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Visas to Thailand
Regulations covering the issuance of Thai visas are found in Immigration Act B.E. 2522 (1979) section 5, 12 (1), 34 (15). Essentially, although every visitor to Thailand requires a valid passport, whether you need a visa to enter Thailand is dependent on the period of time you are expecting to stay in the kingdom and your nationality.
Visitors from a number of countries must obtain their visas before entering Thailand. Other visitors will be issued with a visa on arrival at an international airport, a border crossing, or an immigration checkpoint. A limited number of countries have agreements with Thailand that enable their citizens to enter Thailand without a visa. Visas are issued either by consulates and embassies outside Thailand, or the Immigration Bureau of the Royal Thai Police within Thailand.
30-day visits
Most visitors are able to stay in Thailand for up to 30 days without the need of a visa. This includes the citizens of the following countries:
- Australia : Commonwealth of Australia
- Austria : Republic of Austria
- Belgium : Kingdom of Belgium
- Brazil : Federative Republic of Brazil (visit of not exceeding 90 days permitted)
- Bahrain : State of Bahrain
- Brunei Darussalam : Negara Brunei Darussalam
- Canada
- Denmark : Kingdom of Denmark
- Finland : Republic of Finland
- France : French Republic
- Germany : Federal Republic of Germany
- Greece : Hellenic Republic
- Hong Kong : Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
- Iceland : Republic of Iceland
- Indonesia : Republic of Indonesia
- Ireland : Republic of Ireland
- Israel : State of Israel
- Italy : Republic of Italy
- Japan
- Korea : Republic of Korea (visit of not exceeding 90 days permitted)
- Kuwait : State of Kuwait
- Luxembourg : Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
- Malaysia
- Monaco : Principality of Monaco
- Netherlands : Kingdom of the Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway : Kingdom of Norway
- Oman : Sultanate of Oman
- Peru : Republic of Peru (visit of not exceeding 90 days permitted)
- Philippines : Republic of the Philippines
- Portugal : Republic of Portugal
- Qatar : State of Qatar
- Singapore : Republic of Singapore
- Spain : Kingdom of Spain
- South Africa : Republic of South Africa
- Sweden : Kingdom of Sweden
- Switzerland : Swiss Confederation
- Turkey : Republic of Turkey
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom : United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- United States of America
- Vietnam : Socialist Republic of Vietnam
60-day visits
If you want to stay longer for a longer period you can obtain a two-month tourist visa from the Thai consulate or embassy in your country. However, if you are in Thailand and wish to extend your stay this can be done by obtaining a one-month extension from an immigration office (cost: 1,900 Baht).
Visits longer than 60 days
People wishing to stay in Thailand longer than two months require a ‘Non-Immigrant Visa’ – this is not a tourist visa and a person must meet certain requirements before being granted one (e.g. having family members in Thailand, etc.). A ‘Non-Immigrant Visa’ is issued for three months and can be extended to one year under certain circumstances.
Full details
For full details contact your country’s Thai Embassy. A detailed description of visa requirements is provided by Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. More concise details are provided by the Thai Embassy in Washington DC.
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