The case for a winter base is partly arithmetic and partly light. In the Netherlands the sun is up for 7 h 43 min at the winter solstice. In Riga it is 6 h 43 min. In Vilnius in January 2023, sunshine totalled 5.1 hours in the whole month, a record low and 35% of the January norm, according to Lithuanian public broadcasting. On Phuket the solstice day is about 11 h 40 min long, by our own approximate calculation. This article is about turning that difference into a base, and about what to check first.
Two pages, two situations
We keep two pages for readers in Europe. eu.vikathai.com is for residents of Germany, the Netherlands, France, Scandinavia, Italy and Spain, in English, German, French and Spanish, with mid-range and premium residences from $150,000. baltic.vikathai.com is for Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, in English, Latvian, Lithuanian, Estonian and Russian, with affordable and mid-range projects from $99,000. The rules below are the same for both.
Costs at home, stated plainly
None of this is a complaint. It is context. German homes cost about 7% more relative to incomes in 2025 than in 2018, and prices were 1.4% higher year on year in the first quarter of 2026. In Estonia the dwelling price index rose 11.9% over the year to the first quarter of 2026, flats by 14.9%. Inflation in August 2026 was 5.6% in Lithuania, 3.0% in Latvia and 1.3% in Estonia, against 3.2% for the EU.
A second base in Phuket does not solve any of that. It does offer a different kind of purchase: a freehold apartment by the sea, with the price published and the foreign quota stated in writing.
Getting there
Direct flights run from several cities. Check each timetable before you book, because winter schedules move.
- Frankfurt: Condor flies non-stop from October 2026 to May 2027, about 11 h 15 min out and 12 h 50 min back. Its own pages say both daily and about seven times a week.
- Zurich: Edelweiss is bookable for the winter (confirm the days with the airline).
- Helsinki: Finnair five times a week this winter, about 11 h 25 min.
- Oslo and Stockholm: Norse, up to twice a week. Paris: Air France on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
- Riga, Vilnius, Tallinn: no non-stop flight. One change in Istanbul or Helsinki, about 15 h 50 min via Helsinki and 17 h 20 min via Istanbul from Riga, about 16 h 30 min via Istanbul from Vilnius, and Tallinn is served via Helsinki.
We found no non-stop flights from Munich, Vienna or Amsterdam, which means a connection there.
The 30-day rule on an EU passport
From 15 September 2026 an EU, EEA or Swiss passport gets 30 days visa-free, for tourism only, with one 30-day extension at an officer's discretion. Those who entered before 14 September keep the stay they were granted. A winter is longer than that, so the question is which visa.
The Destination Thailand Visa for remote workers needs THB 500,000 in funds, a THB 10,000 fee, and lasts five years with up to 180 days per entry. From 31 August 2026 a criminal-record certificate is also required, issued by the mission that covers your nationality or permanent residence. The retirement O-A visa is for those 50 and over with a THB 800,000 deposit or THB 65,000 a month, and the insurance requirement is reported differently by different sources. Owning an apartment does not grant residence.
What a foreigner can own
The cliché is "leasehold only". It is half true. Land and houses are on lease, usually 30 years renewable by contract. A condominium unit, however, can be owned freehold in your own name within the building's 49% foreign quota. Ask for written confirmation that the quota has room. Proposals for a 75% quota and 99-year leases have been discussed, but they are not law.
Honest ratings
InterNations ranked Thailand fourth overall in 2025 and second for housing, but 36th for safety and 40th for environment. Krungsri Research warns of oversupply in some Phuket locations. We take both seriously, so the advice is to choose the building and the developer carefully, and to see the place once.
Money and tax
Pay in euros or dollars from an account in your own name. The Thai bank issues the FET form that the Land Office asks for. A transfer service that cannot issue it is not enough on its own, so ask the Thai bank first.
Tax is where we say "ask your adviser" and mean it. A private sale within ten years is taxable in Germany, including foreign property. In France, foreign property is inside the wealth tax on real estate for residents above EUR 1.3 million of net property. The new Netherlands–Thailand treaty was signed on 21 November 2025, and whether it is in force is not clear to us. In Thailand, more than 180 days a year makes you a tax resident, and foreign income brought in is taxed from 2024.
Doctors, schools and who answers
Bangkok Hospital Phuket has held JCI accreditation since 2009. The island has the British International School, HeadStart, UWC Thailand and QSI, among others. A German honorary consulate operates in Phuket, under the embassy in Bangkok.
Vika Thai Company Limited has worked in Phuket since 2013, and the developer pays our fee. Managers speak English, Russian and Turkish; a call is in English, or in Russian for the Baltic page's Russian-speaking readers. For readers of Russian in the Baltics, Phuket for Russians in 2026 covers the passport side. For the cost side, see what a Phuket condo really costs to buy, hold and sell.
Read more
https://eu.vikathai.com/ — Phuket for residents of Germany, the Netherlands, France, Scandinavia, Italy and Spain; mid-range and premium residences from $150,000.
https://baltic.vikathai.com/ — Phuket for Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia; affordable and mid-range projects from $99,000, in five languages.