Tourist visa

[salavan]

What do I need to obtain a tourist visa from a Thai embassy. 

Do I need covid insurance? 

Do I need a Thailand pass? 

If no when was this updated? 

[Upnotover]

https://www.tatnews.org/2022/06/thailands-entry-requirements/

[gomangosteen]

Presuming every Thai embassy abides by the same requirements - suggest you check; we have a friend staying with us who gained a Single Entry Tourist Visa from Wellington New Zealand last month / August 2022:

 

Single Entry Tourist Visas (TR)

    Required Documents for Visa Application

 Application Form, completed, signed and dated 

 Passport or travel document with a validity period of at least 6 months from expected date of travel.

 One recent passport-sized photograph, taken within 6 months 

 Valid round-trip air ticket (the date of departure from Thailand must not exceed 60 days after arrival) 

 Proof of accommodation in Thailand for the entire duration of stay is required (e.g. hotel bookings, invitation letters from family/friends in Thailand together with copies of Thai national ID and/or passport of family/friends in Thailand)

 Bank statement with a balance of at least 2,000 NZD (credit card and home loan accounts not accepted)   

 

Re Covid - not required by Embassy however this was required by the airline - (Qantas) pre-boarding

Health insurance - no proof required however one would be foolish to travel without it.

 

 

 

[DrJack54]

OP,

Not many folk will bother with tourist visa after Oct 1 when visa exempt entry increases to 45 days.

I suggest you do some research regarding your options. 

Obviously depends on desired length of stay. 

[shdmn]

Is that 45 day visa waiver on arrival after Oct1 official?  Not just a proposal?  Not something they might walk back?  I need certainty for the travel plans I am making.

Edited September 21, 2022 by shdmn

[DrJack54]

18 minutes ago, shdmn said:

Is that 45 day visa waiver on arrival after Oct1 official?  Not just a proposal?  Not something they might walk back?  I need certainty for the travel plans I am making.

Done deal.

 

 

Edited September 21, 2022 by DrJack54

[supersomchai]

Is the 45 day visa on arrival

extendable in any way ?

 

[DrJack54]

17 minutes ago, supersomchai said:

Is the 45 day visa on arrival

extendable in any way ?

 

Can be extended by 30 days.

Cost 1900baht

[ubonjoe]

1 hour ago, supersomchai said:

Is the 45 day visa on arrival

extendable in any way ?

 

There is no 45 day visa on arrival. It only for 15 days until October 1st when it will go up to 30 days and it only for those from a few countries.

The 45 days is a visa exempt entry that can be extended for 30 days.

[ubonjoe]

9 hours ago, shdmn said:

Is that 45 day visa waiver on arrival after Oct1 official?  Not just a proposal?  Not something they might walk back?  I need certainty for the travel plans I am making.

It was approved by the cabinet on Tuesday of this week.

[darrenr]

Btw I asked a more senior immigration officer at survanambui airport Sunday night (she had two bar/strips as rank insignia), I asked her if there is any truth to the limit on how many times per year you can come to Thailand on a 30 day tourist exemption , she said “no’ you can come as many time as you want , as i told her some travellers report that immigration officers on arrival have told them  you can only come 2 times per year on 30 day visa exemption, she then Repeated ‘this is not true ‘

for everyone’s info

[arithai12]

13 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

OP,

Not many folk will bother with tourist visa after Oct 1 when visa exempt entry increases to 45 days.

I suggest you do some research regarding your options. 

Obviously depends on desired length of stay. 

Assuming OP is eligible for visa exempt.

[DrJack54]

10 minutes ago, darrenr said:

 

Btw I asked a more senior immigration officer at survanambui airport Sunday night (she had two bar/strips as rank insignia), I asked her if there is any truth to the limit on how many times per year you can come to Thailand on a 30 day tourist exemption , she said “no’ you can come as many time as you want , as i told her some travellers report that immigration officers on arrival have told them  you can only come 2 times per year on 30 day visa exemption, she then Repeated ‘this is not true ‘

for everyone’s info

It has been stated a million times plus in threads that there is no limit on number of visa exempt entries via air.

 

Your question to the io should have been..." Since there is no limit on visa exempt entries via air why do people occasionally get refused entry" 

[shdmn]

2 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

It has been stated a million times plus in threads that there is no limit on number of visa exempt entries via air.

 

Your question to the io should have been..." Since there is no limit on visa exempt entries via air why do people occasionally get refused entry" 

There is a 2 entry limit in writing somewhere, but I think that is only if you do border runs by land, not through the airport.  That is probably why this keeps coming up and why there is some confusion.

Edited September 22, 2022 by shdmn

[DrJack54]

10 minutes ago, shdmn said:

There is a 2 entry limit in writing somewhere, but I think that is only if you do border runs by land, not through the airport.  That is probably why this keeps coming up and why there is some confusion.

The 2 entry limit visa exempt is via land/sea.

 

Unlimited entries visa exempt via air.

The problem try doing that back to back X number of times would/could lead to refused entry and the very unpleasant consequences of that. 

Edited September 22, 2022 by DrJack54

[shdmn]

So if I fly out from Bangkok to Cambodia or Vietnam just before my 60 day tourist visa expires in November, and then fly back a week later, I will be able to get the 45 day visa waiver correct?  Assuming I am from a country entitied to the visa waiver, which I am.

Edited September 22, 2022 by shdmn

[BritTim]

14 hours ago, shdmn said:

Is that 45 day visa waiver on arrival after Oct1 official?  Not just a proposal?  Not something they might walk back?  I need certainty for the travel plans I am making.

It was officially approved by the cabinet yesterday. It was almost certain to happen before, now it is 100% certain.

[BritTim]

7 minutes ago, shdmn said:

So if I fly out from Bangkok to Cambodia or Vietnam just before my 60 day tourist visa expires in November, and them fly back a week later, I will be able to get the 45 day visa waiver correct?

I assume you mean the 60-day permission to stay you received on entry, not the original visa's expiry date.

 

As long as you have not spent a long period recently in Thailand as a tourist (like over four months or so out of the last six) you will, as you hope, be able to fly out of Thailand and back for a 45-day visa exempt entry. It can be risky if you meet the wrong official who decides you are "abusing" the visa exemption process. Denied entry can happen then, but is not that common.

 

You have the option of extending your permission to stay by 30 days at immigration which would be more convenient if you only need another month, and have no great desire to visit another country.

[shdmn]

45 minutes ago, BritTim said:

I assume you mean the 60-day permission to stay you received on entry, not the original visa's expiry date.

 

As long as you have not spent a long period recently in Thailand as a tourist (like over four months or so out of the last six) you will, as you hope, be able to fly out of Thailand and back for a 45-day visa exempt entry. It can be risky if you meet the wrong official who decides you are "abusing" the visa exemption process. Denied entry can happen then, but is not that common.

 

You have the option of extending your permission to stay by 30 days at immigration which would be more convenient if you only need another month, and have no great desire to visit another country.

That is correct.

 

I understand that I can extend my 60 days in country by another 30. I am flying out because I actually want to visit Vietnam and maybe Cambo, not just to get the waiver on re-entry.

Edited September 22, 2022 by shdmn

[bangkok19]

I applied for my tourist visa online to the Sydney Consulate. I got approval the following day. 

I wasn't asked for Health Insurance document and wasn't asked for proof of accommodation nor was I asked for proof of Sydney residence i.e. copy of drivers license. 

It certainly was a simple procedure compared to previous applications. 

 

I did have to show proof of vaccination though at the TG check in at Sydney Airport

 

[persimmon]

22 hours ago, gomangosteen said:

Presuming every Thai embassy abides by the same requirements - suggest you check; we have a friend staying with us who gained a Single Entry Tourist Visa from Wellington New Zealand last month / August 2022:

 

Single Entry Tourist Visas (TR)

    Required Documents for Visa Application

 Application Form, completed, signed and dated 

 Passport or travel document with a validity period of at least 6 months from expected date of travel.

 One recent passport-sized photograph, taken within 6 months 

 Valid round-trip air ticket (the date of departure from Thailand must not exceed 60 days after arrival) 

 Proof of accommodation in Thailand for the entire duration of stay is required (e.g. hotel bookings, invitation letters from family/friends in Thailand together with copies of Thai national ID and/or passport of family/friends in Thailand)

 Bank statement with a balance of at least 2,000 NZD (credit card and home loan accounts not accepted)   

 

Re Covid - not required by Embassy however this was required by the airline - (Qantas) pre-boarding

Health insurance - no proof required however one would be foolish to travel without it.

 

 

 

That requirement for a ticket out after 60 days could be difficult - what about those of us who hope to stay 3-5 months and have a return ticket for those dates ?

[darrenr]

On 9/22/2022 at 2:18 PM, bangkok19 said:

I applied for my tourist visa online to the Sydney Consulate. I got approval the following day. 

I wasn't asked for Health Insurance document and wasn't asked for proof of accommodation nor was I asked for proof of Sydney residence i.e. copy of drivers license. 

It certainly was a simple procedure compared to previous applications. 

 

I did have to show proof of vaccination though at the TG check in at Sydney Airport

 

Did you have to send your passport to the Sydney consulate ?

[RedArmy]

On 9/22/2022 at 12:29 PM, BritTim said:

It can be risky if you meet the wrong official who decides you are "abusing" the visa exemption process. Denied entry can happen then, but is not that common.

 

Obviously this is a very risky option but if someone did a border bounce via air to Kuala Lumpur for example, stayed 1 night, then flew back into Thailand the next day, trying to enter visa exempt, what would the process be if denied entry ??? Would they just insist that you buy another ticket straight back to KL, or would there be more serious consequences ?

[DrJack54]

8 minutes ago, RedArmy said:

.....stayed 1 night, then flew back into Thailand the next day, trying to enter visa exempt, what would the process be if denied entry ??

It's the responsibility of the airline that you travelled with however in most cases you are "pressured" to pay for a ticket out.

That destination almost certainly is where your inbound flight originated from or if not possible due to visa issues etc you would fly to your passport country..

Edited September 26, 2022 by DrJack54

[BritTim]

1 hour ago, RedArmy said:

Obviously this is a very risky option but if someone did a border bounce via air to Kuala Lumpur for example, stayed 1 night, then flew back into Thailand the next day, trying to enter visa exempt, what would the process be if denied entry ??? Would they just insist that you buy another ticket straight back to KL, or would there be more serious consequences ?

Any time you are declared an INAD (inadmissible person) by immigration, for whatever reason, it immediately becomes the responsibility of the airline to remove you from Thailand as soon as is reasonably practicable. This is true whether you pay or not, though the airline will generally find a way to get you pay in practice. Most often, if you are eligible for re-entry there, the airline will transport you back to your last embarkation point. Failing that, they may try to send you to your home country, though it can become tricky if they do not fly there. Sometimes if you thoroughly understand what is going on, you can ask the airline supervisor to take you anywhere they fly where you would like to go (promising to pay without complaint, and hinting you might resist payment if they take you somewhere else).

 

Note that people often term this process "deportation", but that is a misnomer. Deportation occurs only once you are admitted to the country, and the rules are totally different.

 

There is no other consequence, except a nasty stamp in your passport that might be treated as a red flag by immigration in other countries.

[geisha]

On 9/22/2022 at 12:09 PM, persimmon said:

That requirement for a ticket out after 60 days could be difficult - what about those of us who hope to stay 3-5 months and have a return ticket for those dates ?

Before you leave home, just buy the cheapest ticket you can find out of Thailand one way, a Bangkok Phnom Pen for example. Show it when asked by your airline . Then don’t use it. There is also a website selling onward tickets. ( throw away) check that out.  No problem at all. 

[bangkok19]

On 9/26/2022 at 5:01 PM, darrenr said:

Did you have to send your passport to the Sydney consulate ?

After receiving the approval and Ref. No. from the Consulate.....

 I went in to the Consulate and gave it to them in person.  No appointment, just rock in and take a number...  then wait for it to be called.

I handed them the Application Form with the Reference No. (they emailed me) written at the top ..  also my photo stapled on top LH corner plus my Passport.

Picked up the new visa/Passport after 2 business days.

[pitrevie]

I am a UK retired passport holder resident in the UK. I plan to visit Thailand, remaining for 60days then depart to Vietnam for 1 week after which I will return to Thailand for a further 30 days before returning to the UK. I have private accomodation in Thailand belonging to a friend at which I will be staying while I am there. Could you advise what type of visa I can apply for on line. The Tourist Visa (STV) seems still to require booking ASQ hotels.

[geisha]

Apply for the 60:day tourist visa.   Or, no visa, come in Visa Exempt 45 days, which you extend at your local immigration for 30:days = 75 days. Book an onward flight within the 45 days to avoid questions from your airline on your departure from UK.  Immigration never looks . Completely legal. Saves all the hassle with visas.  All you need will be vaccination proof or a lab test before leaving.

Dont forget you need a visa and vaccin proof for Vietnam , the visa you can apply for online.