Many people think Thailand taxes crypto gains at 15%. That’s not true - and believing it could cost you money. As of 2025, Thailand doesn’t tax personal crypto gains at all - but only if you trade on the right platforms. The 15% figure you hear about? That’s for foreign companies earning crypto income in Thailand, not local traders. If you’re a Thai resident buying and selling Bitcoin or Ethereum, you might be paying zero capital gains tax - if you follow the rules.
Thailand’s Crypto Tax Exemption: It’s Real, But Only for Licensed Exchanges
On January 1, 2025, Thailand launched a five-year tax holiday on cryptocurrency capital gains. That means if you sell Bitcoin, Solana, or any other digital asset for a profit between now and December 31, 2029, you don’t owe any personal income tax on that gain - but only if you did it through a Thai SEC-licensed exchange.
Platforms like Bitkub, DigiFinex, and Zipmex Thailand are approved. If you bought Bitcoin on Bitkub and sold it there for a 20% profit, that profit is completely tax-free. No forms, no reporting, no 15% cut. The Thai government wants you to trade locally. They’re betting that removing the tax will bring more volume, attract foreign investors, and turn Thailand into Southeast Asia’s digital asset hub.
This isn’t a loophole. It’s official policy. The Cabinet approved it in June 2025, and it was published in the Royal Gazette on September 5, 2025. The Deputy Minister of Finance, Julapun Amornvivat, called it a "key step in boosting Thailand’s economic potential." The government expects this move to generate over $1 billion in new economic activity - even though they’re giving up tax revenue.
What’s Not Covered? The Hidden Traps
Here’s where most people get burned. The exemption doesn’t apply to everything. If you trade on Binance, Coinbase, Kraken, or any other foreign exchange - even if you’re living in Bangkok - your profits are still taxable. Same goes for peer-to-peer (P2P) trades. If you bought ETH from someone on Telegram or through a local P2P app like Paxful, that gain is taxable income.
Staking rewards? Mining income? Interest from crypto lending? None of these are covered. Until the Thai Revenue Department says otherwise, these are treated as ordinary income and taxed at your personal rate - up to 35%. If you earned 5 SOL from staking on Solana’s network or got 0.1 BTC in interest from a DeFi platform, you need to report that. It’s not exempt.
Even if you use a Thai exchange, if you then send your crypto to a wallet and sell it on a DEX like Uniswap, you’ve left the exemption zone. The moment you move crypto off a licensed platform, you’re back in taxable territory.
Why the 15% Number Keeps Showing Up
The 15% figure isn’t made up - it’s just misapplied. Thailand does impose a 15% withholding tax on crypto income earned by foreign entities operating in Thailand. So if a U.S.-based crypto company makes money from Thai users on a Thai platform, they pay 15% to the Thai government. But that has nothing to do with individual Thai residents trading for personal profit.
That confusion is everywhere. Blogs, YouTube videos, Reddit threads - they all mix up the two rules. One is for foreigners earning income in Thailand. The other is for locals trading on licensed platforms. They’re completely different. Mixing them up leads to bad decisions: overpaying taxes, missing out on savings, or worse - getting audited because you didn’t report taxable income.
How to Stay Compliant - Even With the Exemption
Just because you don’t owe tax doesn’t mean you can ignore record-keeping. The Thai Revenue Department still requires you to track every transaction. You need to know:
- Which platform you used for each buy and sell
- The date, amount, and value in THB at the time of each trade
- Whether the platform is SEC-licensed
- Any income from staking, lending, or mining
Why? Because if you get audited, you have to prove your gains came from licensed exchanges. If you can’t show it, the tax office will assume all your crypto activity is taxable. They don’t ask for proof upfront - but they will demand it if they suspect something’s off.
Use a crypto tax tool like Koinly or CoinTracker. Set your location to Thailand and select "crypto capital gains exempt 2025-2029" as your tax rule. These tools will flag any trades on unlicensed platforms or non-exempt income. Don’t rely on exchange statements alone - they don’t tell you if the platform is licensed in Thailand.
What About Staking, Airdrops, and DeFi?
These are the grayest areas. Thailand hasn’t officially said whether staking rewards are taxable. But based on how they treat other income, the safest assumption is: yes, they are. If you earn 0.5 ETH from staking on Lido or 100 USDC from lending on Aave, treat it as income. Record the THB value on the day you received it. Report it as other income on your tax return.
Airdrops are trickier. If you got tokens for free just for holding a coin, that’s likely taxable at fair market value when you received them. If you earned them by completing a task - like joining a Discord or signing up for a service - that’s definitely income. The Thai Revenue Department doesn’t have clear rules yet, but they’re watching. Don’t assume they’ll be lenient.
DeFi swaps on PancakeSwap or Uniswap? Taxable. Even if you’re swapping BTC for ETH on a decentralized exchange, you’re triggering a taxable event. The Thai government considers every trade - even between two crypto assets - as a sale. If you swapped 1 BTC for 30 ETH and the ETH was worth 1.2 million THB when you got it, you just created a 1.2 million THB gain. And if you did it on an unlicensed DEX? That gain is fully taxable.
What Happens After 2029?
The exemption runs until December 31, 2029. After that? No one knows for sure. The government expects to see massive growth in local trading, more job creation, and increased tax revenue from other sources - like corporate taxes from crypto businesses or spending by crypto earners. If those goals are met, they might extend the exemption. If not, they could reintroduce a capital gains tax - maybe even 15%.
Right now, the clock is ticking. If you’re planning to hold crypto long-term, now’s the time to make your big moves on licensed platforms. If you’ve been sitting on gains from foreign exchanges, consider moving your assets to a Thai platform before the end of 2029 - but only if you can do it without triggering a taxable event. Timing matters.
Bottom Line: Don’t Fall for the 15% Myth
Thailand’s crypto tax system isn’t simple - but it’s clear if you know where to look. The 15% tax doesn’t apply to you if you’re a Thai resident trading on Bitkub or DigiFinex. You’re paying 0% on capital gains. But if you’re using Binance, doing P2P trades, or earning interest from DeFi, you’re still on the hook for taxes.
Don’t let outdated articles or confused influencers mislead you. The rules changed in 2025. The exemption is real. The traps are real too. Keep records. Know your platforms. Understand what counts as income. And if you’re unsure, talk to a Thai tax professional who’s handled crypto cases before. This isn’t the Wild West anymore - it’s a regulated market with real consequences for mistakes.
James Edwin
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