Visa policy of Thailand

Thailand visa in a Republic of China (Taiwan) passport

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

Thailand currently offers visa-free travel to nationals of 57 countries.[1] With other countries, the Thai government has bilateral agreements on visa waivers. Most Western countries are eligible for visa-free travel, and also some countries from the eastern part of European Union, (Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Bulgaria), as well as Malta and Cyprus do need visas, but are granted a visa on arrival (if they arrive at one of the eligible entry points).

As of May 2014, visa runs are no longer allowed, meaning that if a foreigner wishes to re-enter Thailand after his visa-free period has expired he or she has to obtain a visa.[2] 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.[3]

Thailand visa policy map

Visa policy map of Thailand

90 days visa-free (5 nations)

The governments of the following countries have concluded bilateral visa waiver agreements with Thailand. Nationals from either country pair may travel to each other without visa for a period of up to 90 days.

30 days visa-free (19 nations)

Citizens of countries that have bilateral agreements on visa waivers with Thailand are allowed to stay 30 days.

Citizens of G7 countries (marked with "#") are also allowed to stay for a period of up to 30 days.[4][5]

Thai stamps in a British National (Overseas) passport
Thai stamps in a Russian passport

30/15 days visa-free (31 nations)

The following countries are granted visa-free travel to Thailand for a period of up to 30 days. Arriving by air gives a stay of 30 days. Arriving overland gives a stay of 15 days.

Most of the visa-exempt countries may extend their stay for another 30 days from 29 August 2014.[6]

14 days visa-free (2 nations)

15 days visa on arrival (19 nations)

External image
Map of entry points with Visa on Arrival facility

Nationals from the following countries may apply for visa on Arrival which allows them to stay for up to 15 days at major entry points whether by air or by land. Visa on arrival may not be extended.[9]

The fee for visa on arrival was increased from 1,000 baht to 2,000 baht on 27 September 2016.[10] From 1 December 2016 to 28 February 2017 the fee for visa on arrival will be cut to 1,000 baht again in order to woo tourists.[11]

There are 42 Immigration checkpoints providing visa on arrival, which includes:[12]

International Airport

Land and harbor checkpoint

Non-ordinary passports

Holders of diplomatic or official 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):[13]

D — diplomatic passports only

APEC Business Travel Card

Holders of passports issued by the following countries who possess an APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) containing the "THA" code on the reverse that it is valid for travel to Thailand can enter visa-free for business trips for up to 90 days.[14]

ABTCs are issued to nationals of:[15]

Visa types

General visa types

Non-Immigrant visa types

Statistics

Most visitors arriving to Thailand on short term basis were from the following countries of nationality:[16]

See also

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/23/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.