Digital Nomad in Phuket: Visa, Internet, Coworking, Tax

Choose by stay length. Visa exemption covers tourism only, up to 30 days. The DTV, issued to people who want to work remotely, gives up to 180 days per entry. Coworking day passes start from THB 200, and 180 days or more in a calendar year makes you a person in Thailand for tax.

By Vincent Nguyen and team

Working remotely from Phuket means settling four things: your visa, your connection, your desk and your tax position. Find your stay length in the table to see all four at a glance, then follow the links in each section below for the full guide.

Visa: exemption, DTV or LTR

Visa-exempt entry covers tourism only, for a stay of up to 30 days. Working is another matter: foreigners are not allowed to work unless granted a work permit. Plan to visit more than twice a year, or for anything but tourism, and you are strongly advised to apply for an appropriate visa. The visa exemption guide has the rules and the arrival checks.

DTV for remote work

The DTV is issued to people who want to travel and work remotely in Thailand, freelancers and remote workers included. It stays valid for 5 years, and each entry gives you up to 180 days. The fee is THB 10,000 as of July 2024.

To apply, you show financial evidence of at least THB 500,000. For the remote-work purpose, add an employment contract or certificate from your country, or a professional portfolio. One extension of 180 days is also open to you at the Immigration Bureau. The DTV guide walks through the documents, and the DTV extension guide covers the Phuket office.

LTR Work-from-Thailand

Remote workers working for well-established overseas companies belong in the Work-from-Thailand Professionals category. It is one of the four categories of the LTR visa.

To qualify, you need an average personal income of at least USD 80,000 a year over the past two years. If your average falls below that but reaches at least USD 40,000, you must show a master’s degree or higher.

Work permits are not granted to Work-from-Thailand Professionals, and holders cannot take part in work with Thai employers that generates income in Thailand. On reporting, LTR holders report once a year instead of every 90 days. The LTR guide has the full details.

Home internet and SIM

Check your building before anything else: AIS Broadband Condo packages are only available to individual customers whose building has fibre to the building (FTTB). The building manager can tell you whether it has FTTB. One listed plan is THB 269 per month with a router, 50/20 Mbps and a 12-month contract. The home internet guide compares the packages.

For your first weeks, an AIS tourist SIM with unlimited data keeps you online, so match the row to the length of your stay.

Register the SIM before use. Past 60 days from activation, a foreign tourist who keeps using it must reconfirm identity by SMS or at an AIS shop. For the shops and the eSIM route, turn to the SIM and eSIM guide.

Coworking day passes in Phuket

Compare the three spaces below on their published rates. Note that the day price at PLACE Coworking changes on 1 November 2026, which is why both figures appear.

BTC Space: free zones in Chalong

Three zones at BTC Space are free to use, with hot desks and wifi. Plan your day around its hours, daily from 08:30 to 00:00.

PLACE Coworking: hot desks in Chalong

With the Place Pass you get a hot desk, the common areas and high speed Wi-Fi. You will find the space at 59/2 Chao Fah Tawan Tok Rd, Chalong.

Denz CoWorking Cafe in Patong

Head to Soi Khuanyang in Patong to find the cafe. Denz opens Monday to Friday, from 10:00 AM to 11:30 PM.

For meeting rooms and private offices, turn to the coworking guide.

Tax: the 180-day rule

Your tax position turns on the days you spend in Thailand between 1 January and 31 December. Reach 180 days or more in total, in one stay or several, and you are a person in Thailand. Stay below that, and foreign income of that year is not taxed in Thailand even if you bring it in.

For a tax resident, income from outside Thailand is taxed only when it was earned from 1 January 2024 onwards and is remitted to Thailand. The tax residency guide explains the rules and the filing.

Where to base yourself

BTC Space and PLACE Coworking sit in Chalong, while Denz is in Patong. For daily life in each, read the Chalong guide and the Patong guide.

To weigh other parts of the island, the where to live guide picks an area by situation, and the areas compared guide sets them side by side.

Where to go from here: the visa exemption guide, the DTV guide and the tax residency guide.

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Not confirmed: Which documents the Phuket counter asks for at a DTV extension: confirm at the office. Internet speed in your own building: ask the manager before you sign. Coworking rates other than PLACE: confirm at the desk.

General information checked against the sources listed above, not legal advice for your situation. Rules and office practice change; confirm with the immigration office or a licensed adviser before you act. See how guides are checked.

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