Visa policy of Thailand.

[Denim]

Quite an interesting wiki page on the subject with breakdown on where visitors are coming from :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_policy_of_Thailand#cite_note-4

 

 

 

Visitors to Thailand must obtain a visa from one of the Thai diplomatic missions unless they come from a visa-exempt country or a country whose citizens are eligible to obtain visas on arrival.^[1][2]

Thailand currently offers visa-free travel to nationals of 64 countries and territories.^[1] The Thai government maintains bilateral agreements on visa waivers with some of these countries. Nationals of 18 countries can obtain a visa on arrival.

 

 

 

Recent policy changes[edit]

Since May 2014, there was a brief crackdown on visa runs, 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.^[3] 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.^[4] 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.^[5]

Visa exemption for normal passports[edit]

90 days (5 nations)[edit]

The governments of the following countries have concluded bilateral visa waiver agreements with Thailand. Holders of normal passports from these countries are allowed to travel to Thailand without a visa for 90 days.^[2]

Argentina  Brazil  Chile

South Korea  Peru

30 days waiver (6 nations)[edit]

Holders of normal passports issued by these countries which have bilateral agreements on visa waivers with Thailand are allowed to stay up to 30 days.^[2]

Hong Kong1  Laos  Macao

Mongolia  Russia*  Vietnam

_{* — also eligible for visa on arrival.^[6]
1 - for Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Passport only.}

30 days exemption (51 nations)[edit]

Holders of normal passports of the following countries are granted visa-free travel to Thailand for a period of up to 30 days. The exemption is granted at most twice in a calendar year when entering overland or via a sea border but there is no limitation when entering by air.^[7][2][8]

Andorra  Australia  Austria  Bahrain  Belgium  Brunei1  Canada  Czech Republic  Denmark  Estonia  Finland  France  Germany

Greece  Hungary  Iceland  Indonesia1  Ireland  Israel  Italy  Japan  Kuwait  Latvia  Liechtenstein  Lithuania  Luxembourg

Malaysia1  Maldives  Mauritius  Monaco  Netherlands  New Zealand  Norway  Oman  Philippines  Poland  Portugal  Qatar  San Marino

Singapore1  Slovakia  Slovenia  South Africa  Spain  Sweden   Switzerland  Turkey  Ukraine  United Arab Emirates  United Kingdom2  United States

_{1 — Brunei, Indonesian, Malaysian, and Singaporean nationals do not have a limitation on the number of visa exempt entries.^[7]
2 — for British citizens and British Nationals (Overseas) only.}

Most of the visa-exempt nationalities listed above may apply to extend their stay for another 30 days since 29 August 2014.^[9]

14 days (2 nations)[edit]

Under bilateral agreements, holders of normal passports of the following 2 countries can stay without a visa for a maximum of 14 days:^[2]

Cambodia  Myanmar (for air arrivals only)   Visa on arrival for normal passports[edit]   Thai visa on arrival stamp on a Russian passport External image  Map of entry points with Visa on Arrival facility Nationals from the following countries may apply for a 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.[2] In November 2018 government spokesman Puttipong Punnakanta announced that starting 1 December 2018, visitors from these 18 countries will have their visa-on-arrival fee waived for 60 days, in an effort to bolster tourism numbers.[11] This was later extended until 31 October 2019 and was further extended until 30 April 2020.[12][13]  Bhutan  Bulgaria  China  Cyprus  Ethiopia  Fiji  Georgia  India  Kazakhstan  Malta  Mexico  Nauru  Papua New Guinea  Romania  Saudi Arabia  Taiwan  Uzbekistan  Vanuatu   There are 48 immigration checkpoints providing visa on arrival, including:[14] International Airport Chiang Mai International Airport# Chiang Rai International Airport Don Mueang International Airport# Hat Yai International Airport Hua Hin Airport Krabi International Airport Phuket International Airport# Samui Airport Sukhothai Airport Surat Thani Airport Suvarnabhumi Airport# Trang Airport U-Tapao International Airport   # - Airport which accepts e-visa on arrival Land and harbor checkpoint Aranyaprathet Immigration Checkpoint Ban Prakop Immigration Checkpoint Bangkok Harbour Immigration Checkpoint Betong Immigration Checkpoint Bueng Kan Immigration Checkpoint Buketa Immigration Checkpoint Chiang Khong Immigration Checkpoint Chiang Saen Immigration Checkpoint Kanchanaburi Land Border Checkpoint Khlong Yai Immigration Checkpoint Khuan Don Immigration Checkpoint Khlong Yai (Hat Lek) Immigration Checkpoint Ko Lipe Marine Port Checkpoint Krabi Immigration Checkpoint Mae Sai Immigration Checkpoint Map Ta Phut Immigration Checkpoint Mukdahan Immigration Checkpoint Nakhon Phanom Immigration Checkpoint Nan Immigration Checkpoint Nong Khai Immigration Checkpoint Nong Khai Harbour Immigration Checkpoint Padang Besar Immigration Checkpoint Pattaya Immigration Checkpoint Phibun Mangsahan Immigration Checkpoint Phu Sing Land Border Checkpoint Phuket Immigration Checkpoint Pong Nam Ron Immigration Checkpoint Sadao Immigration Checkpoint Samui Immigration Checkpoint Samut Prakan Immigration Checkpoint Satun Immigration Checkpoint Si Racha Immigration Checkpoint Songkhla Harbour Immigration Checkpoint Su-ngai Kolok Immigration Checkpoint Tak Immigration Checkpoint Tak Bai Immigration Checkpoint Tha Li Immigration Checkpoint   eVisa on arrival[edit] 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.[15] Electronic visa application also became available from February 2019 in some of the consulates of Thailand abroad.[16][17][18][19] Airports listed at previous chapter with “#” icon accept eVisa on arrival. Transit[edit] Passengers transiting through Suvarnabhumi Airport for less than 12 hours do not require a visa, unless they are travelling on Angkor Air, Beijing Capital Airlines, Cebu Pacific, Eastar Jet, Golden Myanmar Airlines, Indigo, Intira Airlines, Jeju Air, Jet Asia Airways, Jetstar Asia Airways, Jetstar Pacific, Jin Air, Juneyao Airlines, Lao Central Airlines, Tigerair Mandala, Norwegian Air, Orient Thai Airlines, Regent Airways, Shandong Airlines, Sichuan Airlines, South East Asian Airlines, SpiceJet, Spring Airlines, T'way Airlines, Thai Smile, Tigerair or VietJet Air.[1] Those transiting through Don Mueang International Airport for less than 12 hours do not require a visa only when travelling on Thai AirAsia or Thai AirAsia X.[1] Citizens of Pakistan are required to obtain a visa when transiting through Thailand at all times.[20] APEC Business Travel Card[edit] Holders of passports issued by the following countries who possess an APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) containing "THA" on the back of the card can enter visa-free for business trips for up to 90 days.[1] ABTCs are issued to nationals of:[21]  Australia  Brunei  Chile  China  Hong Kong  Indonesia  Japan  South Korea  Malaysia  Mexico  New Zealand  Papua New Guinea  Peru  Philippines  Russia  Singapore  Taiwan  Vietnam   Mandatory yellow fever vaccination[edit]   Mandatory yellow fever vaccination for Thailand Nationals of the following countries or nationals arriving from the following countries require an International Certificate of Vaccination in order to enter Thailand, unless they produce evidence that they do not reside in the following areas. Failure to fulfill this requirement could result in refusal of entry into Thailand.[22]    Angola  Argentina  Benin  Bolivia  Brazil  Burkina Faso  Burundi  Cameroon  Central African Republic  Chad  Colombia  Congo  Côte d'Ivoire  Democratic Republic of Congo  Ecuador      Equatorial Guinea  Ethiopia  French Guiana  Gabon  Gambia  Ghana  Guinea  Guinea-Bissau  Guyana  Kenya  Liberia  Mali  Mauritania  Niger  Nigeria      Panama  Paraguay  Peru  Rwanda  Sao Tome and Principe  Senegal  Sierra Leone  Somalia  Sudan  Suriname  Tanzania  Togo  Trinidad and Tobago  Uganda  Venezuela     Visa types[edit] General visa types[edit] Courtesy: Upon official request, the Royal Thai Embassy may grant courtesy visas/laissez-passer to diplomats/UN officials/others who wish to enter the Kingdom on official duty and/or other purposes Permanent resident: To qualify for this visa, you must have stayed in Thailand for 3 consecutive with the one-year visa extensions. If married to a Thai for 5 years, one must be earning 30,000 baht/month. If single, your monthly income must be 80,000 baht minimum. Tourist: If an individual wishes to remain in Thailand for more than 30 days, he/she may wish to obtain a tourist visa at a Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate prior to arriving in Thailand. The tourist visa must be used within validity date, that varies with the number of entries purchased, and allows an initial stay of 60 days. After arrival in Thailand, a tourist visa or a visa exempt entry may be extended once for an additional 30 days according to immigration Bureau order 327/2557. There is a 1,900 baht fee for each extension. Transit: This type of visa is issued to applicants who wish to enter the Kingdom for the following purposes: to travel in transit through the Kingdom in order to proceed to the country of destination or to re-enter his/her own country (category "TS"); the person in charge of or crew of a conveyance coming to a port, station, or area in the Kingdom (category "C") Non-Immigrant visa types[edit] Type B: to conduct business; work; attend business conferences; teach school; attend scuba diving, muay Thai, and massage courses Type ???? diplomatic visa Type ED: to study; to come on a work study tour or observation tour; to participate in projects or seminars; to attend a conference or training course; to study as a foreign Buddhist monk Type EX: to undertake skilled work or to work as an expert or specialist Type F: to perform official duties, e.g., military exercises or governmental assignments Type IB: to invest or perform other activities relating to investment, subject to the provision of the established laws on investment promotion Type IM: to invest with the concurrence of the Thai ministries and governmental departments concerned Type M: to work as a film-producer, journalist, or reporter with permission from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Type O: to visit family; to perform duties for a state enterprise or social welfare organizations (NGOs); to receive medical treatment; to be a sports coach as required by the Thai government; to be a contestant; to be a witness in a judicial process Type O-A: retirement visa Type R: to perform missionary work or other religious activities with the concurrence of the Thai ministries or government departments concerned Type RS: to conduct scientific research or training or teaching in a research institute Type S:to participate in an officially recognised sports event. Statistics[edit] Most visitors arriving to Thailand on short term basis were from the following countries of nationality: This section is transcluded from Tourism in Thailand. (edit | history) Reference: statistics for the period 1998–2016,[23] 2017[24]–2018.[25] Rank Country or territory Jan-Sep 2019[26] 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 *  ASEAN 7,759,744 10,284,050 9,119,941 8,658,051 7,886,136 6,641,772 7,282,266 6,281,153 5,594,577 4,534,235 3,968,579 3,971,429 3,520,051 3,389,342 1  China 8,518,031 10,535,955 9,805,753 8,757,466 7,934,791 4,636,298 4,637,335 2,786,860 1,721,247 1,122,219 777,508 826,660 907,117 949,117 2  Malaysia* 2,960,896 4,097,604 3,354,800 3,533,826 3,423,397 2,613,418 3,041,097 2,554,397 2,500,280 2,058,956 1,757,813 1,855,332 1,540,080 1,591,328 3  India 1,471,218 1,596,772 1,411,942 1,193,822 1,069,149 932,603 1,050,889 1,013,308 914,971 760,371 614,566 536,964 536,356 459,795 4  South Korea 1,399,440 1,796,596 1,709,070 1,464,218 1,372,995 1,122,566 1,295,342 1,263,619 1,156,283 885,445 758,227 889,210 1,183,652 1,092,783 5  Laos* 1,383,410 1,750,658 1,612,647 1,409,456 1,233,138 1,053,983 976,639 975,999 891,950 715,345 655,034 621,564 513,701 276,207 6  Japan 1,351,687 1,656,100 1,544,328 1,439,629 1,381,690 1,267,886 1,586,425 1,373,716 1,277,893 993,674 1,004,453 1,153,868 1,277,638 1,311,987 7  Russia 970,696 1,472,949 1,346,219 1,089,992 884,085 1,606,430 1,746,565 1,316,564 1,054,187 644,678 336,965 324,120 277,503 187,658 8  Vietnam* 829,865 1,027,430 934,497 830,394 751,091 559,415 725,057 618,670 496,768 380,368 363,029 338,303 237,672 227,134 9  United States 828,864 1,123,248 1,056,124 974,632 867,520 763,520 823,486 768,638 681,748 611,792 627,074 669,097 681,972 694,258 10  Hong Kong 799,474 1,015,688 820,894 749,694 669,165 483,131 588,335 473,666 411,834 316,476 318,762 337,827 367,862 376,636 11  Singapore* 737,212 1,067,309 1,028,077 966,909 937,311 844,133 955,468 831,215 682,364 603,538 563,575 570,047 604,603 687,160 12  United Kingdom 719,599 987,456 994,468 1,003,386 946,919 907,877 905,024 873,053 844,972 810,727 841,425 826,523 859,010 850,685 13  Cambodia* 670,563 882,015 854,431 686,682 487,487 550,339 481,595 423,642 265,903 146,274 96,586 85,790 99,945 117,100 14  Germany 601,916 889,777 849,283 835,506 760,604 715,240 737,658 682,419 619,133 606,874 573,473 542,726 544,495 516,659 15  Taiwan 593,566 687,701 572,964 522,231 552,624 394,149 502,176 394,475 394,225 369,220 362,783 393,176 427,474 475,117 16  Australia 574,762 801,637 817,091 791,631 805,946 831,854 900,460 930,241 829,855 698,046 646,705 694,473 658,148 549,547 17  France 560,575 749,643 739,853 738,763 681,097 635,073 611,582 576,106 515,572 461,670 427,067 398,407 373,090 321,278 18  Indonesia* 524,914 644,043 574,764 535,625 469,226 497,592 594,251 447,820 370,795 286,072 227,205 247,930 237,592 219,783 19  Philippines* 363,747 432,578 380,886 339,486 310,975 304,813 321,571 289,566 268,375 246,430 217,705 221,506 205,266 198,443 20  Myanmar* 278,321 368,170 365,590 341,641 259,678 206,794 172,383 129,385 110,671 90,179 79,279 71,902 72,205 62,769 21  Canada 197,429 276,543 258,392 244,268 227,306 211,059 229,897 219,354 194,356 168,393 169,482 180,900 183,440 183,094 22  Italy 197,011 280,161 264,429 265,532 246,066 219,875 207,192 200,703 185,869 168,203 170,105 159,513 171,328 150,420 23  Sweden 185,979 311,959 323,669 332,866 321,663 324,865 341,398 364,681 373,856 355,214 350,819 392,274 378,387 306,085 24  Netherlands 181,314 236,300 222,077 235,708 221,657 211,524 218,765 208,122 198,891 196,994 205,412 193,541 194,434 180,830 25   Switzerland 131,539 207,596 209,434 208,967 206,454 201,271 199,923 191,147 170,044 155,761 148,269 143,065 146,511 140,741 * ASEAN nation   Work Permit[edit] To legally work in Thailand, a foreigner must apply for a work permit. Work permit is a legal document that states a foreigner’s position, current occupation, or job description and the Thai company he is working with. It also serves as a license to perform a job or an occupation allowed for foreigners inside Thailand. A foreigner is eligible to apply for a work permit as long as he has a non-immigrant visa or a resident visa, has an available employer who will provide documents for work permit, and the occupation he will perform is not prohibited to foreigners.[27] One Stop Service Centre for Visas and Work Permits[edit] The One Stop Service Centre for Visas and Work Permits was established on 1 July 1997 by authority of the Regulations of the Office of Prime Minister promulgated on 30 June 1997. The objective of this centre is to simplify visa extension and permit issuance procedures to create a good investment environment. It aims to facilitate applications of visa extension and work permits (e.g., stay permission, re-entry permit, work permit). The Centre is located on Chamchuree Square Building, Floor 18, Phatumwan, Bangkok.[28] Foreigners who are eligible to apply for visa extension and work permits at the One Stop Service Centre[edit] Foreigner who is an executive or expert with privileges accorded to them by the following laws: Investment Promotion Act B.E. 2520 (1977); Petroleum Act B.E. 2514 (1971); Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand Act B.E. 2522 (1979); Foreigner who is an investor. If investing not less than 2 million Baht, he or she will be granted a 1-year permit. If investing not less than 10 million Baht, he or she will be granted a 2-year permit. Foreigner who is an executive or expert. Foreigner’s associated company should be registered with capital or possess asset of not less than 30 million Baht. Foreigner who is a member of the foreign press must present a letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a copy of an ID Press Card issued by the Department of Public Relations. Foreigner who is a researcher or developer on science and technology. Foreigner who is employed in a branch office of an overseas bank, foreign banking office of an overseas bank, provincial foreign banking office of an overseas bank or a representative office of the foreign bank in which all offices are certified by the Bank of Thailand. Foreigner who works on the necessary and urgent basis for a period of no longer than 15 days. Foreigner who is an official of the representative office for foreign juristic persons concerning the International Trading Business and Regional Office of Transnational Corporation in accordance to the Foreign Business Act B.E. 2542 (1999). Foreigner who is an expert on information technology. Foreigner who works at regional operating headquarters.