PayPal in Thailand for foreigners: Complete guide to availability, requirements, and more

PayPal¹ is a handy way to spend securely online and to send money to friends and family. It’s available in many countries globally, including Thailand - but if you’re a foreigner living in Thailand you’ll need to understand a few usage restrictions before you sign up.

This guide covers all you need to know about PayPal Thailand for foreigners, including the limits on personal account use, and how to use PayPal with a registered Thai business entity. We'll also introduce Wise, a handy companion to make your money go further with low, transparent fees.

🚀 Send with Wise

Is PayPal available in Thailand?

Yes. PayPal is available in Thailand.

With a personal PayPal Thailand account you can send money to friends and family, and spend online with retailers who accept PayPal payments.

If you have a PayPal Thailand business account you can accept customer payments, send money to others, such as suppliers and contractors, and access PayPal tools to help you manage risk and streamline your business operations.

Can foreigners pay with PayPal in Thailand?

Yes. If you’re visiting Thailand short term, and have a PayPal account registered in your home country, you should be able to use your account as usual to send money to someone with a Thai PayPal account, or to spend online with Thai merchants.

However, there are restrictions on opening personal PayPal accounts for foreigners in Thailand - we’ll look at how to open a PayPal account in Thailand as a business customer, and your options if you don’t have a Thai registered business, in just a moment.

Can foreigners sign up for a PayPal Thailand account?

This depends on the account type you require.

You cannot create a personal Thai PayPal account without a Thai National ID. This is usually only available to Thai citizens, which means you can’t normally sign up for a new personal PayPal account in Thailand if you’re an expat living there.

If you have a Thai registered business and require a PayPal account, you can sign up using your business information and the personal ID and address documents for your legal representative. This allows you to take PayPal payments online which can be a handy option for entrepreneurs.

Can I change the country on my PayPal account?

If you already have a PayPal account from another country you may be wondering if you can simply transfer this over to Thailand instead of opening a new personal account there.

Unfortunately this isn’t always an option. While the exact rules which govern your PayPal account will depend on the country you live in, you’re likely to find that you can not simply change your address to Thailand and continue using your old account if you’ve moved overseas. Instead you’ll need to close your home account, and apply for a new account in your new country if you’re eligible. As Thailand doesn’t allow foreigners to open a personal PayPal account this makes it tricky for many users.

If you maintain a residence in two countries - splitting your time between Thailand and your home country, for example - you may be allowed to maintain your old account in your home country while opening a new Thai business PayPal account. Let’s say you have a UK based PayPal personal account, and split your time between countries, running a business in Thailand for part of the year. In this case you can maintain your UK personal account and open a new Thai account for your business if you choose to².

Check the exact terms which apply to your PayPal account based on your home country before you try to sign up for a new account.

How to open a PayPal account in Thailand

If you’re eligible to enroll with the Thai National ID Database you’ll need to do that before you can apply for a PayPal account. This can be done through your bank - but might require you to visit in person to get everything set up³.

If you can’t get registered for a National ID you can only open a Thai PayPal account for business, using your registered Thai business.

Here’s how to open a PayPal account in Thailand in both circumstances:

1. Download the PayPal app or go to the PayPal desktop site
2. Click Sign Up
3. Confirm if you want a personal or business account when prompted
4. Follow the onscreen instructions to register and complete the verification steps

If you are applying for a personal account you’ll be asked to use your ID number to register. For a business account you need the following;

• Thailand business registration information
• Proof of business address
• Your business legal representative’s ID and proof of address

Once you’ve registered an account you may be prompted to complete another verification step, depending on how you transact. This can be done by adding a bank account or debit/credit card to your account, and confirming it to show it belongs to you⁴.

How to use PayPal in Thailand

Here are a few of the ways that PayPal personal customers can use a PayPal Thailand account:

• Send money to PayPal accounts of friends and family, in a range of supported countries
• Spend online with merchants which accept PayPal
• Set up and manage recurring payments with ease, such as subscriptions
• Withdraw money in your PayPal account to your THB or USD account - we’ll cover how to withdraw money from PayPal, and the possible fee you pay, later

If you have a business account with PayPal Thailand you can use it to take business payments, allowing your customers to pay with PayPal or a debit/credit card. You can also send payments to other PayPal accounts - handy for paying your suppliers for example.

How to add money to PayPal

You can not add money yourself to your PayPal balance in Thailand⁵. Instead, you link a bank account or card to your PayPal account, and transfers and payments are deducted from this card or account at the point of payment.

You can have others send you money to your PayPal account⁶, which will result in you holding a balance which you can choose to spend, send or withdraw.

How to withdraw money from PayPal

You can withdraw funds from your PayPal account online or in the PayPal app, in either THB or USD. Online you’ll need to take the following steps⁷:

1. Log into your PayPal account and go to Wallet
2. Click Transfer Funds
3. Click Transfer to your bank account

If you want to withdraw money in the PayPal app you can take these steps:

1. Open the app and tap your PayPal balance
2. Tap Transfer Money

You’ll see onscreen instructions to guide you through the process of making a withdrawal. It’s helpful to know that there may be a fee to make a withdrawal from PayPal. This could be a fixed fee based on the amount or currency you withdraw - or a currency conversion fee if you need to switch between currencies to make your withdrawal. More on that next.

PayPal fees and exchange rates

PayPal Thailand has some service fees it’s worth knowing about. It’s particularly important to note that costs of making cross currency transactions can creep in and push up what you pay if you need to move your money from one currency to another, or if you spend online in a foreign currency. Look at the exchange rate you're quoted when you need to change currencies as this will include a fee of 3% or 4% depending on the transaction type, which can quickly add up if you transact frequently.

We’ll touch on a smart alternative for currency conversion, which uses the mid-market rate and low fees, in a moment - first, here are the PayPal fees and exchange rates you should know about:

*Details correct at time of research - 7th January 2026

Convert and send THB with low, transparent fees and the mid-market rate with Wise

Looking for a quick and easy way to send money to Thailand? Consider using Wise to manage your international transfers.

Converting money to Thai baht and transferring it from abroad can get very expensive when using traditional banks and remittance services. On top of transaction fees, you might end up paying more due to hidden charges like conversion fees and exchange rate markups.

Wise transfers use the mid-market rate, also known as the rate you see on Google, with low, transparent fees that are shown to you upfront. This makes it easy to see how much you’ll be sending or receiving at a single glance.

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See how Wise compares with other providers:

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Sources:

1. PayPal Thailand
2. PayPal UK Help - moving to another country
3. PayPal Thailand FAQ - Thai NDID enrolment
4. PayPal Thailand FAQ - verification
5. PayPal Thailand FAQ - adding money to PayPal
6. PayPal Thailand FAQ - receiving money
7. PayPal Thailand - withdrawals
8. PayPal Thailand fees