Tourist Visa Exemption and Visa on Arrival Rules

When entering Thailand as a tourist there are certain circumstances where the traveller is either exempt from the need to apply for a visa or they can apply for a visa on arrival in Thailand - See 'Tourist Visa Exemption' below.

All foreigners travelling to Thailand must be able to provide proof of adequate finances for the duration of stay in Thailand at the point of entry (i.e. traveller’s cheques or cash equivalent to 10,000 Baht per person and 20,000 Baht per family).

All foreigners travelling to Thailand must possess a passport with at least 6 months validity on date of entry.

All foreigners travelling to Thailand under the Tourist Visa Exemption or the Tourist Visa on Arrival must have proof of onward travel showing that they will be exiting Thailand to another country within the period of stay granted.

The information on this page is available as a PDF document Download

Tourist Visa Exemption

Passport holders of the countries listed below who are:-

  1. Entering Thailand on an international flight for tourism purposes and will be exiting Thailand by air will be granted a stay of 30 days provided they are in possession of a confirmed international flight ticket showing that they will be exiting Thailand within the 30 days.

    OR
  2. Entering Thailand on an international flight for tourism purposes but will be exiting Thailand by train, bus or boat may be granted a stay of 30 days provided they are in possession of a pre-booked ticket showing that they will be exiting within the 30 days.

    OR
  3. Entering Thailand by means other than an international flight they will be granted a stay of only 15 days. Also please be aware that some flight companies may not allow passengers who are travelling to Thailand under the Tourist Visa Exemption rule to board their flight to Thailand if they do not possess a valid air ticket showing that they will be exiting Thailand within 30 or 15 days of entry as applicable. If in doubt travellers should check with their flight company.

Please note that the Tourist Visa Exemption for up to 30 days applies only to foreigners holding passports (not Travel Documents) issued by the countries listed below:-

  • Australia
  • Austria
  • Bahrain
  • Belgium
  • Brazil
  • Brunei Darussalem
  • Canada
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Hong Kong
  • Iceland
  • Indonesia
  • Ireland
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Korean Republic
  • Kuwait
  • Liechtenstein
  • Luxembourg
  • Malaysia
  • Monaco
  • Netherlands
  • New Zealand
  • Norway
  • Oman
  • Peru
  • Philippines
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Qatar
  • Singapore
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • South
  • Africa
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Turkey
  • UAE
  • UK
  • USA

Nationals of countries not listed above are required to obtain a visa for all visits to Thailand.

Tourist Visa on Arrival

Passport holders from the countries and territories listed below may apply for a Tourist Visa on Arrival at the Immigration Checkpoints for the purpose of tourism and will be granted a stay in Thailand for a period not exceeding 15 days:-

  • Andorra
  • Bhutan
  • Bulgaria
  • China
  • Cyprus
  • Ethiopia
  • Hungary
  • India
  • Kazakhstan
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • Maldives
  • Malta
  • Mauritius
  • Romania
  • Russia
  • San Marino
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Taiwan (green)
  • Ukraine
  • Uzbekistan

The “Tourist Visa on Arrival” can be applied for at designated International checkpoints and applicants will need to submit a completed application form with recent photograph. The application fee is 1,000 Baht (subject to change without notice).

Nationals of countries not listed above are required to obtain a visa for all visits to Thailand.

Passports holders of all nationalities who will be staying in Thailand as tourist for longer than the limited periods as applicable must obtain a Tourist Visa before entering Thailand.

Travellers entering Thailand for purposes other than tourism need to apply for a visa of specific type, such as a Non-Immigrant Visa, before entering Thailand.

To apply for a visa please visit the Visas & Downloads section on our home page and print the document entitled V4 - Visa Application Pack.

If you require a Non Immigrant Visa it will be necessary to provide special additional evidence. For more information please check Visa Download entitled V3 – EXTRA EVIDENCE FOR NON IMM VISAS.

Entry with Visa

Persons of all ages not eligible to enter Thailand under the “Visa Exemption Rule” or the “Visa-On-Arrival Rule” must be in possession of a valid Tourist Visa or Non-Immigrant Visa. Applicants must obtain this visa before arriving in Thailand otherwise they may be refused entry. Nationals of the countries listed in Download V2 – Visa Requirements by Nationality are entitled to a stay of 60 days with a valid Tourist Visa or 90 days with a valid Non-Immigrant Visa.

It may be possible to extend a 60-day visa stay in Thailand by up to a further 30 days, however this is entirely at the discretion of the Thai Immigration Officer. The fee for a 30-day extension of stay is 1,900 Baht (subject to change without notice).

Nationals of the following countries must apply for all visas only at the Royal Thai Embassy in London:-

  • Afghanistan
  • Algeria
  • Bangladesh
  • Cambodia
  • Central African Republic
  • China (15+ days)
  • Congo
  • Egypt
  • Equatorial Guinea
  • Ghana
  • Guinea
  • India (15+ days)
  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • Kosovo
  • Lebanon
  • Liberia
  • Libya
  • Nepal
  • Nigeria
  • North Korea
  • Pakistan
  • Palestine
  • Sao Tome & Principe
  • Sierra Leone
  • Somalia
  • Sri Lanka
  • Sudan
  • Syria
  • Yemen

Please note that, having been granted entry for 15, 30, 60 or 90 days, if the passport holder exits thailand before the maximum number of days have been taken they automatically forfeit all remaining days of that entry.