jogging, banged his head, knocked himself unconscious, and slid into the canal. The 63 year old was dressed in jogging clothing when he was found at…

  • Thailand moves into top 10 of best countries to live for expats

    Thailand moves into top 10 of best countries to live for expats

    A new survey has seen Thailand climb into the top 10 best countries to live for expats. A survey by InterNations, in the Expat Insider 2022, revealed Thailand has climbed six places to No.8 in the top 10 countries to live for foreigners from last year’s 14th place. But it’s not all good news for the ‘farang’ community in the…

  • Ex British squaddie commits suicide at Pattaya shooting range

    Ex British squaddie commits suicide at Pattaya shooting range

    A former British Army soldier yesterday committed suicide at Pattaya Shooting Park & Adventure in the Huai Yai subdistrict, Bang Lamung district, Chon Buri province. The man, reportedly named Ian Joseph, lowered his head, pointed the gun toward his right temple, and pulled the trigger of a 9-millimetre rented gun as staff stood nearby in shock. The 36 year old…

  • Norwegian man stabs himself in Pattaya hotel

    Norwegian man stabs himself in Pattaya hotel

    A Norwegian man allegedly stabbed himself in the stomach last night while alone in his hotel bedroom in Pattaya. Frank Gjesvold was rushed to hospital with a gaping wound to the abdomen after staff heard screams for help at 11.30pm from room 409 at a hotel in the South Pattaya area, Nong Prue subdistrict, in Chon Buri province. Staff banged…

  • British boxer vows to get back in ring after Thai horror crash

    British boxer vows to get back in ring after Thai horror crash

    A British Muay Thai boxer vowed to get up off the floor and back into the ring after a horror crash in Koh Samui left him fighting for his life. Chris Richardson was crushed by a pickup truck as he pulled out of a coffee shop on his motorbike on April 13 earlier this year. The injuries were so severe…

  • British pensioner in Chiang Mai dies in motorbike accident

    British pensioner in Chiang Mai dies in motorbike accident

    A Chinese motorist has been threatened with the full force of the law if she is to blame for the death of a British pensioner in a road accident in northern Thailand. Keith William McVeighty died in a motorbike crash involving a car on a motorway in Chiang Mai on Sunday morning. Footage from CCTV reveals a female driver allegedly accelerated…

  • Police hunt foreigner wanted in relation to violent assault at Pattaya gym

    Police hunt foreigner wanted in relation to violent assault at Pattaya gym

    Police in Pattaya are searching for a foreign man wanted in relation to a violent assault on another foreigner at a local gym. According to a Pattaya News report, 46-year-old British national, Gary Reed, was assaulted with a dumbbell in a row over gym equipment. The victim says that he was exercising at the gym when a foreign man started…

  • Portuguese expat reported missing found in Bangkok psychiatric ward

    Portuguese expat reported missing found in Bangkok psychiatric ward

    An expat resident of Bangkok, who was reported missing 9 days ago, has been found at a psychiatric ward in the capital. The 27 year old Portuguese national, Alexandre Freitas, was located at Somdet Chao Phraya Hospital, in the Khlong San district, after he was accused of stealing a pair of sunglasses from a shopping centre in the city. According…

  • Easter Sunday: Where to go to church in Bangkok for Easter 2022 (English services)

    Easter Sunday: Where to go to church in Bangkok for Easter 2022 (English services)

    As Songkran celebrations wind down this weekend, Christians across Thailand are celebrating Easter. Here are some churches where you can attend an in-person English service in Bangkok this Easter Sunday… • Evangelical Church of Bangkok “We are an international church in the city center of Bangkok. No matter where you call home, you are welcome to fellowship and worship with…

  • City Guide: How to open a bank account in Thailand 2022

    City Guide: How to open a bank account in Thailand 2022

    Opening a bank account in Thailand is important if you’re going to stay here for the long run. Expats frequently have trouble opening a bank account or are uninformed about the process. This’s where we come in… Having a Thai bank account can help you manage your finances more effectively, including sending and receiving money from overseas. Obviously, it’s necessary…

  • Officials warn about various scam Thailand Pass emails, some with malicious links

    Officials warn about various scam Thailand Pass emails, some with malicious links

    Thailand Pass applicants are being warned about numerous scam emails from accounts posing as the Department of Consular Affairs or a team from the Thailand Pass system. Some emails are requesting personal information, such as passport numbers, and others include an encrypted link. Officials haven’t confirmed if any other information besides email addresses has been compromised from the Thailand Pass…

  • Top 10 hard truths of living as an expat in Thailand

    Top 10 hard truths of living as an expat in Thailand

  • Common jobs for foreigners in Thailand 2022

    Common jobs for foreigners in Thailand 2022

    Thailand is a great place for everyone, from families to backpackers to retirees and those who want to work here. There are a lot of people who have fallen in love with the country and never left. After two years of pandemic, Thailand is slowly opening up and we believe that once the dust has settled, there will be plenty…

  • Expats want to leave Hong Kong- but that’s an expensive thing to do

    Expats want to leave Hong Kong- but that’s an expensive thing to do

    After two years of Covid-19 restrictions and political crackdowns in Hong Kong, expats there want to leave. But doing that costs a lot of money in shipping, and pet relocations. It’s not just finances that keep Hong Kong Expats from moving. People who move often have to wait months after shipping their belongings to actually receive them. Hong Kong has…

  • Travel Guide: Top places to retire in Asia 2022

    Travel Guide: Top places to retire in Asia 2022

    Retiring in Asia is a dream for many, with fond memories of short or longer travel to some of the humid and exotic countries in the region. All that exquisite cuisine, diverse sceneries, fascinating histories, intriguing temples, tropical adventures, colourful nightlife, and markets and malls for shopping. Lots of shopping. So it’s easy to become enamoured with all things “Asia.”…

  • Pattaya shop reports old foreign man dies during massage

    Pattaya shop reports old foreign man dies during massage

    While receiving a massage at a shop in the Pattaya area, an older foreign man died midway through. The incident took place yesterday in Bang Lamung at a massage shop in the late afternoon, and emergency responders were notified of an unidentified foreigner, believed to be an expat around the age of 70, who had passed away in the middle…

  • Plans shot down for property incentives to attract foreigners

    Plans shot down for property incentives to attract foreigners

    A proposal to attract foreigners by lengthening property leaseholds from 30 years to 50 years and allowing foreign condo ownership to increase over the 49% current restriction was shot down today by the Centre for Economic Situation Administration. The committee, headed by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, rejected those proposals but did seem open to foreigners being permitted to own up to…

  • Popular “sexpat” blogger Stickboy leaves Thailand over dead nightlife, restrictions

    Popular “sexpat” blogger Stickboy leaves Thailand over dead nightlife, restrictions

    The popular redlight district blogger (and “sexpat”) Stickboy has left Thailand, apparently due to the lack of nightlife over the past two years. Stickboy, whose real name is Mike McKay, has been a long time expat in Thailand. He calls himself a “party animal with hollow legs” and is known for his posts of busty women mixed in with general…

  • Applicants for Thai citizenship must pass new Thai language test

    Applicants for Thai citizenship must pass new Thai language test

    The Thai government has introduced new regulations that require those who apply for Thai citizenship to pass a new Thai language test. According to a Bangkok Post report, government representative Rachada Dhnadirek says the fees for citizenship have also doubled. Up until now, Thai citizenship was based on regulations in place since 1967, which required applicants to speak and understand…

  • Bangkok is 4th best place to live in Southeast Asia, according to expat survey

    Bangkok is 4th best place to live in Southeast Asia, according to expat survey

    Bangkok has come in at number 4 in a survey ranking the best places to live in Southeast Asia. And the Thai capital has come in at number 11 out of 57 cities in the global rankings. This is a big jump on last year’s result, when it was ranked at number 30 out of 66 cities. According to a…

  • French expat being denied re-entry to Thailand over repeated criticism of the Thai monarchy

    French expat being denied re-entry to Thailand over repeated criticism of the Thai monarchy

    One of Thailand’s long term French expats Yan Marchal is being denied reentry to Thailand. He says he is being expelled to Paris from Bangkok, as soon as tonight, for being a long term critic of the Thai government and Monarchy. Yan says he could appeal the ‘deportation’. “I have been advised to fly out rather than to expose myself…