Non-Immigrant Visas to Thailand: an In-Depth Guide

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Foreigners visit Thailand for distinct reasons. Certain visits require a Thai Visa, while some don’t.

If you want to stay long-term, this guide has a comprehensive guideline, a list of useful resources, and up-to-date procedures to apply for a Thai Visa.

You can visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand website for general visa information.

If you are looking for which visa choice is best for your stay, or processes for extending visas, changing one visa type to another, and more, this guide can help.

The information in this guide is sourced from credible news sources, Thai agency websites, forums, Facebook groups, interviews with visa experts, fellow expats’ experiences, and my personal experience as a tourist, then as an expat.

In case you want to find out how to prepare your visa by yourself, the best time to go to the immigration offices, alternative visas allowing you to stay in Thailand—and get a list of Thai embassies that provide you with painless visa processes—then check out Premium Subscription.

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Contents

  1. Visa Options
  2. Travel
    1. Visa Exemption
    2. Tourist Visas
  3. Business and Work
  4. Digital Nomad Visa
  5. Dependent
  6. Education
  7. Guardian
  8. Marriage
  9. Retirement
    1. Non-Immigrant OA
    2. Non-Immigrant Visa OX
    3. Extension of Stay based on Retirement
  10. Thailand Privilege Visa
  11. Volunteer Visa
  12. Special Visas from the Thailand Board of Investment
    1. Long-term Resident Visa (LTR)
    2. SMART Visa
  13. Other Types of Visas
    1. Diplomatic Visa
    2. Non-Immigrant Visa F (Official Duty Visa/Courtesy Visa)
    3. Non-Immigrant Visa M (Media Visa)
    4. Non-Immigrant Visa R (Religious Visa)
    5. Non-Immigrant Visa RS (Scientific Research)
      1. Non-Immigrant Visa O (Other)
  14. Where to Apply for Thailand Visas
    1. Outside of Thailand
      1. E-Visa
      2. Thailand Embassy or Consulate
    2. Inside Thailand
  15. How to Apply for Thailand Visas
  16. Visa Extensions
    1. Tourist Visa or Visa Exemption Extension
    2. Long-term Visa Extension
    3. Emergency Extension
  17. Single-Entry or Multiple-Entry Visa?
  18. Re-entry Permits
  19. 90-Day Reporting for Long-term Visas
  20. Cancellations
  21. Overstaying
  22. Land Border Crossing
  23. Air Border Crossing
  24. Visa Runs
  25. Visa Services
  26. Useful Sources of Thai Visa Info
  27. Now, on to You
  28. Latest Guides on Thailand Visas

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Visa Options

There are many Thai visa options available, such as traveling, employment, education, business or investment, marriage, guardian, retirement visas, and more.

These visas are generally the primary ones you need to stay in Thailand for more than a year. However, each visa has its own specific requirements.

We’ve gathered all the visa options here for easy reference. However, for the exact list of requirements and paperwork, contact the Thai Embassy, Thai Consulate, or Immigration Office. They are your best resource because:

  • Thai visa regulations are subject to change over time.
  • Each Thai Embassy, Consulate, and Immigration Office may interpret the rules differently and require different paperwork and fees.

Travel

If you are traveling to Thailand, there are two visa options available:

  • Visa Exemption: This means you don’t need a visa at all and can enter Thailand immediately.
  • Tourist Visa: You need to apply for a tourist visa before arriving in Thailand.

You can find more information below.

Additionally, when traveling to Thailand, there are three important things you should have with you:

  • Proof of Funds: You may need to show proof of funds when entering Thailand. The current requirement is 20,000 baht per person or 40,000 baht per family. It can be in cash or equivalent.
  • Proof of Onward Travel: It can be a return ticket or a bus ticket to go to Thailand neighbor country.
  • Health Certifications: You may need to show an international health certificate as proof of yellow fever vaccination if you have been residing or traveling from countries such as Brazil, Argentina, Nigeria, or Ghana. You can see a full list of countries here. Most of them are countries from South America and Africa

Tip: The visa exemption scheme and tourist visas are primarily for tourism purposes only. You are not able to work in Thailand.

Visa Exemption

More than 90 nationalities are generally allowed to enter Thailand without applying for a visa under the visa exemption scheme, for periods ranging from 14 to 90 days. After that, it’s possible to extend your stay for another 30 days in Thailand.

Here’s a sample list of nationalities that can enter Thailand without needing a visa:

90 Days:

  • Argentina
  • Brazil
  • Chile
  • South Korea
  • Peru

60 Days (Temporary increase, normally 30 days):

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • EU countries
  • Germany
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
  • And many more

14 Days:

  • Myanmar

Wikipedia has a complete list of countries that can enter Thailand under the visa exemption scheme.

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Tourist Visas

There are two types of tourist visas in Thailand:

  • Single-Entry Tourist Visa (THB 1,900): This visa allows you to stay in Thailand for 60 days.
  • Multiple-Entry Tourist Visa (THB 5,600): This visa is valid for 180 days. During the validity period, you can enter Thailand as many times as you like.

To apply for a tourist visa, check the website of your local Thai embassy or consulate. In many cases, you can apply online through the E-Visa system.

Tip: Please note that you can apply for an extension of stay that give additional 30 days in Thailand at an immigration office in Thailand, with a fee of THB 1,900. For information, check out Thailand Tourist Visas: Requirements, Extensions, Costs, and More!

Business and Work

The Non-Immigrant Visa B, commonly referred to as a Work Visa or Non-B visa, is the main visa for working in Thailand, including running a business or teaching work.

In order to get a Non-B, you need to get a job in Thailand or start your own company here.

  • The visa allows you to stay in Thailand for 90 days.
  • After that, you need to get a work permit and then extend the visa for 1-2 years within the country.
  • Since applying for a work visa and work permit go hand-in-hand, your employer will help you do the whole process.

In most cases, you can apply for a Non-B visa outside of Thailand at any Thai embassy or consulate. However, if you are from certain African countries, you may need to return to your home country to apply at the Thai embassy or consulate there.

While it’s possible to apply it inside Thailand, it requires much more paperwork. So, your employer likely to ask you to do it outside of the country instead.

Once you are in Thailand, the place you go for visa-related matters depends on whether your company is promoted by the Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) or not.

  • If your company is promoted by the BOI, you need to visit the One-Stop Service Center.
  • If it is not BOI-promoted, you should go to your local immigration office.

Please note that in addition to non-B visa, there are also a non-immigrant visa IB (for business and other investment-related purposes) and non-immigrant visa B-A (for invest in or enter into a business partnership with a Thai-based company). But most embassies do not commonly issue these visas anymore.

They issue a non-immigrant B visa instead.

Find out more: An Expat’s Guide to Business and Work Visas in Thailand

Digital Nomad Visa

Thailand introduced a new visa for digital nomads in July 2024, known as the Destination Thailand Visa (DTV).

The visa is valid for 5 years. Each entry allows you to stay in Thailand for 180 days, with the option to extend for another 180 days, giving you a total of 360 days of continuous stay in Thailand. After that, you must leave the country and repeat the process.

Here are the main requirements:

  • You must have at least THB 500,000 or the equivalent in your bank account.
  • You need to provide proof that you are a digital nomad or enroll in a Muay Thai course, cooking school, or similar activities.

Read our guide to the DTV visa to learn more.

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Dependent

The dependent visa is called as the Non-Immigrant Visa O based on Dependent.

This is for applicants who want to stay in Thailand with a family member that holds an appropriate visa such as a retiree visa or a working visa.

If you have a Thai family member in Thailand, this is also the visa for you. The visa is granted with an initial 90 days, and can be extended at the Office of the Immigration Bureau in Thailand for up to 1 year.

You are allowed to work in Thailand with this visa as long as you are able to secure a work permit.

Education

If you want to come to Thailand to study, obtaining an education visa, also known as a Non-Immigrant Visa ED, will allow you to do so.

The duration of your stay depends on the length of your course. For example, if you enroll in a Thai language course, you can typically stay in Thailand for up to one year. However, if you are studying at a Thai school or university, your visa could be valid for more than four years, depending on the length of your program.

Additionally, the institution and course you choose must be approved by Thailand’s Ministry of Education.

For a more detailed look at what you can study in Thailand, and the visa requirements and process, read our in-depth guide to education visas.

Guardian

If you have a school-aged child, you can stay in Thailand with a guardian visa, officially called the Non-Immigrant O visa (for parents or guardians). This visa is popular among those who have children studying in schools in Thailand.

The visa initially allows you to stay in Thailand for 90 days. After that, you can extend it to a one-year visa and continue extending it until your child graduates from a school in Thailand.

There are two main requirements:

  • Your child must be enrolled in a school approved by the Ministry of Education.
  • You need to have THB 500,000 in your bank account.

To start the guardian visa application, contact the school where your child is currently enrolled to obtain an enrollment certificate.

Marriage

The marriage visa is known as a non-immigrant visa O with an extension of stay based on marriage. You can get it only if you legally married to a Thai spouse.

In addition to that, if you are a male, you need to make at least THB40,000 per month or have THB 400,000 in your bank account.

You can apply for the marriage visa from your home country or in Thailand. Initially, the visa normally gives you a 90-day stay. After that, you will then apply for an extension of stay based on marriage to a Thai national, which will be valid for 1 year. You can also continue extending the visa as long as you fulfill the visa requirements.

Please note that you can work in Thailand with a marriage visa as long as you have a Thai work permit. Check out our step-by-step guide on Thai Marriage Visas for more information.

Retirement

Looking to retire in Thailand?, this is a visa for you. There are mainly three types of a retirement visa.

Non-Immigrant OA

The first one is a Non-immigration OA visa. It allows you stay in Thailand for 1 year and can be renewed every year with the same requirements.

You can apply for a retirement visa if you are:

  • 50 years old and above
  • have no criminal record in your country of residence and in Thailand
  • have no prohibitive disease
  • have the following financial requirements
    • Copies of bank statements showing a deposit of the amount equal to and not less than THB800,000 baht in a Thai bank account
    • Notarized bank statement copies that show income of not less than THB65,000, plus an affidavit from the foreign embassy or consulate as proof of income
    • A combination of a deposit account and a monthly income in totaling at least THB800,000

You need to have health insurance. Since the insurance requirement regularly change, change our guide to a health insurance requirement for retiree for more information.

Retirement visa holders are prohibited from engaging in any type of work.

Non-Immigrant Visa OX

The non-immigrant visa OXallows you to stay in Thailand for 10 years but only available to the following nationalities:

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • Denmark
  • Finland
  • France
  • Germany
  • Japan
  • Ireland
  • Italy
  • The Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • United Kingdom
  • United States of America

Financial requirements are higher for the 10-year retirement visa at

  • THB100,000 monthly income
  • A minimum of THB3,000,000 deposited in a Thai bank account, which must remain in the account for at least 12 months.

Extension of Stay based on Retirement

To obtain this visa, you must first apply for a Non-Immigrant O visa, either within or outside of Thailand. This visa initially allows you to stay in Thailand for 90 days. After that, you can extend the visa for 1 year while in Thailand.

The visa requirements are similar to those for the Non-OA visa, but in this case, health insurance is not required.

Thailand Privilege Visa

With the Thailand Privilege Visa, you can live in Thailand for up to 20 years hassle free without having to worry about your visa again. Here's why you should get it:

  • You and your family can stay in Thailand for upto 20 years straightaway
  • You don't need to deal with Thai bureaucracy on visa matters
  • You get a special assistant throughout your memberships
  • You get other perks such as airport service and discounts
  • It's very easy to apply and available to anyone

For details on eligibility, requirements, application, and fees, read our Thailand retirement visa guide. Please note that requirements for each nationality can be different.

Thailand Privilege Visa

The Thailand Privilege Visa, or Thailand Privilege Card Program, is a government-run visa program that caters to affluent foreigners who wish to stay long-term in Thailand and avoid visa runs and extensions.

Depending on the membership package, with a Privilege Entry Visa, you can get:

  • stay in Thailand for 5 to 20 years
  • one-year extension of stays
  • priority treatment at Thailand airport immigration counters
  • prestigious golf club memberships
  • first-class accommodations
  • healthcare benefits
  • airport services
  • and more

To find out more or apply for the Privilege Entry Visa, please read our in-depth review of the Thailand Privilege Card. 

Volunteer Visa

Non-Immigrant Visa O for the purpose of doing Voluntary Services or a Volunteer Visa is for applicants rendering voluntary services in Thailand. This may include volunteer work for charities, foundations, elephant sanctuaries, or schools. 

The main requirement for a volunteer visa is to get an acceptant letter from non-government organizations (NGOs) in Thailand that clearly states your position, responsibilities, and length of stay.

However, it’s getting harder to get a volunteer visa since many people have been abusing it. In case you have a volunteer visa before, it might also be harder to get other types of visas in Thailand.

Find out more: The Complete Guide to Becoming a Volunteer in Thailand

Tip: So, if you want to get a volunteer visa, make sure to carefully choose an organization that you want to provide a volunteer work and do not abuse it to prevent any problem with your visa in the future.

Special Visas from the Thailand Board of Investment

In addition to a standard visa, there are special visas available. These visas are handled directly by the Thailand Board of Investment (BOI).

This means you need to contact the BOI to start the application process. Once you receive approval from the BOI, you can go to the Thai Embassy or Consulate to get your visa stamp if you are outside Thailand. If you are inside Thailand, visit a One Stop Service Center.

After that, everything related to your visa, including extensions, certificate of residence, and other matters, will be handled by the One Stop Service Center.

These visas offer more benefits than regular visas, including:

  • A longer duration of stay
  • Depending on the visa type and category, special perks such as tax exemptions
  • BOI officers can assist you throughout the application process.

However, their visa requirements are also higher than other visa types.

Long-term Resident Visa (LTR)

The long-term resident Thai visa, commonly known as LTR visa, was introduced in 2022. 

Some call it a 10-year visa because it lets you stay in Thailand for one decade. It’s considered the best Thailand visa yet. But, because of the requirements, it isn’t for everyone. For example:

  • Investment: You need to have at least US$1,000,000 in assets and invest a minimum of US$500,000 in Thailand. 
  • Retire: If you want to retire in Thailand with this visa, you need to be at least 50 years old and have a minimum income of U$80,000 a year. The income can come from pensions, social security, or other monthly investment payouts. 
  • Employment: You can get the LTR if you make at least US$80,000 a year, have at least five years of working experience, and work for a company in Thailand. 

Read our guide to LTR visas for more information.

SMART Visa

The SMART Visa is like an upgraded version of a work visa in Thailand. It gives you an immediate four-year stay in the country. You can renew the visa as long as you fulfill the requirements, which tend to be a little more stringent than your standard Thai visa.

For example, to qualify for one of the SMART visas, you need a minimum income of THB200,000 per month and have at least 10 years of working experience. 

The application process is also different from other visas. To get the SMART Visa, you need to apply on the Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) website. Once approved, you can go to a Thai immigration office or Thai embassy to get the visa. 

There are four SMART Visa options: 

  • SMART Talent Visa
  • SMART Investor Visa
  • SMART Executive Visa
  • SMART Startup Visa

Read our SMART Visa article for more information. 

Other Types of Visas

There are other types of visas available in Thailand.

Diplomatic Visa

A Thai Diplomatic Visa may be granted and be valid for 3 or 6 months or longer, depending on the terms of the eligible passport-holder’s diplomatic mission or consulate or international organization. The diplomatic visa holder’s family may also be granted the same validity. Diplomatic and official visas are granted at no cost.

Non-Immigrant Visa F (Official Duty Visa/Courtesy Visa)

This is for those who have to perform official duties in Thailand, including as an officer on a diplomatic mission, Laissez Passer Passport holders and their families who will perform official duties in Thailand, ordinary passport holders who have received an invitation from the Royal Thai Government to attend a meeting, and ordinary passport holders that are recipients of a Thailand International Development Cooperation Agency scholarship.

For this visa, it’s best to check with the Royal Thai Embassy website based in your country as requirements vary for different nationalities. The Laissez Passer Passport is issued by a national government or an official international treaty organization such as the United Nations.

Non-Immigrant Visa M (Media Visa)

If you work in media, covering print, online, and television, apply for a single-entry Media Visa. Commonly referred to as journalism visa, it covers news reporters, film producers, and media correspondents of foreign news working for printed newspapers and magazines, TV, radio, or online agencies.

Some common concerns regarding the media visa:

  • It applies only to those who are working for foreign news agencies. If you are a journalist working for a Thailand-based media company, a Non-Immigrant Visa B is the recommended visa.
  • Applications and accreditation for a one-year Media Visa can be done online via the MFA Media Online Service website.
  • Journalists who are working on short-term assignments should apply for a Non-Immigrant B visa, as well.

Requirements covering both long-term and short-term media assignments in Thailand, including frequently asked questions on accreditation, obtaining a press card and work permit, changing visa types from Tourist to Media–which can’t be done, visa for freelance journalists, visa renewal, obtaining a visa for media worker’s spouse or family, and other concerns, can be found in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ online guide.

Non-Immigrant Visa R (Religious Visa)

This visa type is for ministers, priests, or missionaries who want to enter Thailand to perform missionary or religious work that is recognized by Thai Ministries or Government Departments. This visa is valid for 3 months but can be extended to 1 year.

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Non-Immigrant Visa RS (Scientific Research)

The Scientific Research Visa is for those who are conducting scientific research or training or teaching in a research institute.

The Royal Thai Embassy, Helsinki website is a good source of information although for a highly specialized visa such as this, it’s best to check with the Royal Thai Embassy in your own country.

Non-Immigrant Visa O (Other)

Applicants can also apply for a Non-Immigrant Visa O for purposes other than what’s stated above, including staying after retirement, performing duties for a state enterprise or social welfare organizations, receiving medical treatment, acting as a Thai Government-required sports coach, or visiting as a contestant or witness for judicial procedures.

Where to Apply for Thailand Visas

You can apply for a Thailand visa in the following places depending on your location, nationality, and visa type. 

Outside of Thailand

If you are outside of Thailand, you can either apply online through the Thai E-Visa system or in person at your nearest Thailand Embassy or Consulate.

E-Visa

Applying for a Thai visa online, known as the Thai E-Visa, is the most convenient way to obtain a Thai visa. It is mainly available in countries where the Thai Embassy or Consulate already has an online system, including but not limited to the USA, UK, Australia, and European countries.

To apply for a visa online, here’s what you need to do:

  • Go to the official Thai E-Visa website
  • Create an account
  • Start your application and upload all required paperwork
  • Wait 2-10 business days for your visa approval
  • While waiting, the Thai embassy or consulate may contact you to ask for additional documents
  • Once your visa is approved, you will receive the E-Visa via email. Print it out and show it to the airline or Thai immigration officers when flying to Thailand

To find out whether you can apply for a Thai visa online using the E-Visa system, go to the official Thai E-Visa website and scroll down to “Am I Eligible to apply online?“

After that, enter your country and current location.

Thailand Embassy or Consulate

If the Thai embassy or consulate in the country you are currently living in does not have an E-Visa system, you need to apply in person.

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Here’s what you usually need to do:

  • Contact the Thai embassy or consulate for the exact list of documents you need.
  • Once you have all of the documents, make an appointment with the Thai embassy or consulate.
  • Go to the embassy or consulate on the appointed date and time to submit all paperwork.
  • Wait a few days for your visa to be approved.
  • Sometimes, the Thai embassy or consulate may contact you for additional documents.
  • After your visa is approved, pick up your passport with a Thai visa stamp on it.

Please note that each Thai embassy or consulate sets its own guidelines and requirements. In addition, for certain visa types, such as the 10-year retirement visa and the multiple-entry tourist visa, you may need to apply at the Thai embassy or consulate in your home country.

If your home country does not have a Thai embassy, you will need to apply in another country at a Thai embassy in a nearby country. Here is a full list of Thai embassies and consulates.

Inside Thailand

If you are currently in Thailand, you need to contact your local immigration office to start the visa application process.

Please note that you may need to cancel your current visa before applying for a new one.

How to Apply for Thailand Visas

Applying for Thailand visas involves a few steps, including:

  1. Check Visa Requirements: Each visa comes with its own set of requirements. Read each section of this article carefully to find out which requirements apply to your visa.
  2. Prepare Paperwork: Always prepare the documents exactly as required by the immigration office, Thai embassy, or Thai consulate. Please note that each may have its own guidelines and may require different documents.
  3. Make an Appointment: In many cases, you need to make an appointment in advance. Check their website for more information.
  4. Visa Approval: After you submit your paperwork and pay visa fees, it may take 2-15 business days for your visa to be approved.
  5. Visa Extension: After your visa is approved, if it’s a non-immigrant visa, it usually allows you to stay in Thailand for only 90 days. After that, you need to go to your local immigration office and submit another set of paperwork, similar to your initial visa application, to extend your visa for 1-2 years or more.

Visa Extensions

If your visa is about to expire, you can extend it to give yourself more time in Thailand. This is known as a visa extension.

Typically, you can apply to extend your long-term visa 30 to 45 days before it expires. Immigration offices may have different rules regarding this.

A visa extension can generally be divided into three scenarios:

Tourist Visa or Visa Exemption Extension

If you entered Thailand with a tourist visa or under the visa exemption scheme, you can extend your stay for another 30 days. You typically need only your passport, signed copies of your passport with the current visa stamp, and a visa extension fee of THB1,900.

Long-term Visa Extension

If you are currently holding a long-term visa, such as a non-immigrant visa or dependent visa, you can extend your visa for 1-2 years or more, depending on the visa type. You need to prepare similar paperwork as when applying for the visa.

The visa fee ranges from around THB1,900 to over THB10,000 per year, depending on the visa type.

Emergency Extension

If your long-term visa is suddenly canceled for any reason, you can apply for an emergency extension, which grants you an additional 7-15 days in Thailand.

The fee for this is THB1,900.

Single-Entry or Multiple-Entry Visa?

When you apply or extend for a visa in Thailand, in many cases, you’ll need to choose whether you want a single-entry or multiple-entry visa. 

A single-entry visa costs THB1,900 and lets you enter Thailand one time. If you leave the country and don’t apply for a re-entry permit, your visa will be canceled when you arrive back in Thailand.

On the other hand, a multiple-entry visa costs around THB5,000 and lets you enter and leave Thailand as many times as you want. 

So, if you plan to leave Thailand at least three times a year, it’s better to get a multiple-entry visa from the start. 

Re-entry Permits

If you have a single-entry visa and want to leave Thailand, you need to apply for a re-entry permit before exiting the country. Otherwise, your visa will be canceled once you return to Thailand.

You can get a re-entry permit at any of Thailand’s international airports or immigration offices. However, it’s always best to get one ahead of time at immigration. You never know what will happen once you get to the airport, and you don’t want to risk losing your visa. 

Read our guide on how to get a re-entry permit in Thailand for more information. 

90-Day Reporting for Long-term Visas

Long-term Thai visa holders – such as non-immigrant visas, retirement visa – are required to report their current address to the Immigration Bureau every 90 days, without exception. It can be done by the passport holder or by an authorized representative.

It can be done 15 days before the due date or your 90th day in the country after your last entry, or 7 days after notification due date, but only in person. There’s a 2,000 baht fine for those who fail to do it within that given window.

There are three ways you can do it:

  • in-person at the immigration office
  • by mail
  • online (recommended)

Here’s how to do a 90-day report in detailed.

Cancellations

Something I’ve experienced several times is cancelling a Non-immigrant B Visa.

When I changed jobs, I explored the possibility of keeping my current Non-Immigrant B Visa and work permit, with non-encouraging results. When an employer cancels your work permit, they also have to cancel your visa, per Thai Labor laws.

Terminated Employment = Cancelled Visa + Cancelled Work Permit

Cancelling your work permit and keeping the visa results in a 500 baht fine per day fine from when your work permit is cancelled. But the fine could be as high as 20,000 baht.

Workarounds are possible. A legitimate way to do this is to ask your former employer to extend your work permit’s cancellation. This happens more often than you think. This is a temporary fix though.

Previously, holders of a Non-immigrant Visa B managed to keep their visa up until the expiry date even after the work permit was canceled.

This was because Thai Immigration and the Labor Department function separately. The legality of this workaround is questionable and is best avoided.

You can read more about work permits in our in-depth guide, but in relation to keeping a visa the general rule is:

Overstaying

A word on overstaying in Thailand: don’t do it.

Other than paying the THB500 – THB20,000 fine, overstaying for one day carries no severe consequences, especially if you’re flying out.

But if you do get checked by the police on the streets or elsewhere, you will be arrested and fined.

You can be banned for 10 years for overstaying.

For foreigners with children, note that children below 15 years old do need a visa. In case they don’t, they will not be persecuted in case of overstay. Children ages 15-18 with no proper visa will be charged for overstaying but won’t be blacklisted. Any foreigner 18 years and older will be charged for overstaying and will be blacklisted.

Overstaying for one day is often seen as a victim-less crime, but it is a violation of Thai Immigration laws. If you’re thinking of overstaying, some people who’ve got away with it in the past may advise you to overstay and pay the fee.

They may say overstaying is not a big deal. But remember overstaying is a violation, which could result in imprisonment, years-long ban, or deportation.

Land Border Crossing

If you rely on visa-exempt entries and/or apply for tourist visas several times, then extend it for 30 days to prolong your stay in Thailand, although not illegal, then you will alert the Thai Immigration Office.

If you’re staying long-term in Thailand without a visa, here’s a safe assumption to make: Thai Immigration officers are aware of border bounce because it’s not a recent trend.

Thai Immigration has cracked down on visa runs and multiple or back-to-back entries in the country. In general, you shouldn’t do a land border crossing for more than two times per calendar year.

Air Border Crossing

On the other hand, if you attempt an air border crossing, such as flying in and out of Thailand back-to-back using tourist visas or visa-exempt entries, you may be able to do this more than twice per calendar year.

However, do this at your own risk. We’ve heard reports of people using this method being detained and sent back at the airport.

So, if you want to live in Thailand, use the correct visa, and you will have no issues staying here.

Visa Runs

A visa run or a border bounce basically means doing a land border exit from Thailand and re-entering under a new stamp in order to renew one’s validity of stay. This entails exiting to any of Thailand’s neighboring countries.

Others opt to go by air and that’s a fairly legitimate way to do it, too.

Border bounce and visa runs are often interchanged, but a visa run is more appropriately referred to as the process of exiting the country to apply for a proper visa, which is done either by land or by air.

Doing a border bounce is perceived as illegal in some quarters because, as I’ve mentioned above, it has become prone to abuse. However, determining its legitimacy is a pretty loaded discussion since, on the one hand, it is prone to abuse. On the other hand, people who do it are not exactly violating Thai Immigration laws.

And border bounces are often necessary procedures for those who are about to apply for a legitimate visa and are merely extending their stay’s validity.

Visa Services

Although using visa services won’t guarantee you a visa, it increases your chances of getting a visa and significantly decrease all the hassle involved.

In general, visa services can prepare your paperwork and get you a queue number. This way you won’t have to wait the entire day at the embassy or immigration office.

If it’s a visa run service, they will arrange transportation and even accommodation to Thai embassies nearby Thailand, with Cambodia being the most popular destination.

You can check our exclusive content to find out more on recommended visa service providers. 

Useful Sources of Thai Visa Info

While you can rely on networking and friendly advice from the kindred souls at Thailand Visa Advice. Some situations call for professional help.

To get visa-related answers that you can rely on, get help from a law firm that specializes in visa-related matters could be more accurate than a comment you’ve read on Facebook.

Thailand embassies websites now provides good guidelines on Thai Visas. Here’s a full list of the Royal Thai Embassy Consulates and Royal Thai Consulate-General worldwide.

Now, on to You

When I applied for a tourist visa and a working visa (Non-immigrant Visa B), my experiences were different in Vientiane, Laos than they were in Penang and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Aside from arranging transportation and accommodations for your visa application, visa service agencies provide guidance on the application process. However, these trips can get chaotic, as you are applying with a large group of visa applicants. This is why applying for a visa in Vientiane is a crowded affair. But based off my experience, applying for a visa in Penang or Kuala Lumpur can be easier.

When you apply for a non-immigrant B visa, you will notice the differences in requirements, especially if you’re employed by different types of employers. If you’re applying for a non-immigrant B visa under a BOI-registered or multinational company, the application process can be smoother. The likelihood of being asked for a surprise requirement is rare. If you’re applying for a visa under smaller companies, it pays to double check the requirements of the embassy where you’re applying.

As detailed as this guide is, I have to reiterate that rules frequently change. Policy tweaks are not uncommon and you can expect more of these changes the longer you stay in Thailand.

In writing this guide, I linked to the most up-to-date sources – official embassies and Thai Visa guides – for visa application matters. I sought the knowledge and insight of visa service providers and fellow expats, both Asian and Western, who’ve been living in Thailand for years, and who’ve gone through an assortment of visa application processes, changes, and crackdowns.

Do you have a visa application story you feel is worth covering in this guide? If you feel like this guide missed vital information in the visa application process and experience, sound off in the comment section below.

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