Keep routines
Familiar bedtimes, meals and weekend rituals give children something steady while everything else is new.
← Schools & Education
JLIT family guide · Last checked 4 November 2026
Moving to Thailand with school-age children
A month-by-month plan for families: when to start the school search, which visa your children need, where to live, what to pack, health checks, arriving mid-year, and how to help children settle and make friends once you land.
9–12 monthsahead is the ideal time to start the school search
Under 20age limit for children as DTV dependants or for a parent's guardian visa
Auguststart for most international schools; Thai schools start in May
School firstthen home — the commute shapes family life, especially in Bangkok
The essentials
Sort the school, the visa and the home — in that order.
The school decides almost everything else: which part of the city you live in, how long the commute is and when you need to arrive. So start the school search first, choose your home within easy reach of it, and make sure every child has the right visa before you travel.
A school place does not give your child the right to live in Thailand. Children usually stay as dependants of a parent's visa — a work visa, the Destination Thailand Visa (DTV), a retirement or long-term visa — or as students with a parent on a guardian visa. Check the route for your family early, because some visas take weeks to issue.
Chapter 01
Before you move
Planning, visas, housing and paperwork
Timeline
Your family moving timeline
Ideal timings for a planned move. If you have weeks rather than months, do the same steps faster and phone schools straight away.
- 1
12–9 months
Decide on a city and type of school. Shortlist schools, check fees and ask which year groups have space.
- 2
9–6 months
Visit or video-call schools, apply, and start gathering documents. Check your family's visa route.
- 3
6–3 months
Attend assessments, accept a place and pay the deposit. Book a house-hunting trip near the school.
- 4
3–1 months
Apply for visas, sign a lease, arrange health insurance and order uniforms. Book flights.
- 5
Final weeks
Pack school records and medical files in hand luggage. Talk children through the move.
- 6
First month
Do a commute trial run, start school, register your address and join parent groups.
The full application process — documents, assessments, waiting lists and deposits — is in our international school admissions guide.
Visas for children
Which visa does my child need?
Your child's visa usually follows a parent's. The common routes:
- Parent working in Thailand (Non-B): children apply for a Non-Immigrant O visa as dependants, with a birth certificate as proof of relationship. It gives 90 days on arrival and can be extended in Thailand to one year.
- Parent on the Destination Thailand Visa (DTV): spouses and children under 20 can apply as DTV dependants, showing funds of at least 500,000 baht.
- Parent on a long-term or retirement visa: many long-stay visas allow dependants — check the conditions of your visa type.
- Child as a student: a child enrolled full-time can hold a student (ED) visa, and a parent of a student under 20 can apply for a Non-O "guardian" visa, showing 500,000 baht held for three months and a letter from the licensed school.
Rules and documents vary by embassy and change often, so confirm with the Thai embassy or e-Visa site before applying. See our visas and immigration hub.
Where to live
Find the home after the school
In Bangkok, a school three kilometres away and one ten kilometres away can mean the difference between a 15-minute and an hour-long journey in rush-hour traffic. Many families pick the school first and then rent within a short drive, a school-bus route or a BTS/MRT ride.
- Do a trial run of the school run at drop-off and pick-up times before you sign a lease.
- Ask about school buses: routes, door-to-door pick-up and the yearly cost.
- Check the building: pool fences, balcony safety, play areas and space to study.
- Outside Bangkok — Phuket, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Hua Hin — distances are longer but traffic is lighter; most children are driven.
Paperwork
Documents to bring for each child
Carry originals in your hand luggage, and keep scanned copies in the cloud. Schools, immigration and hospitals may all ask for them, sometimes with an official translation.
- Passport, valid for at least six months, and visa
- Full birth certificate (showing both parents)
- School reports for the last two years, plus any exam certificates
- Vaccination record and recent medical notes
- Any learning-support, educational psychology or therapy reports
- Custody papers or a parent's letter of consent if only one parent is travelling
- Passport photos — schools and visa offices use many
Health
Health checks, vaccinations and insurance
See your doctor or a travel clinic six to eight weeks before you move. Thailand's own childhood schedule includes Japanese encephalitis and hepatitis A, which many visiting children will not have had, and your doctor may also discuss rabies and typhoid for longer stays. Bring your child's vaccination record — Thailand has no law requiring full immunisation to attend school, but most schools ask to see it.
Arrange international health insurance that covers your children from the day you arrive; private hospital care in Thailand is good but expensive without cover. Mosquito-borne dengue is common in the rainy season, and air quality can be poor in parts of Thailand in the dry months, so pack repellent and check air-quality apps.
Water safety: drowning killed 615 Thai children under 15 in 2024, according to WHO Thailand. With pools in many condos and villages, swimming lessons and supervision should be a priority.
Talk about it early
Bring children into the move
Children cope better when they know what is coming. Show them photos of the school and the new area, let them choose something for their new room, and keep the routines that matter to them — bedtime stories, weekend traditions, video calls with grandparents. Older children appreciate a say in decisions such as activities and clubs.
Chapter 02
Arriving and settling in
The first weeks and months
Arriving mid-year
Moving in the middle of a school year
Thai schools run from May to March and most international schools from August to June, so families who arrive in October, January or April often join mid-year. Many international schools accept pupils during the year if a place is free, but some only admit at the start of a term, and Thai schools may ask a new pupil to wait until the next semester.
For primary children a mid-year move is usually fine. For students in the middle of a two-year course — IGCSE, A-level, the IB Diploma or Grades 11–12 — it can mean dropping subjects or repeating a year. If you can choose the timing, aim to arrive before the start of the school year or between key stages. Our curriculum guide explains when switching is safest.
Settling in
Helping children settle in
Most children adjust within a term or two. These are the things parents say help most.
Expect ups and downs
An exciting first week is often followed by a homesick one. Agree an early check-in with the class teacher rather than judging the school on one bad day.
Allow for the heat
Heat and humidity are tiring. Keep water bottles full, plan outdoor play for mornings and evenings, and expect early nights at first.
Learn some Thai together
A few words of Thai help children feel at home with neighbours, drivers and shopkeepers — and young children often learn fastest.
Stay connected
Regular video calls with friends and family back home help, as long as they don't replace making new friends here.
Watch for warning signs
Lasting changes in sleep, appetite or mood, or refusing school, are worth raising with the school counsellor or a doctor.
Friends and activities
Making friends — for children and parents
After-school clubs, sports teams and holiday camps are the quickest way for children to build friendships outside the classroom. Swimming, football, tennis, golf, music and Thai boxing classes are easy to find in the main cities. For parents, school parent associations, class LINE groups and local community groups are where most families find their feet.
Say yes to invitations in the first few months — birthday parties and weekend playdates are how many families meet their closest friends in Thailand.
Checklist
Family moving checklist
Ticks are kept for this visit only.
Quick answers
Moving to Thailand with children: FAQs
How early should we start looking for a school in Thailand?
Ideally nine to twelve months before you move, especially for popular Bangkok schools and secondary year groups. Many schools can still help at shorter notice if they have space.
What visa does my child need to live in Thailand?
Usually a dependant visa linked to a parent: a Non-Immigrant O for children of a working parent, or a DTV dependant visa for children under 20 of a DTV holder. A child can also study on a student visa with a parent on a guardian visa.
Can a parent get a visa to stay with a child studying in Thailand?
Yes. A parent of a full-time student under 20 can apply for a Non-Immigrant O guardian visa, showing at least 500,000 baht held for three months and a letter from the licensed school.
Does a school place give my child a visa?
No. School admission and immigration are separate. The school can provide letters, but the visa is issued by Thai immigration or the embassy.
Should we choose a home or a school first?
The school. Then look for a home within a manageable commute — in Bangkok, traffic can turn a short distance into a long journey.
Can my child start school in the middle of the year?
Often yes, if the school has space. It is easiest for primary children and hardest during two-year exam courses such as IGCSE, A-level or the IB Diploma.
What vaccinations do children need for Thailand?
Thailand's childhood schedule includes Japanese encephalitis and hepatitis A. See a doctor or travel clinic six to eight weeks before moving to review your child's record and discuss other vaccines.
What documents do schools in Thailand ask for?
Usually passports and visas, birth certificates, the last two years of school reports, vaccination records, photos and any learning-support reports. Some ask for translations.
How long do children take to settle in?
Most settle within a term or two. Keep routines, expect some homesick days, and talk to the school early if worries last.
How do children make friends after moving to Thailand?
Through school, after-school clubs, sports, holiday camps and playdates. Parents often meet other families through the school's parent association and class LINE groups.
Sources & verification
How we checked this guide
Last checked 4 November 2026. Visa rules come from Thai embassy pages, which vary by country and change often — always confirm with the embassy or the official e-Visa site before applying. Health information is general; see a doctor.
Schools & education
