Moving to Phuket from the UK: the practical checklist

If you plan to buy a condo in your own name, how the money arrives is a legal requirement, not a detail. The Land Office will only register a foreign owner if the purchase money came into Thailand from abroad in foreign currency.

• Send sterling, not baht. The Thai bank converts it and issues a Foreign Exchange Transaction form (FET, formerly Tor Tor 3) for transfers of US$50,000 or more. For smaller transfers, ask for a credit advice and a bank letter listing them.
• Send it in the buyer's name. If a relative or a company sends the money, the FET names them, and the Land Office may refuse to register you.
• State the purpose. Ask for the transfer to be recorded as the purchase of a condominium unit, with the project and unit number if possible.

Keep the FET safe. You will need it to send the money home when you sell. The buying guide walks through the full purchase.

For everyday transfers, compare the exchange rate and fees of your UK bank against a specialist money transfer service or currency specialist. On large sums, the difference in rate can be worth more than the fee.

You will want one for rent, bills and, on a retirement visa, the ฿800,000 deposit. Banks set their own rules and branches differ. In practice, a long-stay visa, a Thai address and a phone number make it much easier; on a visa exemption stamp you may be turned away.

Keep your UK current account open. Many UK pensions and investments pay only into a UK account, and you will need one when you visit.

The State Pension is paid, but frozen. The UK pays the State Pension in Thailand, but Thailand is not one of the countries where it rises each year. You receive the rate in force when you first claim abroad (or when you leave, if already claiming), and it stays there. The full new State Pension is £241.30 a week in 2026/27. Over a long retirement, the gap with UK pensioners grows every year.

Filling gaps in your National Insurance record is harder now. Since 6 April 2026, you can no longer pay cheap voluntary Class 2 contributions for periods abroad. Class 3 is still possible, but new applications need 10 years of continuous UK residence or 10 years of paid contributions. Check your record on gov.uk before you leave.

Private and workplace pensions can usually be paid to you abroad. How they are taxed depends on where you are resident and when you bring the money into Thailand. See below.

Spend 180 days or more in Thailand in a calendar year and you are Thai tax resident. Since 1 January 2024, foreign income a Thai resident brings into Thailand can be taxed here, whenever it was earned. Money you earned and saved before 2024 is treated differently, so keep statements that show it.

On the UK side, leaving does not end UK tax on UK income such as rent from a UK property. The UK and Thailand have a double taxation agreement, so tax paid in one country can usually be credited in the other.

Get this planned before you move, not after. The tax, pensions and inheritance guide sets out the rules and the questions to ask an adviser.

Thailand has no reciprocal healthcare agreement with the UK. Private hospitals here are good and widely used by expats, but they are paid for, and they ask for a guarantee of payment before treatment. Arrange international or Thai health insurance before you arrive, and check whether your visa sets a minimum. The healthcare guide lists the hospitals and the insurance rules.

UK removals firms ship to Phuket regularly. Get at least three quotes, ask how they handle Thai customs clearance and duty on household goods, and be clear whether the price runs door to door.

Many people ship less than they expect. Long-term rentals here are often furnished, and air conditioning, white goods and furniture are easy to buy locally.

Pets can come with you, and Phuket airport has an animal quarantine station. The process runs on fixed timings:

• an ISO-standard microchip, fitted before the rabies vaccination;
• a rabies vaccination at least 21 days before you apply for the import permit;
• an import permit from Thailand's Department of Livestock Development, applied for in advance;
• a UK export health certificate signed by an official vet shortly before travel.

Healthy pets with complete papers are not normally quarantined. Requirements change, so most people use a pet relocation firm.

To drive here as a visitor, carry your UK licence together with the 1968 international driving permit. You cannot buy one outside the UK, so get it from the Post Office before you leave.

Once you live here, you can apply for a Thai driving licence at the Department of Land Transport using your UK licence. A motorbike needs the right licence category: if you could not legally ride it in the UK, your insurer may refuse a claim. Helmets are compulsory.

Phuket has more than 20 international schools, several on the British curriculum. Places in some year groups go early, so contact schools as soon as you know your dates. See the international schools guide.

Khun Mark usually suggests renting for six to twelve months. It lets you test the school run, the rainy season and the neighbourhood before you commit, and it gives your visa and bank account time to settle. Browse the long-term rentals. When you are ready to buy, the ownership tool shows what a foreigner can legally own.

• Wills. Thai authorities are not likely to recognise a UK will unless a Thai court has approved the executor. Many British owners make a separate Thai will for Thai assets.
• Powers of attorney. A UK lasting power of attorney may not be recognised in Thailand.
• Voting. You can register as an overseas voter for UK elections.
• Post and identity. Keep a UK address for post if you can, and keep your passport well in date: some visas need 18 months' validity.