Visa policy of Thailand

Visitors to Thailand must obtain a visa from one of the Thai diplomatic missions unless they come from a visa-exempt country or a country whose citizens are eligible to obtain visas on arrival/eVisa.

Thailand currently offers visa-free travel to Nationals of 64 countries and territories including all ASEAN Nationals. The Thai government maintains bilateral agreements on visa waivers with some of these countries. Nationals of 18 other countries can obtain a visa-on-arrival (V.O.A)/eVisas.

Thailand visa policy map

Visa policy of Thailand

  Thailand

  Visa-free (90 days within 6 months)

  Visa-free (30 days)

  Visa-free (14 days)

  Visa on arrival (15 days)

  eVisa (60 days)

  Visa required in advance

History

In May 2014, there was a brief crackdown on visa runs, meaning that if foreigners wish to re-enter Thailand after their visa-free or visa on arrival period has expired they have to obtain a visa in advance, or remain outside Thailand at least for one night. In August 2014, Thailand Prime Minister ordered the Immigration Police to be more flexible as the strict application of the law was affecting schools and the tourist industry. On 31 October 2018 it was announced that within 30 days (by the end of November 2018), overstay visas will no longer be allowed, and there will be no remaining overstayers in the kingdom by that date.

Temporary COVID-19 changes

In January 2021, all passport countries with exempt entry of 30 days were extended to 45 days. This was done to cover the additional entry requirements which involved staying for 15 days in an Alternative Quarantine (AQ). However, the extra 15 days was stopped in October 2021 and the normal 30 day visa exempt entry length resumed.

On July 1, Thailand allowed quarantine-free entry through a program called the Phuket Sandbox, the core requirement being that the traveler is fully vaccinated. Under this program, a traveler could travel around Phuket after a negative test on the first day. The program was expanded on August 17 under the name of the "7+7" program, where the first seven nights could only be spent at Phuket or Samui, and the next seven may be spent in Krabi, Phang-nga, or Samui.

On November 1, Thailand further reopened for incoming travel with the one-night Test & Go program for Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket and Samui, which was suspended on December 22 due to the global rise in cases from the Omicron variant of Covid-19.

Visa exemption for normal passports

Due to bilateral visa waiver agreements with Thailand, nationals of the following countries and territories holding normal passports can enter Thailand without a visa for up to the duration listed below. They may enter via any port of entry (unless otherwise specified).

90 days within any 6 months Argentina Brazil Chile South Korea Peru RussiaT 30 days Brunei Hong Kong1 Laos Macao Mongolia Singapore Vietnam 14 days Cambodia Myanmar (for air arrivals only)

T - Temporary measure: 90 days from 1 September 2023 until 30 April 2024, then 30 days.
1 - For Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Passport only.

Tourist Visa Exemption Scheme

Under the Tourist Visa Exemption Scheme, nationals of countries and territories around the world are granted visa-free travel to Thailand for a stay of up to 30 days, provided the purpose of entering Thailand is for tourism only. They may apply to extend their stay for another 30 days since 29 August 2014.

Nationals of the following countries are eligible for the scheme, and may enter Thailand via any port of entry:

BruneiB Indonesia Malaysia SingaporeB

Nationals of the following countries and territories are also eligible for the scheme, but are limited to a maximum of two visa-exempt entries per calendar year when entering Thailand via land or sea. There is no limit imposed when entering Thailand by air.

Andorra Australia Austria Bahrain Belgium BrazilB Canada ChinaT1 Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany

Greece Hong KongB 1 Hungary Iceland IndiaT2 Ireland Israel Italy Japan KazakhstanT1 Kuwait Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania

Luxembourg Maldives Mauritius Monaco Netherlands New Zealand Norway Oman PeruB Philippines Poland Portugal Qatar San Marino

Saudi Arabia Slovakia Slovenia South Africa South KoreaB Spain Sweden Switzerland TaiwanT2 Turkey Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom2 United States

B - Visa exemption under a bilateral agreement.
T1 - Temporary measure from 25 September 2023 until 29 February 2024.
T2 - Temporary measure from 10 November 2023 until 10 May 2024.
1 - For Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Passport holders only.
2 - For British citizens and British Nationals (Overseas) only.

Visa exemption for diplomatic or service category passports

  Thailand

  Diplomatic and service category passports

  Diplomatic passports

Holders of diplomatic or service category passports issued by the following countries and territories are allowed to visit Thailand without a visa for visits up to 90 days (unless otherwise noted):

Albania Argentina Austria Bangladesh D Belarus Belgium Bhutan Brazil Brunei (30 days) Bulgaria Cambodia (30 days) Canada (30 days) Chile China (30 days) Colombia Costa Rica Croatia Czech Republic Ecuador (30 days)

El Salvador Estonia France D Georgia Germany Hong Kong (30 days) Hungary India Indonesia (30 days) Israel Italy Japan Kazakhstan (30 days) Kosovo Laos (30 days) Latvia Liechtenstein Luxembourg Macau (30 days)

Malaysia (30 days) Mexico Mongolia (30 days) Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Myanmar (30 days) Netherlands Nepal Oman (30 days) Pakistan D (30 days) Panama Peru Philippines (30 days) Poland Romania Russia Saudi Arabia Serbia

Seychelles Singapore (30 days) Slovakia South Africa South Korea Spain D Sri Lanka Switzerland Tajikistan Tunisia Turkey United Kingdom (30 days) United States (30 days) Ukraine Uruguay Vietnam (30 days)

_{D — diplomatic passports only.}

Visa on arrival / eVisa

Besides traditional visa on arrival policy, from 21 November 2018 Thailand started issuing tourist visas valid for 15 days in a simplified procedure to visitors from the countries whose citizens are eligible for visa on arrival. Electronic visa application also became available from February 2019 in some of the consulates of Thailand abroad.

Thai visa on arrival stamp on a Russian passport

External image
Map of entry points with Visa on Arrival facility

Visa type	eVisa		eVOA	VOA
	Multiple	Single	Single	Single
Duration of stay	60 days		15 days
Validity	6 Months	3 Months	30 days	N/A
Visa fee	Depend on applicant's nationality and resident place (cheaper than VOA)		Standard: 2,560 THB Express: 4,560 THB	Standard: 2,000 THB Express: 2,200 THB
Processing time	3-10 working days		Standard: 24-72 hours Express: less than 24 hours	May up to several hours (depends on the busyness of visa office)
Proof of fund	60,000 THB (upload proof online)	20,000 THB (upload proof online)	Following items may be checked at port of entry: 10,000 THB cash per person, or 20,000 THB cash per family, or Equivalent foreign currency
Extendable	Yes		No
Application submission	thaievisa.go.th		thailandevoa.vfsevisa.com	Visa office at the port of entry

Eligible nationalities

Visa on arrival Bhutan Bulgaria China2 Cyprus Ethiopia Fiji Georgia India2 Kazakhstan2 Malta Mexico Nauru Papua New Guinea Romania Russia1 Taiwan2 Uzbekistan Vanuatu eVisa European Union citizens Albania Algeria Andorra1 Antigua and Barbuda Aruba Bahamas Barbados Bosnia and Herzegovina Canada1 China2 Colombia Congo Dominica Dominican Republic Grenada Guam Haiti Hong Kong1 Iceland1 Jamaica Kosovo Libya Liechtenstein Macao1 Marshall Islands Micronesia Monaco Mongolia1 Montenegro Nauru North Korea Norway1 Puerto Rico Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines San Marino1 Serbia South Korea1 Switzerland1 Trinidad and Tobago Tuvalu Ukraine1 United Kingdom1 United States1 Vatican City

1 - Already exempt from visa requirement through a bilateral visa waiver agreement.
2 - Already exempt from visa requirement temporarily.

Eligible ports of entry

There are 48 immigration checkpoints providing visa on arrival, including:

International Airport Chiang Mai International Airport# Chiang Rai International Airport Don Mueang International Airport# Hat Yai International Airport Hua Hin Airport Krabi International Airport Phuket International Airport# Samui Airport Sukhothai Airport Surat Thani Airport Suvarnabhumi Airport# Trang Airport U-Tapao International Airport # - Airport which accepts e-visa on arrival Land and harbor checkpoint Aranyaprathet Immigration Checkpoint Ban Prakop Immigration Checkpoint Bangkok Harbour Immigration Checkpoint Betong Immigration Checkpoint Bueng Kan Immigration Checkpoint Buketa Immigration Checkpoint Chiang Khong Immigration Checkpoint Chiang Saen Immigration Checkpoint Kanchanaburi Land Border Checkpoint Khlong Yai Immigration Checkpoint Khuan Don Immigration Checkpoint Khlong Yai (Hat Lek) Immigration Checkpoint Ko Lipe Marine Port Checkpoint Krabi Immigration Checkpoint Mae Sai Immigration Checkpoint Map Ta Phut Immigration Checkpoint Mukdahan Immigration Checkpoint Nakhon Phanom Immigration Checkpoint Nan Immigration Checkpoint Nong Khai Immigration Checkpoint Nong Khai Harbour Immigration Checkpoint Padang Besar Immigration Checkpoint Pattaya Immigration Checkpoint Phibun Mangsahan Immigration Checkpoint Phu Sing Land Border Checkpoint Phuket Immigration Checkpoint Pong Nam Ron Immigration Checkpoint Sadao Immigration Checkpoint Samui Immigration Checkpoint Samut Prakan Immigration Checkpoint Satun Immigration Checkpoint Si Racha Immigration Checkpoint Songkhla Harbour Immigration Checkpoint Su-ngai Kolok Immigration Checkpoint Tak Immigration Checkpoint Tak Bai Immigration Checkpoint Tha Li Immigration Checkpoint

Visa required in advance

Citizens of the following countries can only apply for a Visa in advance in their home country's Thai Embassy. Thai Embassies abroad only accept applications of these countries' citizens if they have a resident permit of the country they want to apply from.

African Union (Except Ethiopia, Mauritius, South Africa) Afghanistan Bangladesh Iran Iraq Jordan Lebanon Nepal North Korea Pakistan Palestine Sri Lanka Syria Yemen Latin American Countries Bolivia Colombia Costa Rica Cuba Dominican Republic Ecuador El Salvador Guatemala Honduras Nicaragua Panama Paraguay Uruguay Venezuela

Transit

Passengers transiting through Suvarnabhumi Airport for less than 12 hours do not require a visa, unless they are travelling on Angkor Air, Beijing Capital Airlines, Cebu Pacific, Eastar Jet, Golden Myanmar Airlines, IndiGo, Intira Airlines, Jeju Air, Jet Asia Airways, Jetstar Asia Airways, Jetstar Pacific, Jin Air, Juneyao Airlines, Lao Central Airlines, Tigerair Mandala, Norwegian Air, Orient Thai Airlines, Regent Airways, Shandong Airlines, Sichuan Airlines, South East Asian Airlines, SpiceJet, Spring Airlines, T'way Airlines, Thai Smile, Tigerair or VietJet Air.

Those transiting through Don Mueang International Airport for less than 12 hours do not require a visa only when travelling on Thai AirAsia or Thai AirAsia X.

Citizens of Pakistan are required to obtain a visa when transiting through Thailand at all times.

APEC Business Travel Card

Holders of passports issued by the following countries who possess an APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) containing "THA" on the back of the card can enter visa-free for business trips for up to 90 days.

ABTCs are issued to nationals of:

Australia Brunei Chile China Hong Kong Indonesia Japan South Korea Malaysia

Mexico New Zealand Papua New Guinea Peru Philippines Russia Singapore Taiwan Vietnam

Mandatory yellow fever vaccination

Mandatory yellow fever vaccination for Thailand

Nationals of the following countries or nationals arriving from the following countries require an International Certificate of Vaccination in order to enter Thailand, unless they produce evidence that they do not reside in the following areas. Failure to fulfill this requirement could result in refusal of entry into Thailand.

Angola Argentina Benin Bolivia Brazil Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Central African Republic Chad Colombia Congo Côte d'Ivoire Democratic Republic of Congo Ecuador

Equatorial Guinea Ethiopia French Guiana Gabon Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Kenya Liberia Mali Mauritania Niger Nigeria

Panama Paraguay Peru Rwanda Sao Tome and Principe Senegal Sierra Leone Somalia Sudan Suriname Tanzania Togo Trinidad and Tobago Uganda Venezuela

Visa types

General visa types

• Courte Upon official request, the Royal Thai Embassy may grant courtesy visas/laissez-passer to diplomats/UN officials/others who wish to enter the Kingdom on official duty and/or other purposes
• Permanent resident: To qualify for this visa, you must have stayed in Thailand for 3 consecutive years with the one-year visa extensions. If married to a Thai for 5 years, one must be earning 30,000 baht/month. If single, your monthly income must be 80,000 baht minimum.
• Tourist: If an individual wishes to remain in Thailand for more than 30 days, he/she may wish to obtain a tourist visa at a Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate prior to arriving in Thailand. The tourist visa must be used within validity date, that varies with the number of entries purchased, and allows an initial stay of 60 days. After arrival in Thailand, a tourist visa or a visa exempt entry may be extended once for an additional 30 days according to immigration Bureau order 327/2557. There is a 1,900 baht fee for each extension.
• Transit: This type of visa is issued to applicants who wish to enter the Kingdom for the following purposes: to travel in transit through the Kingdom in order to proceed to the country of destination or to re-enter his/her own country (category "TS"); the person in charge of or crew of a conveyance coming to a port, station, or area in the Kingdom (category "C")

Non-Immigrant visa types

• Type B: to conduct business; work; attend business conferences; teach school; attend scuba diving, muay Thai, and massage courses
• Type D: diplomatic visa
• Type ED: to study; to come on a work study tour or observation tour; to participate in projects or seminars; to attend a conference or training course; to study as a foreign Buddhist monk
• Type EX: to undertake skilled work or to work as an expert or specialist
• Type F: to perform official duties, e.g., military exercises or governmental assignments
• Type IB: to invest or perform other activities relating to investment, subject to the provision of the established laws on investment promotion
• Type IM: to invest with the concurrence of the Thai ministries and governmental departments concerned
• Type M: to work as a film-producer, journalist, or reporter with permission from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Type O: to visit family; to perform duties for a state enterprise or social welfare organizations (NGOs); to receive medical treatment; to be a sports coach as required by the Thai government; to be a contestant; to be a witness in a judicial process
• Type O-A: retirement visa
• Type R: to perform missionary work or other religious activities with the concurrence of the Thai ministries or government departments concerned
• Type RS: to conduct scientific research or training or teaching in a research institute
• Type S:to participate in an officially recognised sports event.

Statistics

Most visitors arriving to Thailand on short term basis were from the following countries of nationality:

Country	9/2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014	2013	2012
China	5,254,764	3,521,095	273,567	13,043	1,251,498	10,997,338	10,535,241	9,806,260	8,757,646	7,936,795	4,636,298	4,637,335	2,786,860
Malaysia	3,742,474	4,626,422	1,948,549	5,511	619,623	4,265,574	4,020,526	3,494,488	3,494,890	3,418,855	2,613,418	3,041,097	2,554,397
India	1,536,196	1,628,542	997,913	6,544	263,659	1,996,842	1,598,346	1,415,197	1,194,508	1,069,422	932,603	1,050,889	1,013,308
South Korea	1,382,785	1,660,042	538,766	12,077	262,017	1,890,973	1,796,426	1,709,265	1,464,200	1,373,045	1,122,566	1,295,342	1,163,619
Russia	1,159,758	1,482,611	435,008	30,759	590,151	1,483,337	1,472,789	1,346,338	1,090,083	884,136	1,606,430	1,746,565	1,316,564
Laos	899,576	919,401	502,124	733	380,207	1,854,792	1,664,630	1,682,087	1,388,020	1,220,522	1,053,983	976,639	975,999
Taiwan	813,255	724,594	94,834	1,675	117,511	790,039	687,748	573,077	522,273	552,699	394,149	502,176	394,225
Vietnam	786,032	1,033,688	468,393	1,794	132,127	1,048,181	1,028,150	935,179	830,220	751,162	559,415	725,057	618,670
Japan	762,648	805,768	290,146	9,461	322,677	1,806,438	1,656,101	1,544,442	1,439,510	1,381,702	1,267,886	1,536,425	1,373,716
United States	707,104	930,206	453,678	37,880	212,669	1,165,950	1,122,270	1,056,423	975,643	867,505	763,520	823,486	768,638
Singapore	697,886	1,027,424	614,627	5,931	126,771	1,059,484	1,069,867	1,032,647	967,550	938,385	844,133	955,468	831,215
United Kingdom	666,859	817,220	444,432	38,663	223,087	992,574	986,854	994,755	1,004,345	947,568	907,877	905,024	873,053
Hong Kong	665,174	802,368	162,240	1,657	124,518	1,045,361	1,015,749	821,064	751,264	669,617	483,131	588,335	473,666
Indonesia	648,650	762,118	235,632	2,577	99,530	710,494	644,709	576,110	534,797	469,125	497,592	594,251	447,820
Germany	588,298	729,163	365,030	45,874	231,782	852,481	886,523	850,139	837,885	761,819	715,240	737,658	682,419
Australia	544,569	687,745	336,688	9,577	123,827	767,291	801,203	817,218	796,370	807,450	831,854	900,460	930,241
France	515,228	545,003	268,587	23,461	237,317	745,346	749,556	740,190	738,878	681,114	635,073	611,582	576,106
Philippines	420,812	461,251	178,021	4,078	72,762	506,430	432,237	381,252	339,150	310,968	304,813	321,571	289,566
Cambodia	414,920	583,708	379,665	4,914	165,027	910,696	948,824	840,871	674,975	537,950	550,339	481,595	423,642
Myanmar	399,548	394,134	193,778	7,256	55,279	378,232	368,188	365,606	341,626	259,678	206,794	172,383	129,385
Israel	194,091	217,084	146,293	14,038	29,444	195,856	188,788	173,673	161,579	141,031	138,778	134,874	129,551
Netherlands	190,840	229,539	116,354	8,539	52,402	241,608	236,265	222,409	235,762	221,619	211,524	218,765	208,122
Italy	181,425	191,983	85,254	5,322	60,602	272,374	279,905	264,524	265,597	246,094	219,875	207,192	200,703
Saudi Arabia	172,575	178,113	96,389	467	4,227	30,006	28,337	33,531	24,834	19,168	12,860	21,452	17,084
Canada	172,521	214,264	90,608	6,440	58,499	273,214	276,094	258,494	244,869	227,601	211,059	229,897	219,354
Spain	146,525	153,458	87,400	3,514	25,904	188,997	181,880	179,584	168,900	150,995	116,983	123,084	113,141
United Arab Emirates	136,235	138,934	65,857	4,061	7,492	130,158	128,270	137,218	130,941	124,719	117,907	123,926	113,547
Kazakhstan	130,531	172,489
Sweden	130,138	178,259	97,378	17,094	111,994	287,341	311,949	323,736	332,895	321,690	324,865	341,398	364,681
Switzerland	122,139	156,337	81,180	11,429	52,361	192,130	207,471	209,528	209,057	206,480	201,271	199,923	191,147
Poland	112,440	121,700
Bangladesh	102,640	140,657	81,106	1,955	21,838	136,677	129,574	121,765	100,263	107,394	88,134	82,418	72,657
Denmark	98,248	115,224	64,249	8,480	66,848	162,456	169,373	161,920	165,581	159,435	160,977	163,186	167,499
Belgium	75,244	85,512	48,684	5,386	26,394	114,669	114,270	112,266	111,013	106,090	99,729	101,109	94,896
Austria	74,018	88,706	42,683	5,486	36,381	111,428	116,656	104,784	100,373	97,869	100,968	106,278	94,667
Norway	73,939	83,952	46,521	5,763	39,778	127,992	128,841	127,850	131,039	135,382	145,207	154,049	148,796
New Zealand	68,612	85,897	35,900	1,151	15,709	112,680	116,726	117,962	111,595	112,411	108,081	118,395	113,871
Finland	55,481	76,193	38,561	6,139	59,567	128,014	140,961	140,464	134,238	134,750	142,425	141,692	154,919
Total	26,088,855	28,150,016	11,153,026	427,869	6,725,193	39,916,251	38,178,194	35,591,978	32,529,588	29,923,185	24,809,683	26,546,725	22,353,903

Work permit

To legally work in Thailand, a foreigner must apply for a work permit. Work permit is a legal document that states a foreigner's position, current occupation, or job description and the Thai company he is working with. It also serves as a license to perform a job or an occupation allowed for foreigners inside Thailand. A foreigner is eligible to apply for a work permit as long as he has a non-immigrant visa or a resident visa, has an available employer who will provide documents for work permit, and the occupation he will perform is not prohibited to foreigners.

One Stop Service Centre for Visas and Work Permits

The One Stop Service Centre for Visas and Work Permits was established on 1 July 1997 by authority of the Regulations of the Office of Prime Minister promulgated on 30 June 1997. The objective of this centre is to simplify visa extension and permit issuance procedures to create a good investment environment. It aims to facilitate applications of visa extension and work permits (e.g., stay permission, re-entry permit, work permit). The Centre is located on Chamchuree Square Building, Floor 18, Phatumwan, Bangkok.

Foreigners who are eligible to apply for visa extension and work permits at the One Stop Service Centre

• Foreigner who is an executive or expert with privileges accorded to them by the following laws:
  1. Investment Promotion Act B.E. 2520 (1977);
  2. Petroleum Act B.E. 2514 (1971);
  3. Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand Act B.E. 2522 (1979);
• Foreigner who is an investor.
  1. If investing not less than 2 million Baht, he or she will be granted a 1-year permit.
  2. If investing not less than 10 million Baht, he or she will be granted a 2-year permit.
• Foreigner who is an executive or expert.
• Foreigner's associated company should be registered with capital or possess asset of not less than 30 million Baht.
• Foreigner who is a member of the foreign press must present a letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a copy of an ID Press Card issued by the Department of Public Relations.
• Foreigner who is a researcher or developer on science and technology.
• Foreigner who is employed in a branch office of an overseas bank, foreign banking office of an overseas bank, provincial foreign banking office of an overseas bank or a representative office of the foreign bank in which all offices are certified by the Bank of Thailand.
• Foreigner who works on the necessary and urgent basis for a period of no longer than 15 days.
• Foreigner who is an official of the representative office for foreign juristic persons concerning the International Trading Business and Regional Office of Transnational Corporation in accordance to the Foreign Business Act B.E. 2542 (1999).
• Foreigner who is an expert on information technology.
• Foreigner who works at regional operating headquarters.

See also

• Visa policy of Laos
• Visa requirements for Thai citizens
• Thai passport
• Thai national ID card
• Tourism in Thailand

External links

• Thailand Immigration Bureau
• Thailand Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Thailand Visa on Arrival