In short: Bali (Indonesia) offers a shorter road to permanent status and an easier move for the family, while Thailand has more ways to live without a local job. In both, a working foreigner depends on the employer: lose the job and you have days to leave. Indonesia is harsher on violations, with detention and entry bans of up to 10 years allowed by law, while Thailand runs mass inspections of legal workers. In our ranking Indonesia is 71st of 97 and Thailand 94th.
If a local company hires you and you want to stay long term: there is no salary threshold, the work KITAS takes 4-8 weeks, the family applies together with the worker with no income threshold, and KITAP is possible after 3 years. The price is dependence on the employer: a $100 monthly levy per role, 3-7 days to leave if you are dismissed, no right to work for your spouse, and living without a local job only on the remote worker visa from $60,000 a year.
If you do not plan to work on the local market: the DTV for remote work for foreign clients, the retirement visa from age 50, Thailand Privilege or the LTR let you live without a Thai employer. To work you need an employer with at least 2 million baht of capital and 4 Thai staff per foreigner, permanent residence goes by quota and realistically comes in year 5-7, and citizenship 5 years after that.
Indonesia is stronger in 3 of 7 areas, Thailand in 3, tied in 1.
Indonesia is cheap at the door: no salary threshold, the family applies at the same time as the worker, and there are no language or integration requirements for residence. Inside, it is tough: 10 HR positions are closed to foreigners, the employer must appoint and train an Indonesian understudy, and on dismissal the KITAS is cancelled without notice, leaving 3-7 days to go. A 2024 law allows detention and entry bans of up to 10 years, and an objection does not suspend enforcement. On Bali dozens of active investor KITAS were revoked in 2024-2025, and since 29 May 2025 every renewal requires an in-person visit and interview.
There is an easy way in, but not for people who want to work: the DTV bans work for Thai companies, the work route asks the employer for capital and local staff, and 39 occupations are closed to foreigners. Pressure on legal workers is real: from late 2024 to mid-2025 more than 38,000 businesses were inspected, penalties reach a fine of 800,000 baht and up to a year in prison, and in May 2026 inspections were extended to all 76 provinces. Since 15 September 2026 visa-free entry has been cut from 60 to 30 days and limited to tourism. Banks, though, readily open accounts for Non-B visa holders with a work permit.
For employment, Indonesia: there is no salary threshold, while Thailand asks the employer for at least 2 million baht of capital and 4 Thai staff per foreigner. Without a local job, Thailand: the DTV, the retirement visa from 50 or the LTR, while Indonesia's remote worker visa needs $60,000 a year.
A Thai work permit takes 7-30 working days in practice, 1-2 weeks in Bangkok. In Indonesia the whole route to a work KITAS takes 4-8 weeks, sometimes 8-12, including biometrics after arrival.
Thai fees are modest: 3,000 baht for the work permit and 1,900 baht for the extension each year, plus about 2,000 baht for the visa. Indonesia's main cost is a $100 monthly levy per foreign role, formally paid by the employer; a family of three pays at least ≈$7,400 over five years.
Indonesia: KITAP after 3 years of continuous residence, citizenship after 5 consecutive years, giving up your previous one. In Thailand permanent residence by quota realistically comes in year 5-7, and citizenship 5 years later, so 10 years or more.
Neither gives you a cushion. In Indonesia the KITAS is cancelled and you have 3-7 days to leave; in Thailand the permit and visa are cancelled together and you get about 7 days to leave at the officer's discretion.
It depends on your plans. Indonesia ranks higher: a shorter path to citizenship, better family rights and less pressure on workers, but harsher penalties for violations. Thailand suits people who live without a local job, but keeps workers on a short leash.
Every fact on this page comes from the country pages, where the sources are listed. Checked 01/10/2026.