Thailand FAQ - Questions and Answers about Thailand and Thai Culture

Thailand Tourist Visa Regulations

30 day Visa on Arrival

For Visa on arrival in Thailand, most nationalities get 30-days visa free on arrival  is arriving by air,  but you will only get 15 days if arriving overland (subject to change). Thailand's visa and Immigration laws are rather complicated and constantly  undergoing revisions and changes, to the dismay of many.

For Tourists arriving by Airplane, you will usually recieve a 30 day visa on arrival, which you do not have to apply for before journeying to Thailand. This however is not the case for all Nationalities, rather a list of 41 countries and 1 special administrative region (Hong Kong) come under this regulatory law

(This law is dated dated 1 October B.E. 2545 (2002), 20 December B.E. 2545 (2002), 18 October B.E. 2547 (2004) and 6 May B.E. 2548 (2005) and are currently still effective as this FAQ was posted).

Make sure you carry at least 10,000 Baht in cash per person and 20,000 Baht per family on your arrival because you may be asked to prove that you have enough finances - the amounts stated are the legal requirement for entering Thailand on a 30 day tourist visa

The 42 countries eligible for 30 day free Visa on arrival:
Australia,Austria,Belgium,Brazil*,Bahrain,Brunei Darussalam,Canada,Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea*, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Peru*, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Singapore, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America and Vietnam.

Available Entry Points for Visa on Arrival

Visa on arrival is provided at 24 designated international checkpoints and applicants should submit the application form duly filled out and to which his/her recent photograph (4 x 6 cm) is attached. The application fee is 1,000 Baht. - Visitors who enter the Kingdom with Visa on Arrival generally cannot file an application for extension of stay except in special cases such as illness which prevents them from travelling, etc. They can submit an application at the Office of Immigration Bureau

Staying Longer than 30 days - 60 day Tourist Visa

If you wish to stay for longer than 30 days, then you should go to the nearest Thai Consulate or Embassy and purchase a 60 day Tourist Visa. These Visas were also able to be extended a further 30 days by visiting an Immigration Office within Thailand and paying a 2000 baht extension fee - currently though there is some talk that this rule is going to be suspended, and the Visa limited to 60 days. You can enquire about this at your local Thai Consulate or Embassy if you wish to know more.

Below Pic - Tourist Visa; The 60 day Thai Tourist Visa will take up a full page in your passport. You should always make sure that there are enough pages remaining in your passport to be able to stamp in and out of Thailand. At least one page empty is the minimum requirement.

Download Visa Application form as a printable PDF document

Notes;

* Thailand holds bilateral agreements on visa exemption for holders of diplomatic, official and ordinary passports for a visit of not exceeding 90 days with Brazil, the Republic of Korea and Peru. Therefore, nationals of these 3 countries are exempted from visa requirements and are permitted to enter and stay in Thailand for a period of not exceeding 90 days.

Members are invited to submit updated info by way of comments.

Other types of Visa for Thailand

Thailand issues 6 kinds of Visa in all;

1. Transit Visa
2. Tourist Visa
3. Non-Immigrant Visa
4. Diplomatic Visa
5. Official Visa
6. Courtesy Visa

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