Is it legal to pay less tax by moving to Thailand?

Yes, as long as you genuinely change your tax residency and do it properly. Legal tax optimization means moving your residency to a country with lower rates, meeting both its requirements and Spain's exit requirements. Evasion is different: hiding income or faking a move that never really happens, which is illegal and, with CRS, pointless too.

How much can you save by being taxed in Thailand?

It depends on your income and how it's composed. Thai personal income tax runs in brackets from 0% to 35%, with the first 150,000 THB exempt, there's no wealth tax, and capital gains on crypto on regulated exchanges are exempt until 2029. For many profiles the saving versus the combination of Spanish income tax and self-employed contributions is significant; for a retiree with a public pension, the tax treaty means barely anything changes.

What steps do you need to take to do it properly?

In order: plan the Spanish tax exit with an advisor, stop being a Spanish tax resident in a way you can prove, move and spend 180 days or more in Thailand to become a tax resident there, get your TIN and residency certificate, and file what's owed in each country. The visa, the apartment and real life are what anchor that change.

Legal tax optimization by moving to Thailand

Optimization is not evasion

Let's start with the line you don't cross. Optimizing means moving your tax residency to a country with lower rates while following its rules and Spain's exit rules: it's legal, and it's what a lot of people do. Evading means hiding income or faking a move that doesn't actually happen: it's illegal, and with CRS and CARF, pointless too, because the information travels on its own. This whole article is about the first one.

Why Thailand pays off

Tax advantages of being resident in Thailand
Lever	Detail
Personal income tax brackets	0% to 35%, first 150,000 ฿ exempt
Wealth tax	Doesn't exist
Crypto capital gains (regulated exchange)	Exempt until 2029
Treaty with Spain (1997)	Avoids double taxation

The real saving depends on your income and how it's put together. A freelancer who in Spain was stacking progressive income tax on top of self-employed contributions usually notices a big difference; a retiree with a public pension barely notices, because the tax treaty keeps that pension taxed in Spain. There's no universal number: there's yours.

The sequence, step by step

Plan the exit. The year of the move is the delicate one; getting the timing right changes everything.
Stop being a Spanish tax resident, in a way you can prove. Consular deregistration, form 030, a folder of evidence — it's all covered in this guide.
Move and spend 180 days or more in Thailand. That's what makes you a tax resident there.
Get your TIN and Thai tax residency certificate: the strongest piece of evidence against the Spanish tax authority.
File what's owed in each country: in Thailand, your remitted income; in Spain, whatever remains Spanish-sourced (for example a rental).

Bexpat tip: order matters as much as the steps themselves. Realizing large gains — selling crypto, shares or a property — before you've closed out your Spanish exit can undo the whole optimization. The general rule: first become a Thai resident properly, then do the transactions. Never the other way around.

The loose ends you shouldn't forget

Exit tax: only for large portfolios (over €4M, or €1M with a significant stake) — rule it out before you leave.
Forms 720 and 721: apply until you stop being a Spanish resident — when they stop applying.
The 2024 remittance rule: Thailand taxes what you bring into the country — covered in the tax guide.
Remote work and the self-employed have their own quirks — here.

Where Bexpat fits in

We're the ones who make the move that anchors that change of residency actually happen — visa, flight, arrival and apartment in Thailand. Without real residency (an apartment, a life, the days), no optimization holds up; with it, the numbers work. Start with the visa quiz and the calculator.

Frequently asked questions

Is it legal to pay less this way?

Yes, if you genuinely change tax residency and do it properly. Optimizing means moving your residency to a lower-tax country while meeting the requirements; evading means hiding or faking it, which is illegal and, with CRS, pointless.

How much do you save?

It depends on your income and how it's composed. Brackets from 0 to 35%, no wealth tax and exempt crypto help a lot of profiles; a retiree with a public pension barely notices, due to the tax treaty. There's no universal figure.

What steps do you need to take?

Plan the exit, stop being a Spanish resident in a way you can prove, spend 180+ days in Thailand, get your TIN and certificate, and file what's owed in each country. The visa and real life anchor the change.