Thailand's Visa Information

1. Generally, a foreign citizen who wishes to enter the Kingdom of Thailand is required to obtain a visa from a Royal Thai Embassy or a

Royal Thai Consulate-General. However, nationals of certain countries do not require a visa if they meet visa exemption requirements as

follows:
(1) they are nationals of countries which are exempted from visa requirements when entering Thailand for tourism purposes. Such nationals will be permitted to stay in the Kingdom for a period of not exceeding 30 days. For more information, please see Tourist Visa Exemption;
(2) they are nationals of countries which hold bilateral agreements with Thailand on the exemption of visa requirements.
2. Nationals of certain countries may apply for visa upon arrival in Thailand. Travellers with this type of visa are permitted to enter and

stay in Thailand for a period of not exceeding 15 days.
3. Travellers travellling from/through countries which have been declared Yellow Fever Infected Areas must acquire an International

Health Certificate verifying the receiving of a Yellow Fever vaccination.
4. Nationals of certain countries are required to apply for a visa only at the Royal Thai Embassy or the Royal Thai Consulate-General in

the applicant’s country of residence, or at the Royal Thai Embassy which has jurisdiction over his or her country of residence. Travellers

are advised to enquire about authorised office for visa issuance at any Royal Thai Embassy or Royal Thai Consulate-General before

departure. Contact details and locations of Royal Thai Embassies and Royal Thai Consulates-General are available at

www.mfa.go.th/web/10.php.
5. To apply for a visa, a foreigner must possess a valid passport or travel document that is recognised by the Royal Thai Government

and comply with the conditions set forth in the Immigration Act of Thailand B.E.2522 (1979) and its relevant regulations. In addition, the

visa applicant must be outside of Thailand at the time of application. The applicant will be issued with a type of visa in accordance to

his or her purpose of visit
6. In general, applicants are required to apply for a visa in person. However, Royal Thai Embassies and Royal Thai Consulates-General

in some countries and in some cases may also accept applications sent through representatives, authorised travel agencies or by post.

Please enquire at the Royal Thai Embassy or Royal Thai Consulate-General where you intend to submit your application of acceptable

ways of application.

7. Please note that the period of visa validity is different from the period of stay. Visa validity is the period during which a visa can be

used to enter Thailand. In general, the validity of a visa is 3 months, but in some cases, visas may be issued to be valid for 6 months, 1

year or 3 years. The validity of a visa is granted with discretion by the Royal Thai Embassy or Royal Thai Consulate-General and is

displayed on the visa sticker.

8. On the other hand, the period of stay is granted by an immigration officer upon arrival at the port of entry and in accordance with the

type of visa. For example, the period of stay for a transit visa is not exceeding 30 days, for a tourist visa is not exceeding 60 days and for

a non-immigrant visa is not exceeding 90 days from the arrival date. The period of stay granted by the immigration officer is displayed on

the arrival stamp. Travellers who wish to stay longer than such period may apply for extension of stay at offices of the Immigration

Bureau in Bangkok, located at Soi Suan Plu, South Sathorn Road, Bangkok 10120, Tel 02-2873101-10 or at an Immigration office

located in the provinces. For information on application for extension of stay, see the Immigration Bureau website at

www.immigration.go.th

9. Foreigners entering Thailand are not permitted to work, regardless of their types of visa, unless they are granted a work permit. Those

who intend to work in Thailand must hold the correct type of visa to be eligible to apply for a work permit. Information on Work Permit

applications could be obtained from the website of the Office of Foreign Workers Administration, Department of Employment, Ministry of

Labour at www.doe.go.th/workpermit/index.html

10. Royal Thai Embassies and Royal Thai Consulates-General have the authority to issue visas to foreigners for travel to Thailand. The

authority to permit entry and stay in Thailand, however, is with the immigration officers. In some cases, the immigration officer may not

permit foreigner holding a valid visa entry into Thailand should the immigration officer find reason to believe that he or she falls into the

category of aliens prohibited from entering Thailand under the Immigration Act B.E. 2522 (1979).

11. According to the Immigration Act of Thailand B.E. 2522 (1979), foreigners who fall into any of the following categories are prohibited

to enter Thailand:

(1) Having no genuine valid passport or document used in lieu of passport; or having a genuine valid passport or document used in lieu

of passport without valid visa issuance by the Royal Thai Embassies, the Royal Thai Consulates-General or the Ministry of Foreign

Affairs, with exception of those who meet visa exemption requirements. The terms and conditions of visa issuance and visa exemption

are prescribed by the Ministerial Regulations.
(2) Having no appropriate means of living following entry into the Kingdom.
(3) Having entered the Kingdom to be employed as an unskilled or untrained labourer, or to work in violation of the Alien Work Permit

Law.
(4) Being mentally unstable or having any of the diseases stated in the Ministerial Regulations.
(5) Having not yet been vaccinated against smallpox; or inoculated, or undergone any other medical treatment for protection against

disease; and having refused to have such vaccinations administered by the Immigration Doctor.
(6) Having been imprisoned by judgment of the Thai Court; or by lawful injunction or judgment of the Court of a foreign country, except

for when the penalty is for a petty offence, or negligence, or is provided for as an exception by the Ministerial Regulations.
(7) Having behaviour which could cause possible danger to the public; or having the likelihood of being a nuisance or constituting any

violence to the peace, safety and security of the public or to the security of the nation; or being under warrant of arrest by competent

officials of foreign governments.
(8) Reason to believe that entry into Kingdom is for the purpose of being involved in prostitution, the trafficking of women or children,

drug smuggling, or other types of smuggling which are against public morality.
(9) Having no money or bond as prescribed by the Minister under Section 14 of the Immigration Act B.E. 2522 (1979).
(10) Being a person prohibited by the Minister under Section 16 of the Immigration Act B.E. 2522 (1979).
(11) Being deported by either the Government of Thailand or that of other foreign countries; or having been revoked the right of stay in

the Kingdom or in foreign countries; or having been expelled from the Kingdom by competent officials at the expense of the Government

of Thailand unless exemption is provided by the Minister on an individual basis.

Royal Thai Embassies and Royal Thai Consulates-General may issue the following types of visas:

- Transit Visa
- Tourist Visa
- Non-Immigrant Visa
- Diplomatic Visa
- Official Visa
- Courtesy Visa

Tourist Visa On Arrival

People often confuse this type of visa with the visa exemption. It is not difficult to understand why, but the main difference is that this an

actual visa. It is available to a far fewer number of countries. It is important to note that this option is not available at all points of entry.

Click the link below to see a list of border crossings where the visa on arrival is available. This will allow entry for 15 days.

Tourist Visa

For those wishing to stay longer than 30 days in Thailand and not deal with visa runs, this visa should meet your requirements. The

tourist visa will entitle you to 60 days in Thailand. You will need to apply for this embassy outside of Thailand at an Embassy or

Consulate. The application is very simple.

Multiple Entry Tourist Visas

You can indicate how many entries you would like to have when applying for a tourist visa. For example, you could apply for a double

entry tourist visa if you wanted to stay for 120 days in Thailand. The first time you enter Thailand, the visa will be marked. You will be

given 60 days in the same way you would if you were entering on a single entry tourist visa. The difference is that when your 60 days are

over, you are free to do a visa run to a nearby border. When you decide to re-enter Thailand, you will be granted another 60 days. The

concept is the same as having two tourist visas in one. The same logic can be applied to triple entry tourist visas which would give 180

days.

Different places will yield different results in obtaining these longer term visas. Quite simply, some places tend to act more favorably than

other places. Generally, countries in the west are quite friendly. I can attest to the fact that Washington DC has always handled my

requests promptly in a hassle-free manner. However, there are many reports claiming that certain places are terrible for applying for visas.

The most notable that comes to mind is Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Manilla also frequently gets criticism. These things change from time to

time. As of now, there are some favorable places to go which are quite close for those already in Thailand. Penang, Malaysia and

Vientiane are often used by many. Companies specializing in making visa runs easy and effortless have introduced services that take

travelers to Vientiene and back in order for them to obtain a new tourist visa. This provides a loophole to the new restrictions placed on

the visa exemption scheme.

Overstay

While it is not a good idea to overstay your visa in any country you visit, it does happen from time to time. If you find yourself in this

situation in Thailand, you should rectify the situation as soon as possible. If you are caught by the police, you could potentially face a

large number of problems including imprisonment. The current fine for overstaying your visa is 500 Baht per day. The maximum amount is

20,000 Baht.

Extension

As opposed to overstaying your visa, it would be a much better idea to extend it. Extensions can easily be applied for in Thailand. The

fee is 1900 baht. If you enter under the visa exemtion program, you will be granted an additional 7 days. However, those on a Tourst

Visa will get an additional 30 days to stay in Thailand.

Validity

A single entry tourist visa is valid for 3 months. Multiple entry tourist visas range in their validity. For example, a double entry tourist visa

will be valid for 6 months.

Other Visas

Information about the other types of visas will be forthcoming; however, they are not nearly as important to the average traveler as the

aforementioned types of visas and the visa exemption.


walkatthailand