Thailand Visa Application Guide
Things you need to know about
getting a Thailand Visa
Welcome to my Thailand Visa Application Guide where I shall be discussing the various visas requirements with you for either a short or long stay. On occasions there appears to be some confusion regarding the process but having said that, I will do my very best to try and set the record straight. Most tourists will enter Thailand on an airport issued visa. However such visas are not available for every country and if in doubt you should check prior to travel, with an appropriate source. Thai Embassies would be your best bet although information is generally also available from travel agents and various on-line resources. By way of example, citizens of the United Kingdom, the USA, South Africa, Canada, France and Germany amongst others (see list below) will generally be awarded a 30-day visa upon arrival, while citizens of China, Russia and India will generally be given a 15-day visa. I do not set these conditions. While these visas may not necessary suit your particular requirements, longer
tourist visas
can be obtained from a
Thai Embassy
or Consulate overseas. These are typically 90-day visas. However upon entering the Thai Kingdom, permission will only be granted for a period of 60 days.
Getting a Thai Visa Extension
Now while you may be confused by this and you should be, an extension of no more than 30 days may be obtained by visiting an immigration office nearest to wherever it is you are staying. Did I mention that it will cost an extra 1,900 baht for that privilege. Again I do not make the rules here.As with any Thailand Visa, DO NOT under any circumstance overstay your visit. If your default is only spotted as you are leaving the Kingdom, you will simply be fined 500 baht per day and up to a maximum of 20,000 baht. However the consequence of being caught before you reach the airport, can result in severe penalties which are likely to include imprisonment until such time as you can get the money to pay a fine and produce a one way air ticket to your home country. Thai authorities can be hard on defaulters.
Getting a Non-Immigrant Visa
Subject to some conditions
non-immigrant-visas
are available to various classes of foreign nationals who wish to reside in the Kingdom indefinitely.
A non-immigrant-marriage visa
is generally issued to you should you marry a Thai national and wish to remain in the Kingdom.
A non-immigrant-business-visa
is generally issued to you should you have found employment in Thailand or you wish to run a business there.
A non-immigrant-retirement-visa
is generally issued to you should you be of retirement age in which case, effective from the age of 50 years.
A list of the countries that allow
Tourist Visa exemptions
Below is a list of some 39 countries the Thai government allows tourists to enter the Kingdom for a stay of up to 30 days for the purpose of tourism.
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bahrain, Brunei, Canada
Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong
Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Kuwait
Luxembourg, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand
Norway, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Singapore
Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey
United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, USA, Vietnam
A list of the countries that allow
Temporary Tourist Visa exemptions
Below is a list of some 14 countries the Thai government allows tourists to enter the Kingdom for a stay of up to 15 days for the purpose of tourism. Passport holders for these countries may apply for a visa at an immigration check-point. For this you will need to have a valid passport, a completed application form, one passport size photograph and a fully paid air ticket.
Bhutan, China, Cyprus, Chech Republic, Hungary
India, Kazakhstan, Maldives, Mauritius, Oman,
Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine
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