General Info
Validity of Visa
The visa will have:
- Date of issue
- Enter before (date)
The period of time between the date of issue and the enter before date is the valid period of the visa to enter into Thailand. It has nothing as such to do with the permitted duration of stay in Thailand granted at the border station upon arrival - but the validity period and duration of permitted stay are related.
Let us take a 60-Day tourist visa as example. The visa will have the validity (to enter) Thailand from the date of issue. When you actually enter Thailand, you will get stamped in for 60 days also. So as an extreem you are entitled to enter Thailand the 60th day after the date of issue, and will in this case get stamped in for 60 days after the 60 days of the date of issue.
The validity of your passport must cover the validity of the visa being applied for plus the eventually extended time getting stamped in upon arrival. In other words, on a 90-Day Non-O visa your passport must have an expiry date earliest 180 days from the date of issue. For long-term visas there are exemptions from this scheme. For short-term visas there will be a minimum requirement to validity of your passport like 3 or 6 months.
Duration of Stay
The expiry of permitted stay is granted at the border station at arrival to Thailand in line of the type of visa. The permitted stay is not limited to the validity of the visa and may cover beyond the expiration date of the visa. The latest day to leave Thailand is stated by the entry stamp (finally) permitting the stay.
Some visa extensions will give you an entry stamp of only 90 days stay in Thailand even you are not requested to leave Thailand before 90 days but instead doing a 90-Day report. This is the case for Non B and Non O extensions as the original visa only gives you 90 days stay permit.
Visa and length of stay per entry:
- Visa on Arrival: 15 days
- Visa Exemption: 14, 30/45 or 90 days depending upon nationality
- Tourist Visa: 60 days of (each stay) and 60 days (single entry) or 6 months (multiple entry) validity
- Non-Immigrant B, ED, O Visas: 90 days of stay and 90 days (single entry) or 1 year (multiple entry) validity
- Non-Immigrant IB: 1 year stay and 3 years validity.
- Non-Immigrant OA Visa: 1 year of (each stay) and 1 year of validity
- Non-Immigrant OX Visa: 5 years of stay and 10 years validity (cannot stay longer than validity)
- Smart Visa: 4 years stay and validity (cannot stay longer than validity)
- Residents Visa: 10 years of stay and validity (cannot stay longer than validity)
- Elite Visa: 1 year of stay (to be renewed at Immigration) and 5, 10 or 20 years validity
Entry into Thailand
You may enter Thailand by:
- Air
- Land
- Sea
The visa is the same however how you enter Thailand even small differences apply especially in regards to visa exemptions by land and sea borders compared to air borders.
Thailand has 6 international airports:
- Suvarnabhumi Airport BKK (Bangkok Airport)
- Don Mueang International Airport DMK (Bangkok)
- Phuket International Airport HKT
- Chiang Mai International Airport CNX
- Mae Fah Luang CEI – Chiang Rai International Airport
- Hat Yai International Airport HDY
Thailand has 18 border stations to neighboring countries:
Cambodia - 6
- Aranyaprathet/Poipet
- Had Lek/Koh Kong
- Chong Jom/O Smach
- Chong Sa Ngam/Anlong Veng
- Ban Pakard/Phsa Prum
- Ban Laem/Daun Lem
Malaysia - 5
- Pedang Besar
- Wang Prajan
- Sadao/Chanlung
- Sungai Kolok/Rantau Panjang
- Langkawi/Satun
Myanmar - 4
- Mae Sai/Tachilek
- Mae Sot/Myawaddy
- Phu Nam Ron/Htee Khee
- Ranong/Kawthaung
Laos - 3
- Mukdahan/Savannakhet
- Nong Khai/Vientiane
- Chong Mek/Vang Tao
Thailand has 5 international seaports:
- Laem Chabang Port
- Bangkok Port
- Chiang Saen Port
- Chiang Khong Port
- Ranong Port
Single/Multiple Entry
There are two kinds of visas:
- Single entry giving the permission to enter Thailand ONE time without getting a new visa (or exempt).
- Multiple entry giving the permission to enter Thailand multiple times within the validity of the visa.
To make allowed to leave and re-enter Thailand on a single entry visa, you will need to obtain a re-enter permit (or multi-enter permit) at the Immigration.
Visa Extension
Most visas are possible to extend inside Thailand for both validity and duration of stay.
There are a variety of different types of visa extensions:
- 30 days tourist extension (per entry)
- 60 days family extension (per visa)
- 1 year extension to Non-Immigrant Visa (forever)
- More...
Long-stay extension has beside other requirements also financial requirements.
There is a fee of 1,900 THB.
Requirements
For any kind of visa you will need:
- Valid passport covering the validity of the visa applied for
- Address on Accommodation
- Financial means to cover your stay. If not part of the visa requirements, then on arrival 10,000 THB per person or 20,000 THB for family. (For 60-Day tourist visa the figures are 20,000 and 40,000 THB.)
- Do not suffer from a disease listed by the Thai government as prohibited/restricted from entrance to Thailand
There will be a fee.
Countries listed for Yellow FeverAvailability
Visas are issued by:
- Embassies abroad
- Consulates abroad
- Immigration Offices all over Thailand
- Special appointed offices in Thailand or abroad for Special, Smart, Residents and Elite Visas.
Embassies and Consulates abroad are only issuing a limited collection of the most normal visas, while Immigrations in Thailand at least in theory are entitled to issue any kind of visa, but for instance Tourist Visas and Non-OA Visas are rarely issued inside Thailand.
Visa Extensions are only granted by the Immigrations inside Thailand. Immigrations will rather extend an existing visa over issuing a new visa.
Most visas are today issued using the eVisa system, but still issued and your application processed by Embassies and Consulates around the world (in the country the one you are planning to enter Thailand from (if not your country of nationality).
Every 90 Day
Most visas requires you to either report to Immigration or leave country every 90 day.
Leave country every 90 day
Most long term visas acquired at an Embassy require you to leave country every 90 day. It counts for almost every kind of Non Immigrant multiple entry visas. For multiple entry Tourist visas the requirement is every 60 day.
90-Day Reporting
Instead of leaving country every 60-90 day, most visa extensions require you to report to Immigration every 90 day, which can be done:
- At the Immigration
- By registered mail
- Online
Overstay
If you stay Thailand longer than your stamp in your passport entitles you to do, you will be on overstay.
An overstay in Thailand will have 3 consequences:
- 500 THB fee per day overstaying
- Being prohibited from entering and staying in Thailand for a period of time depending on the length of overstaying.
- An "overstay stamp" in your passport, which will give you a number of "fun" when applying for new visas, extensions and/or crossing borders.
The penalty will become more severe if arrested.
Children below 14 years of age are not subject to an overstay fine or a travel ban from Thailand.
Period of overstay | Banned from Thailand | If arrested and prosecuted |
---|---|---|
Less than 90 Days | 500 THB per day overstay fine (max. 20,000 THB) | 5 years ban and fee doubled |
More than 90 Days | 1 year ban and 20,000 THB fine | 5 years ban and fee doubled |
More than 1 Year | 3 years ban and 20,000 THB fine | 10 years ban and fee doubled |
More than 3 Years | 5 years ban and 20,000 THB fine | 10 years ban and fee doubled |
More than 5 Years | 10 years ban and 20,000 THB fine | 10 years ban and fee doubled |
Cancelation of Visa
To issue a new visa any previous visas must have expired or been canceled.
Any visa or extension thereof must be canceled if the requirements to issue the visa is not valid any longer. I.e. if the visa was issed on the ground of marriage, and the marriage is not valid any longer, the visa must be cancelled. Same with any (other) criteria for issuing a visa.
The most common situation causing problems with no cancellation of a visa is the Non-B visa or extension of a Non-B visa. If you have got a Non-B visa based on employment and this visa or extension is not being cancelled when leaving the job as basis for the visa and you just leave Thailand, then you will get problems getting a new long-term visa of any kind until the Non-B visa has been properly cancelled.
If not properly cancelled and then expired, then you will face a fine of 20,000 THB to be paid before applying for any other new visa.
Most Thai Embassies will only cancel a visa issued by themself. I.e. a visa or extension issued inside Thailand must be cancelled at the Immigration in Thailand.
Fee
Visa | Fee |
---|---|
Visa Exemption | ฿0 |
Visa on Arrival | ฿2,000 |
Transit Visa | ฿1,000 |
Tourist Visa - Single Entry | ฿1,250 |
Tourist Visa - Multiple Entry | ฿3,750 |
Non-Immigrant Visa - Single Entry | ฿2,500 |
Non-Immigrant Visa - Multiple Entry | ฿6,250 |
Visa Extension | ฿1,900 |
Subject | Fee |
---|---|
Overstay | ฿500 per day (max ฿20,000) |
Re-entry Permit - Single Entry | ฿1,000 |
Re-entry Permit - Multiple Entry | ฿3,800 |
90-Day Reporting (TM47) - Self-reported | ฿2,000 |
90-Day Reporting (TM47) - Arrested | ฿4,000 |
Missing Notification of Residence of Alien (TM30) - Private Landlord | ฿2,000 |
Missing Notification of Residence of Alien (TM30) - Hotels etc. | ฿10,000 |