Corporate Relocation & Employee Housing in Thailand — The HR Guide

The one-line version

Get three things right and a Thailand move runs smoothly: the visa matched to the employment structure, a housing budget set by seniority and family size, and a six-to-eight-week timeline that starts school applications early. This guide and the linked tools let your team plan all three independently.

Start with the visa — it shapes everything else

The employment structure decides the visa, and the visa decides the timeline. Three common paths:

Non-Immigrant B + work permit — the classic route for an employee on the Thai entity's payroll. Sponsored by the company; allow lead time for documents and the permit.
DTV (Destination Thailand Visa) — suits remote workers kept on a foreign payroll rather than locally employed.
LTR (Long-Term Resident) — built for senior, high-earning assignees and their families; bundles a digital work permit and relaxes the 90-day report to yearly.

Pick the path first, then build housing and logistics around it. The visa center has the current criteria for each.

Budget housing by seniority, not a flat number

The single most common policy mistake is one housing figure for everyone. A single mid-level hire is well-served by a one-bedroom in a transit-connected area; a relocating executive or a family needs a two- or three-bedroom in a prime district, often near an international school — a materially different budget. Set bands by seniority and family size, and pressure-test them against real rents. Model genuine ranges by area and unit type with the cost-of-living tool and compare districts side by side with the neighbourhood comparison and best-for rankings.

Serviced apartment or direct lease?

Serviced apartment

Furnished, bill-inclusive, managed
Flexible term — good under ~6–12 months
Land and work from day one
Higher monthly cost; ideal for trials & short assignments

Direct 12-month lease

Lower cost per month for long postings
Best for families settling in
Needs furnishing + utility setup
Typical two-month deposit; fixed term

A common pattern: start the employee in serviced housing, then move them onto a lease once they've chosen a neighbourhood. Browse furnished and flexible options on residences.

What a Thailand relocation package usually covers

Package checklist for HR

Housing — allowance or company-arranged home (serviced or leased), sized by seniority and family
Visa & work permit — sponsorship, fees and renewal handling
Flights & temporary accommodation for the employee (and family) on arrival
Shipping or a furniture/setup allowance
International school fees and application support for families
Health insurance (private cover — mandatory for some visas)
Settling-in support — bank account, SIM, utilities, orientation
A repatriation or end-of-assignment clause

A week-by-week HR timeline

Weeks 1–2 · Policy & visa path

Confirm the employment structure and the right visa (Non-B + work permit, DTV, or LTR), set the housing budget by seniority, and agree what the relocation package covers — housing allowance, flights, shipping, school fees, settling-in support.

Weeks 3–4 · Neighbourhood & shortlist

Match the employee to the right districts (transit, lifestyle, and for families, international schools) and shortlist serviced apartments and/or lease options. School applications start now — the best schools have waitlists.

Weeks 5–6 · Secure housing & logistics

Confirm the home (serviced booking or signed lease + deposit), book movers or air-freight essentials, and prepare arrival paperwork — passport copies, visa, insurance, employment letters.

Arrival week · Land & settle

Airport pickup, Thai SIM, file the TM30 address notification within 24 hours, open a bank account, register the 90-day report if applicable, and hand the employee their settling-in checklist and local points of contact.

Duty of care — protect the first 30 days

Most early-assignment problems happen in the first month. Confirm the home and file the TM30 address notification on arrival, arrange comprehensive private health insurance (mandatory for some visas), and give the employee a clear local point of contact plus the essentials — nearest hospital, transit station, bank and a Thai SIM. For families, secure the school before the neighbourhood. A short written settling-in checklist, handed over on day one, does more than any amount of pre-departure briefing. The relocation hub has employee-ready checklists for banking, the 90-day report, schools, pets, shipping and healthcare.

Frequently asked

What does it cost to house a relocating employee in Bangkok?Plan a monthly housing budget by seniority, not a flat number. A single mid-level hire is comfortable in a one-bedroom in a transit-connected area; a relocating executive or a family will need a two- or three-bedroom in a prime district near international schools, which costs materially more. Furnished serviced apartments carry a premium over a standard 12-month lease but remove furnishing, utilities and setup friction — often the right call for short assignments or until the employee chooses a permanent home. Model real ranges by area and unit size with the cost-of-living and area tools before you set a policy figure.

Which visa do relocating employees need?It depends on the assignment. A traditional employee on local payroll typically needs a Non-Immigrant B visa plus a work permit, sponsored by the Thai entity. A remote worker kept on a foreign payroll may qualify for the DTV (Destination Thailand Visa). Senior, high-earning assignees and their families may fit the LTR (Long-Term Resident) visa, which bundles a digital work permit and relaxes 90-day reporting to yearly. Match the visa to the employment structure first, then build the housing and timeline around it — see the visa center for the current criteria.

Should we lease directly or use serviced apartments?Serviced apartments suit assignments under roughly 6–12 months, trial periods, or any move where the employee needs to land and work immediately: they're furnished, bill-inclusive, flexible-term and managed. A direct 12-month lease is usually cheaper per month and better for long postings and families who want to settle, but it means furnishing, utility setup, a typical two-month deposit and a fixed term. Many companies start staff in serviced housing, then transition to a lease once the employee picks a neighbourhood.

What's a reasonable relocation timeline?For a planned corporate move, six to eight weeks is comfortable: weeks 1–2 to confirm the visa path, budget and policy; weeks 3–4 to shortlist neighbourhoods and housing and (for families) approach international schools, which have waitlists; weeks 5–6 to secure the home and arrange shipping or a serviced-apartment booking; and the final stretch for arrival logistics — airport, SIM, bank account, TM30 filing and settling-in. Rushed moves are possible with serviced housing, but school placement is the constraint that most often forces a longer lead time.

Do you provide corporate housing management?BAANLYY is a data-and-tools platform, not a corporate-housing broker or property manager. This guide and the linked tools — area comparisons, the cost-of-living and purchase-cost calculators, the visa center and the relocation checklists — are built to help your HR or relocation team plan an employee move confidently and independently. Where you need vetted local specialists (immigration, movers, tax), the expat services directory points you to categories without paid placement.

How do we handle duty of care for relocating staff?Treat the first 30 days as the risk window. Confirm housing and the TM30 address filing on arrival, arrange comprehensive private health insurance (mandatory for some visas), give the employee a clear point of contact and the basics — nearest hospital, BTS/MRT station, banking and a Thai SIM — and for families, lock the school before the neighbourhood. A short, written settling-in checklist handed to the employee prevents most early-assignment problems.

HR toolkit

Cost-of-living tool Compare neighbourhoods Best-for rankings Visa Center International schools Healthcare & insurance Expat services directory Employee relocation guide

Planning a team move?

Set housing budgets by area, pick the visa path, and build the timeline — all from the tools above.

Find the right area Browse homes

General information for planning purposes only — not legal, immigration, tax or financial advice. Visa criteria, costs and requirements change and depend on your company's and employee's circumstances; verify current rules with official Thai government sources or a licensed specialist. BAANLYY is a data-and-tools platform and never takes paid placement.

Relocating employees to Thailand