Latest News for Expats in Thailand

Every day I round up the Thailand news that actually affects those of us living here: visas, tax, banking, healthcare, cost of living, transport, and the digital systems you deal with day to day. The newest stories sit at the top, and older ones drop off after a couple of weeks.

Jump to: July 10 · July 8 · July 7 · Week of July 6 · June 29 · June 22

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July 10, 2026

Thailand’s property-fee cut returns for a year, but foreigners are shut out

From July 1 the government brought back its discount on property fees for a full year, running through June 30, 2027. On homes and condos priced up to THB7 million, the transfer fee drops from the usual 2 percent to a token 0.01 percent, and the mortgage registration fee falls from 1 percent to the same 0.01 percent. On a THB6 million condo that turns a roughly THB120,000 transfer fee into about THB600.

Here is the catch that matters if you are the one buying: the Royal Gazette wording limits the break to individual buyers with Thai nationality, purchasing for their own use. A foreigner buying a condo in their own name does not qualify, and permanent residence does not count as nationality either, so you still pay the standard 2 percent (commonly split with the seller by negotiation). Where the saving does land for a mixed household is a Thai spouse buying with the unit in their own name.

If an agent tells you the fees are near zero, get the buyer’s nationality on the transfer confirmed in writing before you budget around it. Our guide to buying a condo in Thailand walks through how the fees and freehold ownership rules actually work.

Sources: The Nation, Thaiger

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July 8, 2026

Thousands of students test positive for liver fluke in Maha Sarakham

Health authorities screened incoming students at two universities in Maha Sarakham this month, and the numbers are hard to ignore. At Maha Sarakham University, 4,233 of 12,733 new students tested positive for liver fluke, about a third of them, and at the nearby Rajabhat university the rate was 19 percent. Both sit well above the roughly 11 percent found across the province’s wider population.

The cause is raw and undercooked freshwater fish, in particular som tam made with pla ra that has not been properly fermented or inspected. The parasite is Opisthorchis viverrini, and the Northeast, where these dishes are everyday food, carries the heaviest burden.

The screening used a rapid urine test with stool tests to confirm, and a short course of medication clears an active infection. What makes officials treat it as urgent is the long game: the World Health Organization lists this fluke as a cause of bile-duct cancer, and northeast Thailand has the highest rate of that cancer anywhere in the world.

If you eat Isaan food often, the takeaway is simple. Freshwater fish needs to be cooked through, since heat kills the fluke, so grilled pla and cooked laab are fine while the raw and fermented-raw versions are the ones to be wary of. Saltwater sushi is a separate thing and not the concern here, and if you have eaten a lot of raw freshwater fish over the years, a simple test at a hospital can check for it.

Sources: The Nation, Bangkok Post, World Health Organization

Heavier rain returns July 10 to 13 as a typhoon feeds the monsoon

The Thai Meteorological Department expects a fresh round of heavier rain across much of the country from July 10 to 13. Typhoon Bavi will not hit Thailand directly, but it is strengthening the southwest monsoon behind it, so this wetter spell arrives right on the heels of the briefer one earlier in the week.

The upper North, the upper Northeast, and the Andaman coast (Phuket, Phang Nga, Ranong, Trang) are the most exposed, and rough seas are flagged for small boats. If you live here year-round you have ridden out every rainy season, but it is still worth checking the flood-prone soi and any hillside near you before the 10th, and taking it slow if you ride a motorcycle on wet roads.

This is the same wet weather driving dengue’s July and August peak, and standing floodwater is exactly where the mosquitoes breed. Nothing here to file or pay, just a heads-up to plan travel and low-lying homes around it.

Sources: The Nation, Thai Meteorological Department

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July 7, 2026

Dengue hits its peak season just as the rain piles up

We are into July, which with August is the worst stretch of the year for dengue in Thailand, and this week’s weather is making it worse. The Thai Meteorological Department has heavy rain and flood warnings out across dozens of provinces through July 9, and every blocked drain, plant saucer, and forgotten bucket of rainwater becomes one more place for mosquitoes to breed.

If you live here year-round you are more exposed than a tourist passing through for two weeks, and the cities are no safe haven. Bangkok and other built-up areas rank among the worst hotspots. The mosquito that spreads dengue bites during the day, mostly in the morning and late afternoon, so the coils and plug-ins you run at night miss it. Repellent on exposed skin in daylight is what actually helps.

If you do come down with a sudden high fever, reach for paracetamol and skip ibuprofen and aspirin, which raise the risk of bleeding with dengue. Get a blood test if it holds past two or three days rather than waiting it out.

There is a vaccine now if you want longer cover. Qdenga is available at the major private hospitals here, given as two doses three months apart, and it works whether or not you have had dengue before.

Sources: CDC, Thai Meteorological Department, Takeda

Weekly Roundups

Week of July 6, 2026

Storm-fed flooding up north, a visa cut that still has not landed, a year-low baht, and an enforcement drive rolling into July. Here is what mattered this week, who it touches, and what to do about it.

1. Storm Maysak puts 36 provinces on flood watch

Tropical Storm Maysak is staying out over the South China Sea on a track toward southern China, so Thailand takes no direct hit. What it is doing is feeding an already active southwest monsoon, and the Thai Meteorological Department expects heavy to very heavy rain through around July 8.

The flash-flood risk is real if you are in the North (Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Nan, Tak), the upper Northeast (Nong Khai, Bueng Kan, Nakhon Phanom), or Chanthaburi and Trat in the east. Bangkok gets heavy afternoon rain but is not a main flood concern this week.

If that is your area, watch the local alerts and keep anything valuable off the floor. Upper Andaman waves are running 2 to 3 metres and higher in storms, so island and ferry trips are worth checking before you set off, and it is a week to ride a motorcycle slowly on wet roads.

Sources: The Nation, The Nation

2. The 60-day visa exemption still stands

If you have read that Thailand is cutting visa-exempt entry from 60 days to 30, the change has not taken effect. The Cabinet approved it on May 19, but that is not the same as law.

It only starts 15 days after publication in the Royal Gazette, and no date is set. Eligible nationalities still get the 60-day stamp on arrival, anyone already in Thailand keeps the stay they were granted, and long-stay visas like the DTV, retirement, or Non-B are untouched either way.

So there is nothing to change today. If you are planning a trip around the exemption, plan on 60 days for now and keep an eye on the Gazette; our guide on the cut walks through the fallback options.

Sources: TAT Newsroom, EY Global Tax News

3. Nominee and illegal-work crackdown carries into July

The nationwide push against foreign nominee businesses and unlicensed work did not pause for the new month. On June 30, police in Chon Buri shut down a used-car dealership run by two Chinese nationals working without permits, seizing 19 vehicles and filing charges for illegal work and running an unregistered business.

One small raid, but it fits a pattern that has spread from the tourist islands into provincial business hubs since the spring. It matters if you hold property or a business through a Thai nominee arrangement. Standard employment on a proper work permit, or a company you own outright, is not what they are chasing.

If any part of your setup leans on nominees, this is a good month to have a lawyer review it. Our guide to registering a company on your own covers the properly licensed route.

Sources: Thai Examiner

4. The baht is at its weakest in over a year

The baht slipped to about 33.24 to the dollar on July 6, its weakest level since May 2025 and down a little over 1% on the month.

That helps anyone who earns or holds money abroad and brings it into Thailand: retirees on a foreign pension, nomads paid in dollars, euros or pounds. If your income is already in baht, it changes nothing for you.

If you have been waiting to move money over or top up a Thai account, this is a reasonable window. A multi-currency service like Wise usually beats the spread you get at the bank counter.

Sources: Trading Economics, Bank of Thailand

5. Thailand’s THIM immigration app is still a pilot

THIM, Thailand’s immigration app, keeps getting attention, but it has run as a pilot since May and the parts most of us need are not live yet. Phase 2, planned for October 1, is meant to add online queue booking, visa extensions, and 90-day reporting.

Until that lands and proves reliable, nothing you do today is replaced. Keep filing your 90-day report and TM30 through the usual channels, and treat October as a date to watch rather than a switch-over.

Sources: Khaosod English, Human Resources Online

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Week of June 29, 2026

A Bangkok election result, a crackdown spreading north to Chiang Mai, and Thailand picking up a global number two retirement ranking. Here is what matters this week.

1. Chadchart wins Bangkok governor election by a landslide

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt won a second term on Sunday with 53 to 75% of the vote depending on which exit poll you read. His nearest rivals conceded early. It was a big result for anyone living in Bangkok because Chadchart ran almost entirely on city management, with flooding and traffic at the centre of his platform.

If you are in Bangkok or Pattaya and were confused by the dry bars this past weekend, that was the standard election alcohol ban running from 6pm Saturday to 6pm Sunday. It is lifted now.

Sources: Khaosod English, The Nation

2. Nominee crackdown reaches Chiang Mai, Phuket property market rattled

What started as targeted enforcement on Koh Phangan has now spread to Chiang Mai. A task force of 188 officials moved through the city this week, finding unlicensed hotels, ghost companies registered at addresses with no physical office, and businesses using Thai nominees to hold assets on behalf of foreigners. Authorities are now looking at 6,551 companies nationwide and have launched separate action against 140 accountants who helped set up nominee structures.

In Phuket, property lawyers and agents are reporting deals stalling as buyers who relied on nominee setups pause or pull back. If your business or property is held through a Thai company, it is worth getting a legal review right now, whether that means restructuring toward a properly registered company or finding another arrangement.

Sources: Bangkok Post, Thai Examiner, The Nation

3. Monsoon puts 43 provinces on flood watch through July 3

Thailand’s disaster agency has placed 43 provinces under flood and landslide alerts through July 3, covering the North, Northeast, Central region, East coast, and the Andaman coast. Bangkok and the surrounding area are included. Tropical Storm Mekkhala is tracking toward Taiwan and will not hit Thailand directly, but the moisture it has pushed into the region is intensifying the existing monsoon.

If you live near a river, on a hillside, or on a street that floods easily, keep an eye on local alerts. The Andaman coast faces additional rough seas with waves forecast at two to three metres. If you ride a motorcycle, this is the season to slow down and give yourself extra braking distance on wet roads.

Sources: The Nation, The Nation

4. Nine-month scam crackdown: 24 billion baht seized, crime down 69%

The government this week released results from its nine-month campaign against online scam gangs and cross-border call centres. Reported online crime cases dropped 69.2%, financial losses fell 87.3%, 122,840 fraudulent websites were shut, and 300,000 suspicious phone numbers were blocked. Around 29,000 suspects were arrested, including more than 70 high-level gang leaders.

Separately, nine people were arrested in an operation called Cut Down Scam 2 targeting personal data trafficking, with losses linked to the ring estimated at over 2 billion baht. A new regional intelligence-sharing system called SHIELD is also being rolled out this month, connecting Thailand with 10 or more partner countries to tighten coordination across borders.

Sources: The Nation, Asian News Network

5. Thailand ranked second best country in the world to retire abroad

Thailand placed second in this year’s global retirement index, scoring 77 out of 100, just one point behind the Philippines. It recorded the joint-highest healthcare score in the entire index alongside Spain and France, with Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Phuket all cited for their internationally recognised private hospital networks. On health insurance requirements, Thailand scored a perfect 20 out of 20.

That top health insurance score reflects the mandatory conditions built into the Non-Immigrant O-A retirement visa, which requires cover of at least $100,000 per policy per year. If that requirement feels steep, the Non-O visa gets you the same retirement pathway without the mandatory insurance condition.

Source: Daily Mail

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Week of June 22, 2026

Here’s what actually happened this week that touches life here. Skim the ones that apply to you.

1. Immigration is checking for physical cash at the border

Immigration officers have started actually checking proof of funds when you land, something most of us never used to think about. For a general visit the baseline is 10,000 THB per person or 20,000 THB per family, and for some visa categories it doubles to 20,000 per person or 40,000 per family.

The part that catches people out is that they now want to see real money. A balance on your banking app has been waved away as not enough on its own, so cash in hand, whether baht, dollars, euros or pounds, is what satisfies them.

You probably won’t get stopped, but if you fly in and out it’s worth keeping some notes on you. It’s a cheap way to skip an awkward conversation at the desk.

Sources: Travel And Tour World, Thaiger

2. The Cambodia land border is still closed

If a Cambodia border run is part of your routine, cross it off for now. Every official land crossing between Thailand and Cambodia has stayed shut since the conflict flared in June 2025, and while the ceasefire is holding, it’s fragile and the crossings haven’t reopened to normal traffic.

That means the old Cambodia hop for a quick visa reset isn’t an option on the ground. You’ll need to fly out, or pick a different neighbour for your run.

Whatever you decide, check your embassy’s security alerts before you go anywhere near that border.

Sources: U.S. Embassy Thailand, Wikipedia

3. Flash-flood warnings run through June 26

The southwest monsoon is in full swing, and the weather service has flagged 21 to 26 June for isolated heavy rain across the North, upper Northeast, East and South. The real danger isn’t the rain itself, it’s water building up fast enough to cause flash floods and overflows.

If you live near foothills, waterways or low-lying ground, keep an eye on local alerts and don’t leave anything valuable where water collects. Bangkok gets rain most days this month too, so expect the usual streets to flood briefly after the big downpours.

Source: Thai Meteorological Department

4. Private hospital deposits keep climbing

Thai private hospitals keep asking for bigger deposits before they’ll treat you. A planned procedure now typically wants 50,000 to 200,000 THB upfront, and major surgery can run as high as 800,000 THB. Even a single night in a premium private room in Bangkok or Pattaya is 28,000 to 52,000 THB before any treatment.

If you hold an O-A or O-X retirement visa you’re already required to carry insurance, but plenty of people are underinsured for what these places actually charge.

This is a good week to pull up your policy and check two things: your inpatient limit, and whether the hospital bills your insurer directly or makes you pay and claim back. Sorting that out now beats discovering the gap at the admissions desk.

Sources: Pattaya Mail, Thaiger

5. Dengue season is ramping up

Dengue climbs every wet season, roughly June through October, and Bangkok and other built-up areas are the usual hotspots. The mosquitoes that carry it don’t need much to breed: a clogged drain, a plant saucer, a forgotten bucket, a puddle on a building site.

So walk around your place and tip out anything holding water, and keep repellent handy in the evenings. There’s no specific cure for dengue, and it can genuinely knock you flat, so don’t shrug off a sudden high fever, body aches or a rash. Avoiding the bite is the whole game.

Sources: Chiang Rai Times, Nation Thailand

6. The baht is sitting near 33 to the dollar

The baht has drifted to around 32.88 to the dollar as of 19 June, a touch weaker over the past month. Nothing dramatic, but it’s a slightly friendlier rate for anyone moving money in from abroad than we’ve seen lately.

If you’ve been sitting on a transfer or waiting to top up a Thai account, this is a reasonable window. A multi-currency service like Wise usually beats the spread you’ll get at the bank counter.

Sources: Trading Economics, Bank of Thailand

7. The THIM app still doesn’t do your 90-day report

There’s been plenty of buzz about Thailand’s THIM app handling immigration tasks from your phone, but don’t get ahead of it. As of early June it still isn’t doing the 90-day report, and that feature is pencilled in for Phase 2 around October.

So keep filing your 90-day report the way you always have, whether that’s in person, by mail, or through the existing online system. Your window is 15 days before to 7 days after the due date, and missing it means a 2,000 THB fine plus hassle on your next extension.

Sources: Thailand Starter Kit, Thai Law Online

8. Cannabis is still prescription-only

A year on from the reclassification, cannabis flower is still a controlled herb, and buying it legally means getting a PT 33 prescription from a licensed Thai practitioner. The free-for-all is well and truly over: roughly 40% of the shops that opened during the boom have already closed.

If you use it, the casual walk-in-and-buy era is gone. Go through a licensed clinic and you’ll stay on the right side of the rules.

Sources: Cannabis For Thailand, Terms.law

9. Thailand’s first virtual banks launch this year

Thailand’s first virtual banks are due to go live around mid-2026: three app-only banks backed by big names like SCB X and TrueMoney, running entirely through your phone with no branches.

It’s early days, and the terms for foreigners aren’t confirmed yet, so there’s nothing to act on today. It’s worth watching, though, because app-first banking could eventually spare us the branch-by-branch paperwork grind that opening an account currently involves.

Source: Chiang Rai Times

10. PromptPay is now the default way to pay

PromptPay, Thailand’s QR payment system, is now running around 75 million transactions a day, and shops, markets and taxis increasingly expect it. Once you’re set up, it’s the single biggest day-to-day convenience upgrade you’ll get here.

If you have a Thai bank account, link PromptPay to it. Paying becomes a quick scan instead of a hunt for cash, and transfers between people land instantly and for free.

Sources: The Finest Thai, Wise