Expat tax residency in Southeast Asia — one written opinion, no surprises
Thailand now taxes remitted foreign income for 180-day residents; the Philippines taxes residents on worldwide income; treaties decide which country actually gets paid when two systems claim you. The cheapest moment to know your position is before the tax year ends — our fixed-fee written opinion gives you the analysis, the treaty math and a filing calendar, signed by a local tax specialist.
What the standardized tax-opinion scope covers (fixed-fee, quoted upfront)
- Residency analysis under your country of stay’s rules (days, center of interests, available-for-use tests).
- Double-taxation treaty analysis — which country has taxing rights over your pension, salary, dividends or freelance income.
- Remittance planning — for Thailand’s 180-day remittance rule and similar regimes, what to move and when.
- Filing calendar & documentation checklist — what you owe, where, and by when, in writing.
The numbers that matter
Billing structure
Fixed-fee quote before engagement
Turnaround
~2 weeks
Focus
🇹🇭 180-day rule · treaties · remittances
Deliverable
Signed written opinion
How engagement works
- Submit your free case brief — 2 minutes, confidential, no obligation.
- Within 24–48h we send two vetted proposals from bar-registered firms in this jurisdiction, each with a fixed-fee scope in English.
- You engage the firm directly. We never sit between client and counsel — and never take a cut of legal fees.
Frequently asked questions
Do I owe Thai tax on money I bring into Thailand?
If you are a tax resident (180+ days in a calendar year), foreign income remitted into Thailand is generally taxable under the post-2024 interpretation, with treaty and timing nuances. This is the single most common surprise for retirees — the written opinion applies the rules to your actual income sources.
I live in SEA but my income is from my home country — am I safe?
Not automatically. Most treaties assign taxing rights by residency and income type, and “safe” depends on days spent, where funds sit and treaty tie-breakers. Remote workers and pensioners are exactly the profiles that get caught — the opinion resolves it factually.
Will the opinion be useful to my home-country accountant?
Yes — it is written for that: residency findings, treaty article references and a documentation checklist your home adviser can work from.
Can you handle the actual filings too?
The opinion includes a filing calendar; annual filings themselves are quoted as a separate fixed scope with the same firm, so the person who wrote your opinion also files it.