Pattaya & Thailand Expat Glossary

Living in or moving to Pattaya throws a lot of jargon at you — visa codes, property terms, immigration forms and Thai words. Here's what they all actually mean, grouped by topic.

Visa & immigration terms

DTV — Destination Thailand Visa. A 5-year, multiple-entry visa for remote workers, freelancers and "soft-power" activities, allowing 180 days per stay.

Non-O — a Non-Immigrant "O" visa, used for retirement (50+) or marriage to a Thai national, converted to a yearly extension of stay.

O-A / O-X — retirement visas applied for from abroad; the O-A is one year and requires insurance, the O-X is ten years and needs higher funds.

LTR — Long-Term Resident visa. A 10-year visa for high earners, professionals and wealthy pensioners, with tax perks and fast-track.

Thailand Privilege (Elite) — a paid membership visa (5–20 years) with no income requirement.

TM30 — the notification of a foreigner's address, filed with immigration by the landlord or occupant.

90-day report — long-stay foreigners must report their address to immigration every 90 days.

Re-entry permit — lets you leave and return without losing a single-entry extension of stay.

Overstay — remaining past your permitted date; it carries fines and, if serious, bans.

Visa run / border run — leaving and re-entering the country to reset a permitted stay (much less needed now thanks to longer visas).

Property & legal terms

Freehold — outright ownership. Foreigners can own a condo freehold within a building's foreign quota.

Leasehold — the right to use a property for a fixed term (commonly 30 years), used by foreigners for houses and land they can't own outright.

Foreign quota — the rule that foreigners may collectively own up to 49% of a condo building's floor area.

Chanote — the strongest, GPS-surveyed Thai land title deed; the gold standard to look for.

FET form — Foreign Exchange Transaction form, proving funds came from abroad — required to register foreign condo ownership and to take money out when you sell.

Specific Business Tax (SBT) — a 3.3% tax on selling property within five years of buying; replaced by a 0.5% stamp duty after five years.

Transfer fee — a 2% fee paid at the Land Office on a property transfer, often split between buyer and seller.

Common-area fee — the monthly charge condo owners pay for the building's upkeep, usually per square metre.

Money & everyday terms

Baht (THB / ฿) — Thailand's currency.

Baht bus / songthaew — the shared pickup-truck taxis that are Pattaya's main public transport (฿10–20 a ride).

Soi — a side street or lane branching off a main road (e.g. "Soi Buakhao").

Wai — the traditional Thai greeting, palms pressed together with a slight bow.

Songkran — the Thai New Year water festival in April; in Pattaya it extends into the "Wan Lai" celebrations.

Green / low season — the rainy months (June–October) with the lowest prices and fewest crowds.