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Can I rent out my villa on Airbnb while on a DTV visa in Thailand?

DTV visa Short-term rentals Airbnb regulations Property ownership in Thailand Rental laws Tax implications

Feb 1, 2025

21 days ago

Anonymous *************

ORIGINAL POSTER

Hello everyone, so if I’m renting my villa out in Thailand on Airbnb short term rentals, of course this is no problem while on a dtv right ? As long as I’m not working in the home cleaning, welcoming guests into the property ect?

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TLDR : Answer Summary

Renting out a villa on Airbnb while on a DTV visa in Thailand may lead to legal complications. Generally, operating short-term rentals (less than 30 days) without a hotel license is illegal, meaning that even if you are not directly managing the property, you may still be violating immigration rules by earning money in Thailand. Participants in the discussion also highlighted that if the villa is owned legally, it is typically through a leasehold or company structure, as direct land ownership by foreigners is not permitted. Overall, it is advisable to consult a legal expert to navigate these laws properly.

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Tom *****

The last Airbnb I rented in Thailand was managed by a British person, the one before that by an Indian person, the one before that by a Chinese person, all for periods of less than 1 month.

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Luit *****************

and most likely all illegal.

The simple fact that things happen does not make it legal.

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Luit *****************

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Kevin ********

How many people here buy and rent out a property while they are not here as a tourist? The DTV in and of itself is just a glorified tourist visa just so you know.

I would check what is possible but you may well have to declare tax on the income.

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Jeremy *****

Can you not read it literally says non immigrant visa 😂

If you look under tourist visa guess what it isn't there😂🤦‍♂️

Yes 360 and out for new stay but that dosnt change the fact it's a 5 year visa and can be here all you'd like in that 5 years minus a border bounce 😉

Argue facts all you'd like 😘😂

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Kevin ********

and just to be clear, I have 2 bikes, 1 car. And both my licences and guess what, I’m here on a tourist visa. Strange how YOUR facts don’t actually align with how some people live, and yes you can even buy property on a tourist visa, in fact you don’t ever need to set foot in the country to buy. But then some people don’t understand how real life works and how people don’t always live there life how others do.

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Kevin ********

I think it’s YOU that doesn’t understand the nature of the visa, is IS a glorified tourist visa, ask anyone in the know and you will be told I’m sure, and that is why you cannot get a bank account with it and yet you can with a ED visa. Haha

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Luit *****************

and because one consulate put it in the wrong section, it is immediately the truth?

And when it was a resident visa, why on earth would they force residents to leave the country every 360 days? Does that make sense?

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Luit *****************

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Anonymous *************

ORIGINAL POSTER

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Jeremy *****

It's 💯 not a tourist visa it's a non immigrant visa and that's according to the thai government .

Where is any tourist staying 6 months to 5 years 😂

Tourists don't rent condos and houses for a year or more they dang sure don't go get drivers licenses or buy vehicles either like many of us have 😂

Why do some of you try and insist it's a tourist visa 🤦‍♂️🙄😂

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Dany ********

you are wrong and it’s incorrectly listed on that website… websites like these often list wrong information… the DTV is considered a special tourist visa. and you can read that in the official Royal Gazette publications and also in the Immigration Bureau Orders that have been released… they all clearly state that in the law / order texts… it is NOT a non-immigrant visa. thats very very clear. and thats also the reason why you cannot open a bank account by yourself and why some provinces create all sorts of problems for you…

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Jeremy *****

and yeah you can open a bank with it several have without an agent at a few banks if you're smart enough hell I did 😂

Also have both types of drivers licenses, 1 year residency certificate and a yellow book that this week I'll be using to get a no citizen thai ID card 🤷‍♂️😂yeah it's a tourist visa 🙄😂😂😂

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Jeremy *****

ok genius I guess the official thai website is wrong 😂

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Jeremy *****

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Luit *****************

Maximum stay DTV is 360 days.

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Jeremy *****

Luit van der Linde yes then you exit and guess what re enter still dosnt change you can be here 5 years

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Luit *****************

that does not change the fact your maximum stay is 360 days, of course you can concatenate stays, but you have to leave the country.

That also shows it is just a tourist visa.

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Luit *****************

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Anonymous *************

ORIGINAL POSTER

So essentially if you have a home in Thailand you can’t rent it if you are on a dtv visa🤔

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Paul *******

Anonymous participant I think it's allowed; I don't think renting out your own property comes under the definition of "work" but I'm not a lawyer.

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Will ************

Anonymous participant you just can’t rent it out . You would be running a business and liable for tax on income received

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Will ************

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Jeremy *****

You basically are answering your own question if you use commons sense

You are profiting off thailand and tourists

Therefore you are doing business and earning money directly in thailand

You get caught you get banned and more 🤷‍♂️

People today sure like to break the laws and rhen wonder why they end up in trouble though

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Christopher ********

You would be in violation because you are making money in Thailand ..

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Sam ******

@Christopher *******

you wouldn't because Airbnb is not incorporated in Thailand

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Christopher ********

you’re making money off Thai property…

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Christopher ********

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Daniel ********

I believe you can rent it out if you assign it to an agent, although the rental contract must be for a minimum of 1 year. I might be wrong, but the law also says you must assign it to an agent, meaning you can't do it yourself if you're not a registered broker.

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Jeremy *****

@Daniel *******

no dude he's still doing business here and making money 🤦‍♂️🙄😂

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Jeremy *****

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Greg ******

1. Airbnb rentals for stays under 30 days are not legal. (Hotel Act).

2. Are you the legal owner of the villa? If not, you are working for someone else, which is considered employment in Thailand and is not permitted under your DTV.

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Bruno ***********

i would add that you can't be owner of a villa in Thailand because you can't own land. You could be leaseholder or you could be director of a company that hold a property but this would probably not be compatible with DTV visa.

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Anonymous *************

ORIGINAL POSTER

hello. Yes I’m the owner, I have done some reading into the short term rentals i first got the idea of it from a successful company offering to advertise my villa for me. But of course they must be operating under one of the many loopholes

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Luit *****************

Anonieme deelnemer How can you be owner of a villa anyway? Foreigners can only buy a condo.

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Dany ********

@Luit ****************

you can own any house in thailand… its just the land that you cannot buy. but you can lease it for 30x1 / 30x2 years.

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Luit *****************

Theoretically it is indeed possible, but practically only when building a new house.

Otherwise you have to split land and house, and not much sellers do want to do that.

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Dany ********

@Luit ****************

yeah i understand… anyway i would never invest into real estate in thailand when i have access to western markets with much better returns/gains :)

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Luit *****************

I think investing in a market where you are handicapped by extra rules, is not a good idea unless you are very sure about what you do.

But having a house of your own to live in is a different story

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Luit *****************

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Kool *******

Anonymous participant technically you are doing business, and making money, in Thailand, not remotely, which is a violation of the visa. You should also be paying income tax on the money you make from the Airbnb.

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Greg ******

Anonymous participant Well, you could try doing longer stays, for example. You'll obviously need to declare it somehow and may want to check with a lawyer. You might also need to fill TM30 and provide some documents for your customers to deal with immigration (visa, etc.), so it's better to ensure everything is legal from that perspective.

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Greg ******

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Steve *******

Short term rentals without a hotel license is illegal in itself, so either don't worry about the rest or stop breaking the law.

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Steve *******

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