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Tourist visa to Thailand
Do you need a visa for a tourist trip to Thailand? How long must your passport be valid for?
A visa for a single visit to Thailand of up to 30 days or 60 days?
For the most common tourist trips, the immigration officer will not require anything from you. Entry to the Kingdom of Thailand is visa-free, with a stay limited to 30 days for citizens of 93 countries worldwide.
The visa-free entry period was extended from 30 to 60 days on 1 June 2024, but from September 2026 the scheme will revert to 30 days.
Official information and a list of countries that do not require a visa to enter Thailand can be found on the website of the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs:thaievisa.go.th.
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In very rare cases, you may also be asked to present a return ticket or prove that you have sufficient funds (20 000 thb s per person or 40 000 thb s per family).
Multiple entries into Thailand within a six-month period
If you are planning to travel around South-East Asia and visit several neighbouring countries, or if Thailand is your second home, please bear in mind that the maximum total number of days you may stay within a six-month period is 90 days.
Exceeding the maximum length of stay
If, for whatever reason, you happen to leave Thailand for longer than the 30-day visa-free limit, you can expect to be fined. For each additional day, you will pay 500 thb, with a minimum of 1 000 thb and a maximum of 20 000 thb.
In the event of a more serious breach of the permitted length of stay in Thailand, you will face a court case and deportation from the country, with a 10-year entry ban.
Automatic passport control ‘e-gates’: who can use them?
From 15 September 2026, automated gates will be introduced at selected international airports in Thailand – you won’t have to wait in long queues or speak to an immigration officer.
Simply scan your passport at the automatic passport control, which significantly reduces waiting times.
Who can use these ‘e-gates’? Head to the automatic gates if you meet ALL of the requirements listed below:
- you hold a passport from one of the following countries: Australia, Canada, the EU (all countries), Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates
- you have previously visited Thailand with the passport you are currently travelling on (if this is your first visit to Thailand, you must go to an immigration officer)
- you are eligible for visa-free entry
Online arrival card
With effect from 1 May 2025, all travellers, including those who do not require a visa to stay in Thailand, must complete an online arrival card.
How do I complete the arrival card?
Please complete the arrival card exclusively on the official website:tdac.immigration.go.th/arrival-card
You only need to provide your personal details, health information and details of your accommodation in Thailand. You do not need to upload any photographs or scan your passport when completing the form.
How much does the arrival card cost?
You can currently complete the arrival card free of charge.
How long before my trip do I need to fill in the arrival card?
You must complete the entry card online no earlier than 3 days before your planned arrival in Thailand.
Can I amend the entry card after I have completed it?
Yes, if your details change – for example, if you have a new passport – you can amend your arrival card on the websitetdac.immigration.go.th/arrival-card.
Visas for Thailand for stays of 31 days or more
If you wish to stay in Thailand for longer, you effectively have three options for extending your stay:
- Extending your stay in Thailand for a further 30 days at the immigration office
- By applying for a standard visa at the Thai Embassy in your country
- By undertaking a so-called ‘visa run’
You can apply for a single-entry or multiple-entry visa:
Single-entry visa to Thailand
You can obtain a so-called ‘single-entry tourist visa’ within 3 days for a fee of approximately 1 300 thb. It is valid for a stay of 30 days, and you may enter Thailand within 3 months of the visa being issued.
Multiple-entry visa for Thailand
You can also obtain a so-called multiple-entry tourist visa within 3 working days, but for a fee of 5 000 thb. It is valid for an unlimited number of entries for a period of 6 months from the date of issue. A single stay must not exceed 30 days, but there is no limit on the total number of days spent in the country.
Visa run
The term ‘visa run’ or ‘visa running’ simply refers to leaving Thailand for another country and returning immediately.
In practical terms, all you need to do is go through immigration at a land border crossing and return straight away. Only in this case will the immigration officer require you to prove that you have left Thailand within 30 days and to show proof of cash, as mentioned above.
The ideal option seems to be leaving Thailand for 1–3 days to visit one of the neighbouring cities or islands, such as Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi or Penang.
- ✈️ Compare cheap flights from Thailand to neighbouring countries on skyscanner.com
- 🎟️ Tickets for ferries, buses or trains on 12go.asia
Passport validity
To travel to Thailand, you must have a passport that is valid for at least a further 6 months after you leave Thailand.
Conversely, there is no requirement regarding how long your passport must have been issued before travelling to the country. You can travel to Thailand with a brand-new passport.
Other documents
Apart from a valid passport and the online arrival card mentioned above, no other documents are required.
It is advisable to have proof of your return journey – either printed out or on your mobile phone – or your latest bank statement, particularly if you are entering the country on multiple occasions.
Customs regulations
All items imported into Thailand must be in reasonable quantities. For example, the limit for cigarettes is 200 per person and for alcohol 1 litre per person. Exceeding the limit, even slightly, can result in heavy fines. For example, for 5 packets of cigarettes, the fine is up to 7 000 thb.
Please also bear in mind that the limit must not be exceeded by any one person, even if they are carrying alcohol or cigarettes in their luggage for other people travelling with them. Each person must stay within the limit.
The import and export of narcotics and pornography are strictly prohibited. The export of antiques, religious artefacts and Buddha statues is subject to a licence. This licence does not apply to small statuettes and items that you would normally buy at tourist markets.
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Any questions left?
If you have any questions or comments about the article...
4 comments
cert
Translated from cestee.cz
How much is observed
On entry into the country and upon request, provide proof of cash funds of THB 20,000 per person or THB 40,000 per family (or equivalent amount in any of the world currencies).
J0x
Translated from cestee.cz
This query is full of FB group about Thailand. Most people probably got away with it, but occasionally someone got kicked back. Do you want to be the one they return? Is it really such a big deal to take the equivalent in euros or dollars and possibly just not exchange them all and save the rest for your next trip to who knows where?
cert
Translated from cestee.cz
I have no problem at the entrance but when I return from Laos I will be in Thailand for 4 days.
Libor_S
Translated from cestee.cz
Jox, did you read about someone who was actually returned? If so, was he from Europe?
Barney Flyer
Translated from cestee.cz
Completely irrelevant question. Just like "can I drive 180 on the Czech highway?" Yes, it's randomly checked and they can turn you home. Let everyone take their chances as they please. And yes it happens to Europeans too, as it is "random".
Libor_S
Translated from cestee.cz
This is not an irrelevant question at all, and to compare it to such speeding is complete nonsense. More countries have such conditions regarding money (although a bank statement or showing online banking would probably be enough most of the time, including Thailand) and they have it for the reason that they can easily prevent entry of people who want to work there or do other illegal activities. It's certainly not random like the SSSS code on a boarding pass when traveling to the US, but just on selected individuals who are somehow suspicious by sight. Or on those coming from poor nearby countries like Burma. Has anyone really ever read or heard of such an experience from a European?
Such condescending talk see Jox stems from the fact that he always travels for a few weeks max. It's just that there are travelers who travel through multiple countries for extended periods of time and then it's not so easy. Also, not everyone travels to more expensive accommodations with in-room safes, and they don't want to carry around 13000 CZK in cash unnecessarily. For a 4 day trip from Laos they certainly wouldn't ask for it, even if by chance such a request came up.
floodland
Translated from cestee.cz
SSSS is never random.
Barney Flyer
Translated from cestee.cz
I was just pointing out that it's good to follow the regulations. And there were not a few cases in Thailand. Yes, they were stolen, it wasn't a small number and it was a stupid accident that was due to inattention ( it just happens once in 20 years of travel and 20-30 countries visited a year). But it would have been worse not to get into the country than to lose 15.
J0x
Translated from cestee.cz
I, on the other hand, find silly things like "it would probably be enough most of the time" or "they certainly wouldn't demand it".
I can understand why some people don't want to or don't feel comfortable carrying it around, however they can demand cash of a given value whenever they remember.
Libor_S
Translated from cestee.cz
If there was a real risk of people being returned to the country they flew from (which would be especially interesting if the person flew from a country where they didn't need a visa or a follow-on ticket like China), if they didn't meet that requirement, surely airlines would check cash at check-in like they check a ticket out of a country when flying to some countries if the person doesn't have a return ticket. Or sometimes they check visas and other documents for things like accommodation. If this is in Timatic, why don't airlines check it? If it's not there, it's probably a mistake, right?
It's good that SSSS isn't random, but it probably mostly falls on people who don't pose any risk to the US, so the code assignment may have had some basis, but probably mostly poofy. I suspect a lady wrote in a travelogue about FP that her very old husband was thoroughly vetted even for one night in SF on the way to Papeete, while she was not. I don't know if he had the code, but he probably did. Or do they pick on people without SSSS for thorough checks?
J0x
Translated from cestee.cz
It could use an update.
First of all, I don't understand where the information that sufficient funds for the stay can be proven by a bank statement came from, when it must be cash: "Travellers entering Thailand under the tourist visa exemption schemes must possess adequate cash of or equivalent to 20,000 Baht per person or 40,000 Baht per family.".
Secondly the arrival card will be back, specifically digital and from 1 May, will be free (that is until the Thais change their minds) and filled in within 3 days of arrival. https://tdac.immigration.go.th
Third, the visa-free stay can be extended for 30 days, not 60.
Kryštof Hájek
Translated from cestee.cz
Yes, we're updating, thanks.
elina.mladenova_1
Translated from cestee.bg
Hello! I have a question:
We are Bulgarian citizens and we land in Bangkok on 31.10.2024. We have flight tickets to Cambodia on 02.11.2024 and return to Bangkok on 04.11.2024, then we have flight home (Bulgaria) on 17.11.2024. According to the new rules as far as I understand we do not need a visa to enter and stay in Thailand, but will we have a problem re-entering Thailand from Cambodia and what should we do?
So only 30 days left..
Yes, they changed it.
You can apply for an extension later in person at the immigration office, but there must be a good reason and the immigration officer will decide.
Classic: after Covid they loosened the rules to attract more tourists and now they are tightening it up.
Thanks for the warning, updated in the text.
The 60-day rule still applies. But it probably won’t last much longer.
https://visasnews.com/en/thailan...ays-stand/
Oh yes, that’s true – I’ve just had a look at the stamp in my passport from July and it’s still valid for 60 days. Thanks for pointing that out.