Foreigners from many countries can obtain a visa on arrival free of charge, valid for 30 days

Foreigners from most countries can apply for a tourist visa in their own country, which is issued normally for 90 days. On arrival you get a stamp for 60 days first. After these 60 days  you have to contact the immigration office and they will grant you an extension for another 30 days then.

Warning: Do not take the risk of an  over stay. If on departure you have an over stay, you will need to pay a penalty for every day of the over stay, except if the total over stay is only one day. But if the police catches you somewhere else than at the airport or the border without a valid visa you may need to stay in prison and you experience a lot of problems. So, if you do not want to leave the country in time always contact the nearest immigration office. 7 days extension is normally never a problem.

A so called "Visa Run", i.e. to Cambodia, is another option. You exit the country, even for only for some minutes and on re-entering the country you are granted a 30 day visa. Please note, that this kind of visa requires, that you do not stay more than 90 days with a period of 6 months.

If you are older than 50 years you can easily apply for a retirement visa. You have to prove, that you have more than 800,000 Baht in a Thai bank account or that your monthly income is more than 70.000. You will need to get confirmation written by the embassy of your country in Thailand. If you are married to a Thai national you will get a 50 % "discount" on these amounts. With a retirement visa you can stay in Thailand for a full year. During that time you do not have to leave the country.

After one year it can be renewed.

All  people staying more than 3 months in Thailand have to report at the immigration office every 90 days with a document, which clearly shows their current address. 

Other types of visas are available. Please contact the embassy or the Immigration office.

N.B. This visa information is only a guide line and the regulations may change.

We recommend, that you have a copy of your passport and your visa with you all the time. A copy normally is accepted, so you can leave your passport in your hotel safe.

N.B. Working in Thailand without a work permit is strictly forbidden for foreigners.