Going home to the US for a month was not only an opportunity to visit friends and family, but it also allowed us to take care of personal business that’s difficult to do while living in Thailand. Fellow American expats visiting home, here is a list of things we recommend taking care of both before and during a visit to the US.
What to do Before Visiting the USA
Purchase US Touring Auto Insurance
At the last minute we opted out of purchasing traveler’s medical insurance while in the US. We like to think we’re pretty healthy.
However, accidents do happen, and our biggest health risk would be driving. Since we could not financially afford to pay for body and vehicle damage if we were in a car crash, we signed up for traveler’s car insurance through USAA. At $25 per year we were both provided with full coverage.
We recommend American expats visiting home to call your previous car insurance company for their US touring auto policy rates.
| NOTE: Expat medical insurance has various degrees of coverage; some basic plans will not cover Europe or North America. You can be sure to pay a premium if you need coverage in the USA. |
Take Advantage of Airline Mileage Programs
Before moving to Thailand, we signed up for several rewards credit cards. We earned enough miles for our round-trip visit from Thailand to the US, as well as most of our domestic flights. What would have cost us nearly $3,450 without points cost us just over $350.
Breakdown of Angela’s Flights To and Around the USA
What credit card companies did we originally apply with? We signed up for the Chase Southwest Premier, Chase Southwest Plus, Chase Sapphire Preferred, Citi American Airlines, and Capital One Venture cards. It’s well worth the investment for American expats visiting home. We sign up for more of them during every return visit to the US.
Update Soon-to-be-Expired Credit Cards
Since it can be difficult to directly ship a new credit card overseas (you sometimes need a domestic address), we checked to see if any of our credit cards needed replacement within the next twelve months.
We had one that was expiring soon. So, we called two weeks prior to going home and requested a new card be shipped to a trusted family member whom we were visiting.
Get Supporting Paperwork for a Thai Visa
We saw our trip to the States as an opportunity to renew our expiring Thai visas. Although many people do visa runs to neighboring countries of Thailand, we opted to do a visa run while in Washington, D.C., USA. We made sure to have our supporting paperwork squared away before hopping on the plane.
| TIP: It can take anywhere from two to four weeks processing time for the paperwork required to apply for some Thai visas. |
What to Do While Visiting the USA
Renew License; Get an International Driver’s License
Making sure that our licenses were up to date was one of our top priorities. Luckily, many states offer license renewal services online.
With an unexpired drivers license, we applied for an international license through AAA. All we needed was a completed application (provided on site at AAA), a 2″x2″ passport photo, and $15 USD. Having an international driver’s license makes it significantly easier to get a Thai driver’s license (no driving test required!).
Obtain Copies of Important Documents
Many documents need to be originals when applying for visas, work permits, etc. Make sure you have the originals you need and store them in a protective folder. Examples include:
- social security card
- birth certificate
- marriage license
- updated passport
- diploma or official transcript
Stock up on US Currency
USD bills come in handy when purchasing visas for some of Thailand’s neighboring countries, like Laos or Cambodia. Thailand’s ATMs do not spit out US dollars, and while it’s possible to get them at currency exchanges, the downsides are that:
- You are charged roughly 3% for every dollar
- The exchange companies have set hours, so if you need money over a national holiday or the night before a visa run, you’ll be out of luck
- The currency exchange booth may not have enough USDs!
| TIP: Make sure they are clean crisp bills. Some visa processing stations will not accept wrinkled or torn bills as form of payment. |
Sign up for a Charles Schwab Investors Checking Account
Set up an account with Charles Schwab because it reimburses ATM fees and doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees. We highly recommend American expats visiting home to sign up for this money-saving bank.
Although we had one before moving to Thailand, we added Angela to our existing account and obtained a second debit card under her name. Having a second card is a nice safety net if one of ours ever got lost, stolen, or eaten by an ATM machine.
Apply for a Thai Visa
Rather than enter Thailand on a visa-exempt 30 day stamp and do a visa run to a neighboring country later on, we applied for a Thai visa while we were in America.
Luckily, our itinerary brought us to Washington, D.C., home to a Consular Office of the Royal Thai Embassy. We dropped off our passports, passport photos, completed applications, Thai visa paperwork (which we brought from Thailand), and a money order and both received our new visas three days later.
An alternative would have been to mail everything to the nearest Royal Thai Consulate or Embassy Consular Office. It takes about two weeks processing time.
| TIP: There are Royal Thai Consulates Located in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and Portland. |
Buy a Temporary American SIM Card
Although Thailand often hands out free SIM cards in airports, and you’re sure to find a cheap one at a local 7-Eleven (which are everywhere), that’s not the case in the US.
We tried buying a SIM card in an airport. We were informed that the going rate was $0.49 per 1 Mb of data. 1 Gb of data would have cost us over five hundred dollars at that going rate!
We later went to T-Mobile, and in about 20 minutes had a 1Gb SIM card with unlimited texting and calling. It cost $60 ($50 for the 1Gb data, $10 for the SIM card itself) and was activated for 30 days. Other carriers, like Verizon and AT&T, have also begun offering contract-free services. All that’s required is an unlocked phone. The great news is that if your phone works in Thailand, it’s unlocked!
Staying in the USA Longer than 35 Days
While we would love to visit friends and family longer, it is not financially feasible. There are two major penalties for American expats visiting home who stay for more than 35 days in one calendar year.
Paying Taxes Abroad
If you travel outside the US for more than 330 days of the year, American expats visiting home can claim “non-resident” status. In doing so, you remain tax free on your overseas earnings up to $130,000 (2025, filing single, under 65). However, if you stay in the USA for more than 35 days, you must file as a resident. This means you pay taxes on anything above the filing threshold of $15,000 (2025, filing single, under 65). Way to eat into your traveling funds!
If you’re an expat who happens to have children, the tax situation can be a little different. While losing non-resident status and filing as a resident might mean paying taxes on more of your income, it could also make you eligible to claim the Child Tax Credit if you have qualifying children. This credit can significantly reduce the total amount of tax you owe, potentially offsetting some of the financial burden. Expats should research the eligibility requirements for this credit, as it can be a valuable financial consideration when planning the length of a trip home.
It’s More than Just a Vacation for American Expats Visiting Home
That completes our checklist of things we took care of right before and during our trip home to the US. We highly recommend this to other American expats visiting home. Even though we all wish it could be fun and games during our trip home, sometimes you have to take care of business, too.
Of course, all of these items are applicable to those who have yet to move to Thailand but want to. We highly encourage everyone to be as prepared as possible before moving (back) to Thailand!
I have the exact same question! My husband and I are in Dubai, he works and I stay at home with the kids. I was wondering if I would be able to stay in the US for more than 35 days since I am not the source of income. Or if since we file married joint tax return, that neither of us could be there over the given time limit. Did you find out the answer?? I have looked everywhere….
This comment was meant to be for the comment Amanda@Marocmama made. Just wondered if she ever found out the answer…
We would assume that if the breadwinner wasn’t in the US it’d be ok, but you know what happens when you make an assumption… Sounds like it’s a question for a tax professional :/
I would love more info on the traveler car insurance through USAA. Does that just cover you driving in the US with a rental? I’d love to find a policy that works for overseas rentals so i don’t have to pay the rental companies extortionate rates. Thanks!
Hi. So glad we have connected. My husband and I sold everything 2 years ago and are living the travelers’ life. It is wonderful! We spent 5 months this year in SE Asia and are now in an RV in the USA. Best of both worlds in our opinion.
You can’t beat the feeling of freedom that comes along with traveling. Good for you for hitting the two year mark already!
Interesting post — any insight on what happens in 1 spouse is in the US for 30+ days and the other isn’t? I haven’t been able to find anything relating to this…
We think it’s best you talk to a tax specialist about this. We’re not sure if you file married but separately will get you the tax break :/
This couldn’t have come at a more perfect time! I’m gearing up to go back for a month-long trip for my uncle’s wedding in just two weeks. I think I’ve got most of this covered, but I was wondering if you could offer any advice for my current visa situation. I am currently on a double entry tourist visa, leaving for the US on the date that the first entry expires. I was planning on coming back in on my second entry when I come back in September, but I was wondering if you think it would be smarter to… Read more »
Hey Amanda! I think this question is best answered by a Thai Embassy/Consulate. Your second entry will have expired since you’re not entering Thailand for a second time by the “Enter Before” date stamped on your visa. You will have to get a new visa while in Chicago. However, with the new immigration rules, we don’t know if the visa office will issue you a double-entry visa or only a single entry now. Even if they do issue you a double-entry tourist visa, we have no way of knowing yet if Thailand border control will acknowledge your double entry visa… Read more »
Thank you for the response! There’s been so much conflicting information so it’s so difficult to really have any idea what’s going to happen. Fingers crossed it will all work out for the best!
You’re welcome, Amanda. We wish you the best!
I hope that you guys have a good time while visiting homeland. It would be really nice, if Asian and European countries are not that far away. I wouldn’t be still here in US, if that was the case. Thank you for all the information again.
We totally wish Thailand wasn’t so far… and it couldn’t get any farther (exactly 12 hours difference!)
Thanks for the tip about auto insurance! It’s too expensive to get the extra insurance from the rental company so I’ll definitely look into that.
We liked getting our own auto insurance because it meant that both of us could drive. Our rental company kept trying to push us to buy theirs (and pay extra for a second driver), but the coverage wasn’t the same. The clerk even went so far as to lie and said “USAA only has liability.” Psht… Bottom line is we’re happy we did what we did.
Thanks for the tips, we are headed to the USA Aug 12 for 26 days might look into getting the Thai Visa either in the USA or while in the UK this winter.
You’re welcome! It was so nice to go to the Thai Consular’s office in DC… no swarming tuk tuk drivers trying to overcharge you! It was a lot less stressful than our visa run to Vientiane, Laos last year :)
Great tip on the touring auto insurance. I will definitely look into that on my next visit back. The 35 day rule is sooo important, and I don’t think many people know about this. If this period is overstayed it can have dire consequences for expats especially now since the IRS requires that foreign bank assets be disclosed.
thanks!
We don’t think enough people know about the 35 day rule. It can change your entire itinerary! As for disclosing foreign bank assets, we understand that Thailand and the US have an agreement that they have to disclose the amounts of any US citizen’s bank account information, no matter what you make abroad! We recommend that any US citizen with dual citizenship uses the other country’s passport when signing up for a Thai bank account to avoid Uncle Sam’s prying eyes.
Really helpful like many of your posts. Im curious though about how you feel about the American system for health and insurance and taxes seeing how other countries do without much of the fuss? Having lived in libya I find the uk so tight and controlling with all their rules and all the things you have to pay. No matter people move abroad there you can enjoy the money you work to get. In the UK and the US it seems they work hard to take it all away from you.
Glad to hear you liked the post! We were lucky to never have serious medical issues, and the things that weren’t covered by our insurance (laser eye surgery, orthodontists) we could afford out of pocket. But taxes… good grief, we were eaten alive by them! It’s extremely frustrating that US citizens have to pay taxes on foreign earned income, too. That’s why it’s so important to stay out of the US for more than 330 days to avoid being slammed.
Great list, guys! These are really important!
Thanks! Important and boooring. Sometimes we wish we weren’t grown ups just so that we didn’t have to worry about that kind of stuff!