Living in Thailand ·1 / 11 · Visas and immigration
Living and settling in · 01 / 07
Visas and immigration
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This page comes from the previous version of the site and has not been checked yet. Check it against the official source before you rely on it.
Official source: to follow
Figures that change
- ①Thresholds in the table (deposit, income)Check pending
- ②DTV: about 500,000 THB in savingsCheck pending
- ③Fine for a missed TM47: 2,000 THBCheck pending
- ④Re-entry: 1,000 / 3,800 THBCheck pending
- ⑤Extension: 1,900 THBCheck pending
General information, not legal, financial or investment advice.
Visa rules change often. Check the conditions on the official website or at the embassy before you apply. This page is not legal advice.
Which visa fits you
| Route | Who it is for | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Visa exemption | Tourism, EU passports | 30 days + 30 |
| DTV | Remote workers, freelancers, Muay Thai / cooking students | 5 yr multi, 180 days per entry |
| Non-O (retirement) | Age 50+, 800k THB deposit or 65k/month income① | 1 yr, renewable |
| Non-O (marriage) | Married to a Thai national, 400k THB or 40k/month | 1 yr, renewable |
| Non-B + work permit | Employed by a Thai company | 1 yr, tied to employer |
| Non-ED | Language or degree students | up to 1 yr |
| LTR | High earners, pensioners with $80k income, investors, skilled professionals | 10 yr |
- Visa exemption30 days + 30Tourism, EU passports
- DTV5 yr multi, 180 days per entryRemote workers, freelancers, Muay Thai / cooking students
- Non-O (retirement)1 yr, renewableAge 50+, 800k THB deposit or 65k/month income①
- Non-O (marriage)1 yr, renewableMarried to a Thai national, 400k THB or 40k/month
+ more 3
- Non-B + work permit1 yr, tied to employerEmployed by a Thai company
- Non-EDup to 1 yrLanguage or degree students
- LTR10 yrHigh earners, pensioners with $80k income, investors, skilled professionals
The DTV changed the picture for most Bulgarians working remotely. You apply from outside Thailand — the embassy in Sofia processes them — and you need roughly 500,000 THB (≈ €13,000) in savings② plus proof of remote employment or freelance contracts.
The paperwork that never stops: TM30, TM47, re-entry
TM30 — address notification
Your landlord or hotel must notify immigration within 24 hours of you arriving at an address. Hotels do it automatically. Private landlords often do not, and then immigration refuses your 90-day report. You can file it yourself through the immigration app or in person; keep the receipt.
TM47 — the 90-day report
Anyone staying more than 90 consecutive days must report their address every 90 days. File online (15 days before to 7 days after the due date), by post, or in person. Missing it is a 2,000 THB fine③, and it compounds.
Re-entry permit
If you hold a long-stay visa and leave Thailand without a re-entry permit, your visa dies at the airport. Single re-entry 1,000 THB, multiple 3,800 THB④, bought at immigration or the airport before departure.
Extensions
Done at your provincial immigration office, 1,900 THB⑤, with passport photos, copies of every relevant page, and the TM30. Go early — some offices issue a limited number of queue tickets a day.
Embassies: there is no Thai embassy in Sofia
Neither country has a full embassy in the other's capital. This is the single most surprising piece of admin for Bulgarians here, so plan around it.
Getting a Thai visa from Bulgaria
There is no Thai embassy in Sofia. Bulgaria falls under the Royal Thai Embassy in Bucharest, Romania (12 Vasile Conta St, Sector 2, by appointment). In practice you have three routes:
- Thai e-Visa online — the default for tourist visas; no travel, no posting your passport
- Thai Honorary Consulate in Sofia, ul. Parchevich 42 — accepts passports and documents Tuesdays and Thursdays 10:00–14:00 and couriers them to Bucharest. Allow extra days for transit
- In person in Bucharest — by appointment, worth it for complex categories where an officer may want to talk to you
Bulgarian consular help while you are in Thailand
Bulgaria has no embassy in Bangkok. Thailand is covered by the Bulgarian Embassy in Hanoi, with an honorary consulate in Bangkok (Rama IV Road, Khlong Toei) for urgent assistance. Practical consequences:
- Replacement passports and most consular acts go through Hanoi and take longer than you expect — start early
- An honorary consul can help in an emergency but cannot issue passports
- Birth registrations, marriage recognitions and powers of attorney need a legalised Thai document translated into Bulgarian
Bring certified copies of your birth certificate, marriage certificate and criminal record check with you. Obtaining them later from Bulgaria adds weeks to anything.