Moving to Thailand with your family: schools, visas, healthcare & where to live

Start with the school — it anchors everything

For families with school-age children, the single most consequential decision is the international school, and it should come before the neighbourhood and before the home. The school sets three things at once: the part of the city you can realistically live in (nobody wants a daily cross-town school run), a large share of the annual budget, and often the timing of the whole move. Do this search first — shortlist schools using our international-schools guide, get on admissions radars early because good schools fill up, and then let the shortlist shape the home search. Reverse that order and you risk a lease on the wrong side of the city.

Visas for your spouse and children

Thailand provides for dependents of a foreigner holding the right primary visa. Broadly, if your status is a work-based Non-B and permit, an LTR, or certain other long-stay categories, your spouse and children can usually obtain dependent visas tied to yours — and newer routes like the LTR have specific dependent provisions.

• Expect to need marriage and birth certificates, often translated and legalised.
• There are usually financial requirements, and rules on what a dependent may do (for example whether a spouse can work).
• The detail depends entirely on your primary visa category and it changes.

Use our visa hub as a starting map, then confirm your family's exact route with official sources or a reputable visa professional before relying on it.

Healthcare & insurance for a family

Thailand's private hospitals in Bangkok and the major cities are well regarded and widely used by expat families, with international-standard care available — but it is paid care, which makes family health insurance important rather than optional, and some visa categories require a minimum level of cover. Decide early between a local Thai policy and an international family plan (which may also cover trips home), and check carefully what each covers for children, maternity and pre-existing conditions. Our healthcare & hospitals guide covers how the system works, the visa insurance rules and what care costs — confirm the current insurance requirement for your visa before you travel.

Choosing a family-friendly neighbourhood

Family-friendly areas look different from the ones that suit a single newcomer — less nightlife density, more of the things below:

• An easy school run to your chosen school — the commute is daily, so weight it heavily.
• Green space and parks, quieter residential streets, and family amenities.
• Family-sized homes — larger condos or houses with the bedrooms you need.

Because the right area depends on the school, narrow the map with your shortlist first, then compare options on our best areas for families view, weigh two districts head to head with the area-comparison tool, and shortlist neighbourhoods with the Neighborhood Finder.

The home: space, safety & the school run

Once the area is set, a family home is judged on different criteria than a single person's first condo:

• Enough bedrooms and living space, and storage — family life needs room a studio never will.
• Building facilities children use — a pool, a kids' area, a gym, and green space nearby.
• Safety and security — see our safety guide; a secure building matters more with children.
• A sane commute to school and work — sometimes a home near both beats a bigger place plus an hour in traffic.

Helping the kids (and your partner) settle

The logistics are only half of it; a family move succeeds when everyone lands well. International schools are often the centre of a child's new social world, and the wider expat community runs deep in Bangkok and the other hubs — sports clubs, activities, parent networks and weekend life. Our things-to-do guide covers building a life beyond the tourist version, and the first-30-days checklist helps the whole household find its feet in month one. Give the move time, lean on the school community, and treat the first term as the real settling-in period.

Budgeting a family move

A family budget looks nothing like a single remote worker's. Build it school-first:

• International-school fees are usually the largest recurring cost by a wide margin — get real fee schedules for your shortlist, not estimates.
• Add a family-sized home in commuting distance of the school.
• Add family health insurance, then everyday living — where Thailand is genuinely affordable (see cost of living).
• Layer in the one-off move — our shipping guide helps you decide what's worth bringing.

Family-move mistakes to avoid

Frequently asked