Living in Pattaya: a practical guide for long stays

Pattaya has one of the largest foreign resident communities in Thailand, spread from Naklua in the north through central Pattaya and Pratumnak Hill to Jomtien and Na Jomtien in the south, and inland to the housing estates of East Pattaya beyond Sukhumvit Road. Daily life is easy to organise once you know which office, shop or counter does what. This guide gives the practical facts and names the official source for each rule; it does not replace the authorities' own decisions on your case.

Which SIM card or eSIM should you get?

Thailand has three mobile brands on two main networks. AIS is the largest and has the widest coverage. True and dtac merged into True Corporation in 2023 and now share masts, while still selling separate plans. NT, the state operator, is a small budget alternative. All work well across Pattaya, including on Koh Larn.

For a stay longer than a month, skip the tourist packs and buy an ordinary prepaid SIM in an AIS, True or dtac shop: there is one in every mall, including Central Pattaya and Terminal 21. Staff register the SIM to your passport on the spot. eSIMs are issued the same way on recent phones. Postpaid contracts are cheaper per gigabyte and normally ask for a long-stay visa and a rental agreement.

How do you get home internet?

Fibre reaches almost every condominium and housing estate in Pattaya. Many condos include a shared connection in the rent; for your own line, the providers are AIS Fibre (which now includes 3BB), True and NT. Standard plans cost about 500 to 600 THB a month for 500 Mbps and 700 to 900 THB for 1 Gbps. Contracts run 12 months, with a cancellation charge of 3,000 to 4,000 THB if you leave early, and installation takes a few days. Take your passport with a long-stay visa and your rental contract to the provider's shop. For shorter stays, ask the landlord to keep the line in their name and add the cost to the rent.

Rents, deposits and utility rates are covered in long-stay condo rental in Pattaya.

Can you open a Thai bank account?

The main retail banks, Bangkok Bank, Kasikornbank, SCB and Krungsri, all have branches along Second Road, in the malls and in Jomtien. Each branch applies its head office rules in its own way, so requirements differ from one counter to the next. Expect to show your passport with a long-stay visa or extension, proof of address in Thailand (a certificate of residence from immigration or a rental contract) and a Thai phone number. Visitors on short tourist entries are regularly turned away. An account gives you a debit card and the banking app that scans the PromptPay QR codes used at every shop and stall. Until you have one, withdraw larger amounts less often to limit the 220 to 250 THB ATM fee charged to foreign cards.

What does the Jomtien Soi 5 immigration office handle?

Chonburi Immigration, known to everyone as Jomtien Immigration, is on Soi 5 off Jomtien Beach Road. It is the office for every foreigner living in the Pattaya area. Opening hours are Monday to Friday, 08:30 to 16:30, with a break from 12:00 to 13:00; it is closed at weekends and on Thai public holidays. The phone number is 038 252 750. Fees are paid in cash.

Arrive before 08:30 for extensions: queue tickets for the day run out by early afternoon in high season. Dress neatly, bring your passport, signed photocopies of the photo page, visa, latest entry stamp and TM.30 receipt, and two passport photos. Copy and photo shops line Soi 5.

The office is a short walk from the beach: see the Jomtien area guide for the neighbourhood.

How do 90-day reporting and TM30 work in plain terms?

90-day report

Every foreigner who stays in Thailand longer than 90 consecutive days reports their current address to immigration, and again every 90 days. It is a notification, not a visa: it does not extend your permission to stay. Leaving Thailand resets the count, which starts again on the day you re-enter.

• In person at Jomtien Soi 5 with a completed TM.47 form, your passport and copies, from 15 days before the due date until 7 days after it.
• Online on the Immigration Bureau's e-service at tm47.immigration.go.th, from 15 days before the due date and no later than the due date itself. The first report after each arrival in Thailand is made in person; later ones can go online.
• By registered post to the same office, sent well ahead of the due date.

Keep the receipt slip with the next due date in your passport.

TM30

TM30 is the report that a property owner, landlord or hotel makes to immigration within 24 hours of a foreigner arriving to stay at their address. Hotels do it automatically. In a rented condo it is the owner's duty, done online or at the office, and you should ask for a copy of the receipt: Chonburi Immigration asks to see that a TM30 is on file before it processes an extension, a 90-day report or a certificate of residence.

Since 15 September 2026, visitors who enter Thailand under the visa exemption scheme are admitted for 30 days per visit, down from 60, and can apply once at Jomtien Soi 5 for a 30-day extension at the 1,900 THB fee. The official sources are the Immigration Bureau (immigration.go.th), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the list of eligible passports, and the notices posted at the Jomtien office. Read the Bureau's current announcement before you plan around a date.

How do you get a Thai driving licence?

Visitors may drive with their home licence together with an International Driving Permit that covers the vehicle class, including motorcycles. Residents apply for a Thai licence at the Banglamung office of the Department of Land Transport, which serves Pattaya and limits the number of foreign applicants it takes each day, so go early and expect to be given an appointment date once your documents have been checked.

• Documents: passport with copies of the photo, visa and entry stamp pages; a certificate of residence from immigration or a work permit showing your address; a medical certificate issued within the last 30 days (150 to 300 THB at any clinic); your home licence and International Driving Permit.
• Tests: colour, reaction and depth perception checks for everyone. A valid home licence with an International Driving Permit exempts you from the practical test; you still watch the training video on site.
• Fees and validity: the first licence is valid two years and costs 205 THB for a car and 155 THB for a motorcycle. It is then exchanged for a five-year licence at 505 THB and 255 THB. Car and motorcycle licences are separate cards.

The Department of Land Transport (dlt.go.th) is the official source for the rules.

Where are the post offices, supermarkets, schools and clubs?

• Post and parcels: Thailand Post has its main Pattaya office in the centre on Soi 13/2, known as Soi Post Office, and branch offices in the other districts. Counters sell boxes, register letters and send EMS parcels abroad; bring your passport for international parcels. Private couriers such as Kerry Express, Flash Express and J&T have drop-off shops in every district for parcels within Thailand.
• Supermarkets: Big C Extra on Central Pattaya Road, Lotus's on North Pattaya Road and on Sukhumvit Road in South Pattaya, and Makro for bulk buying cover everyday shopping. Foodland on Central Pattaya Road is open 24 hours, and Villa Market and Tops stock imported cheese, bread, wine and breakfast cereals. Fresh markets are cheaper for fruit, vegetables and seafood.
• International schools: the area has British-curriculum and IB schools taking children from age 2 to 18, among them Regents International School Pattaya, Rugby School Thailand, St Andrews International School Green Valley, Tara Pattana International School and Mooltripakdee International School. Annual tuition runs from about 210,000 THB in the early years of the mid-priced schools to around 1,000,000 THB in the senior years of the premium ones, plus registration fees. Visit before you choose a home: the campuses are inland, 15 to 40 minutes from the beach.
• Expat clubs: the Pattaya City Expats Club meets on Wednesday mornings at the Holiday Inn Pattaya on Beach Road, with doors open from 09:00 and the programme starting at 10:30. Membership costs 500 THB a year, and its website publishes detailed, regularly updated notes on immigration and driving licence procedures. Golf societies, national associations and Rotary and Lions clubs also meet weekly.

For medical care and insurance, read hospitals and healthcare in Pattaya; for malls and their supermarkets, shopping malls in Pattaya; and for choosing a district, the best areas to stay.