Revised July 21, 2020 (Updated visa extension amnesty)
Remember that the rules can change so check the links below
1. Tourist Visa Exemption (“Visa Waiver Stamp”)
AS OF APRIL 23, 2020 ALL TOURIST TRAVEL TO THAILAND HAS BEEN SUSPENDED. ONLY WORK PERMIT HOLDERS, DIPLOMATS AND RETURNING THAI CITIZENS MAY TRAVEL TO THAILAND. ALL INCOMING TRAVELLERS MUST UNDERGO A 14 DAY QUARANTINE.
If you are eligible (check THIS LINK to see which nationalities are permitted exemptions) you can enter Thailand free of charge for a stay of up to 30 days without a visa. (This is not ANY KIND of visa. It is not a Visa on Arrival.)
Most eligible nationalities get 30 days stay whether arriving by land or air. (The “30 days if by air, 15 days if by land” regulation has been obsolete since the beginning of 2017.) But — you are now allowed only TWO visa exemptions per calendar year if arriving by LAND. The number of exemptions when arriving by air is still unlimited. The only form to be filled out is the TM6 Arrival/Departure card that you will be given on the plane or at the border. You receive an exemption EACH TIME you enter Thailand. If you make a trip outside the country within your 30-day stay, the initial exemption is cancelled on departure and you receive a new 30-day exemption when you return. To reiterate: If you’re eligible for an exemption, you will receive a new one each time you enter Thailand. This is not a “re-entry.”
2. ”POOT”
Airlines are required by Thai Immigration to control whether passengers checking in for a flight to Thailand without any visa comply with all the requirements of Visa Exemption. Those include what is termed Proof Of Onward Travel (POOT) meaning a confirmed air ticket out of Thailand or a return flight home within the 30-day period. (Train tickets or plans to take the bus do not count, nor do domestic or international flights booked in other countries in the region that do not include a flight out of Thailand.) Airlines fear that failure to comply could result in severe penalties for the carrier and repatriation costs. Passengers who do not have POOT or a visa are at risk of being denied boarding. Airlines departing from Europe, USA, Canada and Australasia are more stringent about this requirement than some other regions. Regional carriers around Thailand (like Air Asia) hardly ever make an issue of it. Thai Immigration itself rarely if ever checks for POOT.
Ways to avoid this risk:
i) obtaining a 60 day Tourist Visa or some other valid visa.
ii) purchasing an air ticket out of Thailand within the 30-day period and using it for, say, a short break away from Thailand, or purchasing the cheapest possible flight out of Thailand within 30 days to any country but then throwing it away (which may be cheaper than the cost of a 60 day Tourist Visa).
iii) purchasing a fully refundable flight out of Thailand within the 30 days, then cancelling it after arriving and claiming a refund.
3. Visa on Arrival (not the same as an Exemption)
href=”http://www.consular.go.th/main/contents/filemanager/VISA/Visa%20on%20Arrival/VOA.pdf”>LINK to verify) can get a Visa on Arrival which allows a 15-day stay. You will need to provide a photo and fill out an application form before reaching Immigration at your first point of entry in Thailand, usually Bangkok Suvarnabhumi or Don Mueang Airport. (Note: you do not have a choice of where you must clear Immigration. It must be your first point of arrival.) But all airports with international flights offer Visa on Arrival, and most land border checkpoints. There are clear signs in the airport showing you where to go to apply for Visa on Arrival. You can download the Visa on Arrival application form HERE.
An Indian forum member has prepared a comprehensive guide to visa requirements for Indian citizens. Click THIS LINK to access the guide.
4. The New eVOA
eVOA booths are now up and running in Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Chiang Mai and Phuket Airports for processing of pre-approved online Visa on Arrival applications.
They’re saying the new eVOA system will only take about one minute per applicant at the airport. You apply for the eVOA online at THIS LINK from 1 to 30 days ahead of travel. Use this link to VFS Global, the official eVOA provider only. Third party sites may be scammers. You must be able to upload your passport data page, airline ticket and accommodation documents and pay with a credit or debit card (visa fee is waived at the moment but VFS Global still charges a 600 baht processing fee or 2500 baht for express service). And download the confirmation to print out and also store on your phone. At the airport, you show your confirmation and get the visa stamped into your passport. And you’re good to go.
eVOA is available for the 18 countries eligible for Visa on Arrival only. An Indian travel blogger has written a step-by-step guide to the eVOA process which is posted HERE.
5. Tourist Visa
If you are not eligible for any of the above, or you wish to stay longer than 30 days, you can apply to your local Thai Embassy or Consulate for a Single Entry Tourist Visa (SETV or officially “TR Single”), which allows a 60-day stay at a cost of 1000 baht or local currency equivalent. (Note: You are not permitted to do any kind of work when in Thailand on a tourist visa or exemption, including volunteer work.)
A Multiple Entry Tourist Visa (METV or officially “TR Multiple”) obtained only from the Thai Embassy or Consulate in the passport-holder’s country of residence is available for an unrestricted number of entries within 6 months of the first entry, with a maximum of 60 days per entry. Many forum members consider the bank account and income requirements for the METV to be quite onerous. Application forms and details of requirements are available on the Royal Thai Embassy website in each visitor’s country.
(Indian citizens should access the comprehensive guide to visa requirements HERE.)
6. Cash on Hand
The Thai government has toughened the regulations concerning the amount of cash that tourists are required to be carrying to cover travel expenses. All those arriving on tourist visas now need to be carrying 20,000 baht for individuals (40,000 baht for families) or its equivalent in hard currency in cash. Those arriving on Visas on Arrival and Visa Exemptions are required to have 10,000 baht or 20,000 for a family. Credit cards and bank statements are not acceptable. This requirement is rarely checked for tourists arriving from wealthy, western countries, and only sporadically controlled for travelers from developing or emerging nations, but the fact is, it’s on the books. Recently there have been several credible forum posts from travelers who said they had been refused entry to Thailand because they weren’t carrying enough cash. Various Thai embassies are now displaying signs in their visa sections and notices on their websites warning potential travelers of this regulation. So it’s prudent to make sure you have at least 20,000 baht (currently ca €500 or $600 US) in your wallet when you go through Immigration, even if all your hotels and excursions are prepaid and you think you really don’t need that much cash.
7. Visa Extension
THE THAI GOVERNMENT HAS APPROVED A THIRD AUTOMATIC EXTENSION OF STAY UNTIL SEPTEMBER 26TH, 2020. THIS APPLIES TO ALL FOREIGNERS STILL IN THAILAND ON 30-DAY EXEMPTIONS AND VARIOUS KINDS OF VISAS. THERE IS NO NEED TO GO TO AN IMMIGRATION OFFICE TO APPLY FOR THIS EXTENSION. 90-DAY REPORTING REQUIRED FOR SOME LONG-STAY VISAS IS ALSO SUSPENDED.
Exemptions and Tourist Visas, both Single Entry and Multiple (TR Single and Multiple), can be extended once for each entry, for up to 30 days.
i) You can apply at any Immigration Office. This must be done on or before the current period of stay expires. You need a passport-size photo and a photocopy of your passport (main page and most recent entry stamp), and the fee is 1900 baht.
You can download the TM-7 application for an extension here.
ii) Please note that an extension is not automatic and is granted at the sole discretion of the Immigration Officer. You may need income documentation to support the application.
iii) The application fee is not refundable if your extension is refused.
iv) The full application fee is payable even if the extension is less than the maximum 30 days.
8. Re-Entry Permit
You can apply for a Re-Entry Permit if you are in Thailand on any kind of visa, including a 60-day Tourist Visa, and you wish to make a short trip outside the country and still use the balance of time left on the visa when you return.
A Re-Entry Permit will not add any days to your visa. For example, if you have a 60-day TR Single Tourist Visa with 20 days left and you leave for a 7-day stay in Cambodia, when you return on a Re-Entry Permit you will have 13 days left on your visa, not 20. The Re-Entry Permit (or “visa”) costs 1000 baht for a single re-entry and 3800 baht for a multiple permit.
You can apply for a Re-Entry Permit at the Immigration Office on Chaeng Wattana Road, Bangkok. There are also Re-Entry Permit desks at Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports. Numerous forum members have reported the airport desks are far less bureaucratic than the Immigration office. The airport desks are available only to checked-in departing passengers, just after passport control and before security. For an extra 200 baht fee, the officers there will take your picture, copy your passport and print out the completed form for you to sign
At the Immigration offices, you need to submit a passport photo and a photocopy of your passport (main page and latest entry stamp). You can also email the TM-8 form to bkk1_reentry@immigration.go.th at least one day in advance. Then you then have to go to the Immigration office on Chaeng Wattana personally and submit a photo and pay the fee.
Download the TM-8 application form for re-entry here.
(Note: If you are in Thailand on a Tourist Visa Exemption and wish to make a trip outside the country, you do not need a Re-Entry Permit. When you leave, your exemption is canceled. When you return, you will simply get another free 30-day exemption.)
8. Other Visas
Thailand offers other visas in addition to those above for specific categories of visitor. Information and downloadable documents for all types of visa can be found on the Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate website in your country. This link from the Royal Thai Embassy in Washington DC is typical.
Note 1:
The current Thai government has tightened the regulations and issued new ones and is rigorously enforcing them. An overstay is treated seriously, and could result in a fine of 500 baht per day (maximum 20,000 baht) and a ban on travel to Thailand ranging from 1 to 10 years, according to the length of the infraction. If you are caught by police without a valid visa you could end up in Immigation detention.
Note 2:
Some visa brokers offer to obtain Thai visas for a charge. But travelers can easily get visas themselves, costing only the standard fees paid directly to the Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate. Third party visa brokers are usually unnecessary at all locations except India.
Note 3:
Examine the stamps in your passport made by Consular officials and by Immigration officers on entry to ensure the details, especially type of visa and date, are correct. It’s much easier to correct a mistake on the spot than later at an Immigration office.
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