Visa policy of Thailand explained

Visitors to Thailand must obtain a visa from one of the Thai diplomatic missions unless they are citizens of one of the visa-exempt countries, or citizens who may obtain a visa on arrival, or citizens eligible for an e-Visa.

Visa policy map

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History

In May 2014, there was a brief crackdown on visa runs during 2014 Thai coup d'état, 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.^[1]

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.^[2]

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.^[3]

Visa exemption

Ordinary passports

Citizens of the following countries and territories may enter Thailand for business and tourist purposes without a visa for the following period:^[4]

90 days Argentina^B(90) Brazil^B(90) Chile^B(90) ^B(90) Peru^B(90) 60 days^A ASEAN member states (except Myanmar)^# All European Union member states Albania Andorra Australia Bahrain Bhutan Brazil^B(90) Canada China^C 1 Colombia Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Fiji Georgia Guatemala Hong Kong^B(30) 1 Iceland India Israel Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan^C 1 Kuwait Liechtenstein Macao^B(30) 1 Maldives Mauritius Mexico Monaco Mongolia^B(30) Morocco New Zealand Norway Oman Panama Papua New Guinea Peru^B(90) Qatar ^B(30) San Marino Saudi Arabia Sri Lanka South Africa ^B(90) Switzerland Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Turkey Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Uzbekistan 14 days Myanmar^B(14) 2

_{A - May apply to extend their stay for an additional 30 days.
B(xx) - Thailand has bilateral visa exemption agreements with countries with this mark for stays of xx days. For some countries where the length of stay in the agreement was only 14 or 30 days, if those countries are also in the 60 days visa waiver list, the length of stay will be lengthened to 60 days. For some countries where the length of stay in the agreement is 90 days, if those countries are also in the 60 days visa waiver list, the length of stay will be granted to 90 days as in the agreement.
C - Thailand has bilateral visa exemption agreements with countries with this mark for stays of 30 days, limited to a cumulative maximum stay of 90 days within any 180 days.}

1. - For ASEAN nationals, Thailand has bilateral visa exemption agreements with Laos and Vietnam for stays of 30 days, as well as Cambodia for stays of 14 days.
   

_{1 - For Chinese citizens with People's Republic of China passports, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passports or Macao Special Administrative Region passports only.
2 - For air arrivals only.}

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 may enter Thailand without a visa for business trips for up to 90 days.

ABTCs are issued to citizens of:^[5]

Australia Chile China Hong Kong Indonesia Japan Malaysia

Mexico New Zealand Papua New Guinea Peru Philippines Singapore

Non-ordinary passports

Holders of diplomatic, official or service passports issued by the following countries and territories are allowed to visit Thailand without a visa for a maximum period of up to 90 days (unless otherwise noted):^[6]

All ASEAN member states^1 Albania Argentina Austria Bangladesh^D 1 Belarus Belgium Bhutan Brazil Bosnia and Herzegovina^1 Bulgaria Canada^1 Chile China^1 Colombia Costa Rica Croatia Czech Republic Ecuador^1 El Salvador Estonia France Georgia Germany Greece Hong Kong^1 Hungary India Israel Italy Japan Kazakhstan^1 Latvia Liechtenstein Luxembourg ^1 Mexico Mongolia^1 Montenegro Morocco Mozambique^1 Netherlands Nepal Oman^1 Pakistan^D 1 Panama Peru Poland Romania Saudi Arabia Serbia Seychelles Slovakia South Africa Spain^D Sri Lanka Switzerland Tajikistan Timor-Leste^1 Tunisia Turkey United Kingdom^1 United States^1 Ukraine United Arab Emirates Uruguay

_{D - Diplomatic passports only.
1 - 30 days}

A visa exemption agreement was signed with Lithuania in June 2024 and it is yet to be ratified.^[7]

Visa on arrival / Electronic Visa (e-Visa)

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.^[8] It costs 2,000 THB.

The e-Visa application also became available from February 2019 in some of the consulates of Thailand abroad.^{[9] [10] [11] [12]}

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 place of residence (cheaper than VOA)		Standard: 2,560 THBExpress: 4,560 THB	Standard: 2,000 THBExpress: 2,200 THB
Processing time	3-10 working days		Standard: 24-72 hoursExpress: less than 24 hours	May take up to several hours (depends on how busy the visa office is at the moment)
Proof of funds	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 citizens

Visa on arrival Armenia Belarus Bhutan^B Bulgaria^B China^B Costa Rica Cyprus^B El Salvador Ethiopia Fiji^B Georgia^B India^B Kazakhstan^B Kyrgyzstan Malta^B Mexico^B Namibia Nauru Papua New Guinea^B Paraguay Romania^B ^B Saudi Arabia^B Serbia Seychelles ^B Tunisia Uzbekistan^B Vanuatu e-Visa^A All European Union member states^B Albania Algeria Andorra^B Antigua and Barbuda Argentina^B Bahamas Bahrain^B Barbados Bosnia and Herzegovina Brazil^B Canada^B Chile^B China^B Congo Costa Rica Dominica^B Dominican Republic^B El Salvador Fiji^B Grenada Hong Kong^B Iceland^B Jamaica^B Kazakhstan^B Kiribati Kyrgyzstan Lebanon Libya Liechtenstein^B Macao^B Marshall Islands Monaco Mongolia^B Montenegro Nauru Norway^B Panama^B Papua New Guinea^B Paraguay Qatar^B Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino^B Saudi Arabia^B Serbia Solomon Islands ^B Switzerland^B Tajikistan Tonga^B Trinidad and Tobago^B Tuvalu Ukraine^B United Kingdom^B United States^B Uruguay^B Vanuatu

_{A - All nationalities are eligible for an e-Visa as long as they reside in one of the following countries by the time they lodge an application.
B - Although these countries are visa-exempt in general, their citizens may still have to apply for visa on arrival or e-visa if they are not allowed to enter without visa due to personal reasons (e.g. excessive stay or holding inappropriate travel documents).}

Eligible ports of entry

There are 48 immigration checkpoints providing visa on arrival, including:^[13]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Phuket: Strict new immigration regulations mean crackdown on visa runs.
2. Web site: Phuket: Coup leader calls for Immigration to relax 'out-in' visa clampdown.
3. Web site: No more overstayers, no more corruption at Immigration – Hakparn.
4. Web site: Summary of Countries and Territories entitled for Visa Exemption and Visa on Arrival to Thailand .
5. Web site: ABTC Economy Entry Information.
6. Web site: Summary of Countries and Territories entitled for Visa Exemption and Visa on Arrival to Thailand.
7. https://x.com/MeilunasE/status/1803099365894164692
8. Web site: Visa on Arrival.
9. Web site: Thailand offers online visa applications from February.
10. Web site: E-visas available from February 2019. China first country . 3 December 2018.
11. Web site: China First to Benefit From Thai E-Visas Next Year. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20181204130710/http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/2018/12/03/china-first-to-benefit-from-thai-e-visas-next-year/ . 2018-12-04 .
12. Web site: Launch of Online Stickerless E-Visa Application Platform &Termination of Visa Application in Person and by Post . สถานเอกอัครราชทูต ณ กรุงเอเธนส์ . 27 December 2022 . en.
13. Web site: Royal Thai Embassy, Singapore . VISA ON ARRIVAL . 2015-02-27.
14. Web site: สถานเอกอัครราชทูต ณ กรุงย่างกุ้ง.
15. Web site: Thailand makes transit visa mandatory for Pakistani passengers.
16. http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/4908/15384-List-of-countries-which-require-International-Heal.html Thailand Visa Information : List of countries which require International Health Certificate for Yellow Fever Vaccination.
17. Web site: Thai Visas for Americans . US Embassy and Consulate . en . 2024-01-07.
18. Web site: Thailand Visa Information : Non-Immigrant Visa "B" (for Business and Work) - Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kingdom of Thailand . mfa.go.th . en . 2018-09-08.