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Entry · Visas · Extensions · Reporting

Thai visas and immigration rules

An overview of the ways a foreigner can come to and stay in Thailand, from visa-free entry to the ten-year Long-Term Resident visa, and of the duties that come with a longer stay: extensions, 90-day reports, the address notice, re-entry permits and the cost of overstaying. It is a map, not legal advice.

Before you arrive: the digital arrival card

Since 1 May 2025 every foreign national entering Thailand by air, land or sea completes the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) on the Immigration Bureau’s site, within the three days before arrival. It replaced the paper TM.6 card and is free. People in transit who do not pass through immigration, and border-pass holders, are exempt.

Short stays

Visa exemption. From 15 September 2026 the 60-day exemption that covered 93 countries is gone. Nationals of the 60 countries and territories on the new list are admitted for tourism for 30 days, and two countries get 15 days. A 30-day stay can be extended once, for up to 30 days, at an immigration office, at the officer’s discretion and for a fee of 1,900 baht. Officers may ask to see funds of 20,000 baht per person or 40,000 baht per family. Some embassies say visa-exempt entry is allowed only twice in a calendar year, so frequent visitors should check before they plan.

Visa on arrival now covers only three countries. Everyone else needs a visa before travelling, applied for online through the official Thai e-Visa site.

Tourist visa (TR). A single-entry tourist visa gives a stay of up to 60 days, which can be extended once by 30 days. A multiple-entry tourist visa is valid for six months with up to 60 days per entry.

Destination Thailand Visa (DTV). Introduced on 15 July 2024, the DTV is valid for five years with stays of up to 180 days per entry, extendable once by 180 days. It is for remote workers employed or self-employed outside Thailand, for people taking part in Thai “soft power” activities such as Muay Thai, Thai cooking classes or medical treatment, and for their spouses and children. Applicants show funds of at least 500,000 baht. The fee was set at 10,000 baht and is charged in local currency abroad, and some consulates now ask for more documents, so read your embassy’s page.

Non-Immigrant visas and the LTR

For a longer stay with a purpose, Thailand issues Non-Immigrant visas, each named by a letter. The visa usually gives an entry of 90 days; you then apply at an immigration office for an extension of stay, typically for a year, on the same grounds.

VisaForIn short
Non-BWork and businessThe usual route for employees. You need a work permit before you start work.
Non-EDStudyFor students at approved schools, universities and courses.
Non-OFamily, retirement and other purposesMarriage to a Thai, a Thai child, retirement at 50 and over, dependants, volunteers. See the Non-O visa.
Non-O-ARetirement, applied for abroadAge 50 and over; one year’s stay; funds of 800,000 baht or income of 65,000 baht a month, and health insurance, at least 3,000,000 baht (USD 100,000) on current embassy pages.
Non-O-XLong retirementAge 50 and over, fourteen nationalities only; five years plus five; funds of 3,000,000 baht, or 1.8 million baht with 1.2 million baht a year in income.
LTRWealthy, retired or skilled foreignersThe Board of Investment’s Long-Term Resident visa, in four categories; granted for five years and renewable for five more, with a yearly instead of a 90-day report.

Your duties during a stay

  • 90-day report (TM.47). If you stay in Thailand for more than 90 days in a row, report your address every 90 days: in person, by post or online, from 15 days before the due date to 7 days after. A late report costs a 2,000 baht fine, and 5,000 baht if you are caught without one. Overdue reports cannot be made online.
  • The address notice (TM.30). Under section 38 of the Immigration Act, the owner or manager of the place where a foreigner stays, whether a hotel, a landlord or a Thai spouse who owns the house, must notify Immigration within 24 hours of the foreigner’s arrival. Hotels do this for you; with a private landlord, ask for the receipt, because offices often want to see it when you extend your stay.
  • Re-entry permit. An extension of stay ends the moment you leave the country unless you hold a re-entry permit: 1,000 baht for one trip, 3,800 baht for several. Get it before you fly, at an immigration office or at the airport.
  • Carry your passport or a copy of the photo page and your latest stamp; police can ask to see it.

Overstaying

An overstay costs 500 baht a day, up to 20,000 baht, paid on departure. A long one can also bar you from coming back. The bans differ for people who surrender to Immigration and for people who are arrested:

OverstayIf you surrenderIf you are arrested
Up to 90 daysFine onlyBanned for 5 years
More than 90 daysBanned for 1 year
More than 1 yearBanned for 3 yearsBanned for 10 years
More than 3 yearsBanned for 5 years
More than 5 yearsBanned for 10 years

Work

No visa lets you work by itself. Under the 2017 decree on foreign workers, working without a work permit, or doing work your permit does not cover, is punishable by a fine of 5,000 to 50,000 baht and deportation, and employers face larger fines for each worker. Permits are issued by the Department of Employment on a Non-Immigrant visa and last up to two years. The teaching guide walks through the usual route for teachers.

Where to go

Extensions, re-entry permits and 90-day reports are handled by the Immigration Bureau’s provincial offices; in Bangkok the main office is at the Government Complex on Chaeng Watthana Road, and in Chiang Mai the office stands beside the airport. Offices interpret the rules differently and ask for slightly different documents, so read your office’s page, take copies of everything, and go early in the day.

Sources

Checked against the sources below. Rules, fees and dates change, sometimes at short notice: confirm with the Immigration Bureau or a Thai embassy before you rely on them.

Questions people ask

Can I still stay 60 days in Thailand without a visa?

Not since 15 September 2026, when the 60-day visa exemption scheme was revoked. Visitors from the countries on the new list are admitted for 30 days (15 days for two countries), with one extension of up to 30 days possible at an immigration office. People admitted before that date keep the stay stamped in their passport.

Do I need to fill in an arrival card for Thailand?

Yes. Since 1 May 2025 every foreign national entering by air, land or sea fills in the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) online, within the three days before arrival. It is free on the official site; ignore paid look-alike sites.

Is the 90-day report the same as a visa extension?

No. The 90-day report only tells Immigration where you live; it does not extend your stay. If you stay more than 90 days in a row you report every 90 days, in person, by post or online, until you leave or your permission to stay ends.

Can I work in Thailand on a tourist visa or visa exemption?

No. Working without a work permit is an offence for the worker and the employer, whatever your visa. A work permit is issued on a Non-Immigrant visa, usually the Non-B, and the work must match what the permit allows.

Related

The Non-O visaThe Thai Non-Immigrant O visa and its one-year extensions: marriage to a Thai, retirement at 50 and over, dependants and volunteers, the 400,000 and 800,000 baht rules, and the extension process.Residence certificatesWhat a residence certificate is, who issues one to a foreigner in Thailand (Immigration or your embassy), what it is used for, the documents to bring, and how it works in Chiang Mai.Teaching EnglishWhat it takes to teach English in Thailand: the degree, TEFL and the teaching licence or its waiver, the Non-B visa and work permit, pay by kind of school, the hiring seasons and the red flags.Living in ThailandPractical guides for foreigners living in Thailand: visas and immigration rules, the Non-O visa, residence certificates, teaching English, schools, and Chiang Mai.Chiang MaiChiang Mai for people who live there or plan to: the districts, the three seasons and the smoky months, getting around, where foreigners live, costs, and the temples including Doi Suthep.Thai public holidaysEvery Thai public holiday for 2026 and 2027 with its date, which days close banks and which close government offices, how substitute days work, and the Buddhist Era year.