visa
Special regulations during Covid-19
Entry
Since March 25, 2020, entry by air, land and sea has been very limited for foreign travelers:
Only diplomats and employees of international organizations and their family members, foreigners who hold a valid Thai work permit, pilots and airline / crew members can enter Thailand. These
people must provide proof of health (fit-to-fly certificate, not older than 72 hours).
On March 26, 2020, the Thai government declared the state of emergency. The head of government also receives extensive powers through the emergency decree. Nationwide, restrictions on freedom of
travel and movement (curfews, controls), freedom of assembly and expression are to be expected. Therefore documents such as passports or ID cards are urgently required!
Travel restrictions within Thailand include: also tourist destinations (such as the closure of all national parks), Phuket (blocking off neighborhoods, roadblocks, military controls), Koh Samui,
Koh Lanta (areas closed until April 24th or longer, if necessary), but also areas on the mainland (among others Pattaya - closure from April 9th for about 21 days) affected! Only a few domestic
flights are still carried out, ferry operations are partially completely discontinued or reduced to 1 trip (usually supply ship) per day. Public bus and train connections have been discontinued!
In some cases, airports are out of service (flight ban at Suvarnabhumi Airport from April 4 to April 18, 2020 inclusive, Phuket Airport will be closed from April 10 th - probably April 30, 2020,
Koh Samui airport will be closed)
Since April 3, 2020, there has been a general nighttime curfew throughout the country from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.
Almost nationwide, a mask requirement applies in public!
Visa facilitation valid from 7 April 2020
automatic extension of the length of stay of ALL visas, which expire between 26.03. and 30.04.2020!
The person whose visa expires on 26 March 2020 will be automatically renewed until 30 April 2020. There is no need to apply for a visa extension with the Immigration Department for this period
and in this case will not be fined THB 500 per day.
Foreigners who would have to report their 90 days between 26 March 2020 and 30 April 2020 are temporarily exempt from the 90-day notification until further notice.
If the extension of the stay has expired before 26 March, the overstay (500 THB per day) must be paid before the extension can be obtained until 30 April.
Foreigners who hold border passports are allowed to stay in Thailand for the time being. However, foreigners with border passports must leave Thailand within 7 days of the opening date of the
border crossing points.
Foreigners are advised to follow the immigration announcements carefully to obtain updates. (Currently announced measures by April 30, 2020 or further updates)
More information here: https://immigration.go.th/content/visa_auto_extension
General entry
If travelers can not present a return or onward journey ticket upon entry, they are generally subject to visa requirements.
The validity of the visa starts from the entry and is stamped by the Immigration Bureau in the passport.
The importance of the visa, as well as the exact observance of the length of stay, which was stamped in the passport, is becoming ever more important: The exceeding of the length of stay now leads to drastic penalties and in the worst case (in the long term overdraft of the stay) also to the multi-year entry ban.
The regulations to obtain or extend a Thai visa are constantly being changed by the government and this often leads to uncertainty and the need for discussion - especially for long-term stays!
The last amendment to the 03/01/2019 regarding the extension of the "Retirement-Visas" now causes great insecurity among the residents. The specific visa and entry requirements from your respective countries of origin can be found on the various embassy pages.
Nationals of 55 countries are eligible to travel to Thailand, for tourism purpose, with the exemption of visa and are permitted to stay in Thailand for a period of not exceeding 30 days.
Therefore, you do not need a visa. The length of stay is stamped into your passport
you will need it for that:
- a passport valid for at least 6 months
-
a valid round-trip ticket (including your name)
- and sufficient funds of at least 20,000 THB (about 450 pounds or 640 US-$) per person or 40,000 THB (about 900 pounds or 1,280 US-$) per family.
Otherwise, you maybe inconvenienced upon entry into the country.
Furthermore, foreigners who enter Thailand under this Tourist Visa Exemption Scheme may re-enter and stay in Thailand for a cumulative duration of stay of not exceeding 90 days within any 6-month
period from the date of first entry.
The list of the 55 countries could be found at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand’s website (www.consular.go.th)
or (www.thaiembassy.org/london)
For various states there is a so-called "visa on arrival" for entry into Thailand (30-day entry for tourist purposes):
Andorra
Bulgarien
Bhutan
China
Zypern
Äthopien
Fiji
Indien
Kazakhstan
Lettland
Litauen
Maldiven
Malta
Mauritius
Papua New Guinea
Rumänien
San Marino
Saudi Arabien
Taiwan
Ukraine
Usbekistan
But let's be honest: Who of you did not dream after a holiday in Thailand to spend some time in the land of smiles? In the following article you will learn a lot about the different types of visa and the possibilities for long-term stays.
Tourist visa, non immigrant visa and residence permit
For a longer stay in Thailand the tourist visa, the non-immigrant visa or an "extension of stay" (residence permit) entitles.
Tourist Visa M:
For tourist purposes, a 60-day single-entry visa can be requested. Maximum length of stay is 60 days. Then you can extend the 60-day visa in Thailand once for another 30 days. After expiry of the other 30 days must be left.
Also, a multiple entry visa can be issued with a validity of 6 months (from entry). With this visa you can stay for a maximum of 60 days at a time in Thailand. Every 60 days you have to go to one of the neighboring countries.
Proof of assets: bank statement with a minimum amount of € 5,000.00
Important: a copy of the flight confirmation / onward travel confirmation (train, bus or plane ticket to one of the neighboring countries or a visa or a hotel reservation in one of the neighboring countries) must be present!
The following documents are required for the 6-month visa:
- At least one departure must be proven (this is acknowledged by flight confirmations, bus tickets, traintickets, reservation confirmation of hotel bookings abroad or a visa for another country)
- At least one residence in Thailand must be proven (booking confirmation of a hotel)
- At least 5.000, - € proof of assets in the bank account (current bank statement must be proven)
The non-immigrant visa is best suited for a long-term stay of 90 days, but some documents are required to apply. It can only be applied for at the Embassy / Consulate General in the home country. For the non-immigrant visa there are different categories with different residence times:
- Non-immigrant visa with single or multiple entry: entitles to a stay of 3 months (or even 12 months)
- Non-immigrant "B" (Business) visa - for business travel, employees of a Thai company or a foreign company resident in Thailand or a business person (associated with the Work Permit.) This work permit must be applied for separately (Thai) company or owner of a Limited Company with at least 4 Thai employees are entitled to stay in Thailand for more than 90 days at a time) To apply for the visa, a statement of costs of the German company, plus extracts from the commercial register, residence period, residence and a Copy of the work permit will be submitted. A Thai company must present a letter of invitation stating the period, activity and whereabouts, a trade register excerpt, employment contract and a copy of the work permit
-
Non Immigrant Visa "O / A" entitles to a stay of up to one year (applies only for 'over 50s' or
retirees, spouses of Thai nationals). The length of stay can be extended in Thailand for another year. Non Immigrant Visa O / A must have a proof of income (original) of at least €
1,500 net (THB 65,000) or proof of assets (bank statements / 2 copies) of at least € 20,000 over the last 3 months ( 800,000, - Baht)! If the "O / A" is extended in Thailand, a credit
balance of THB 800,000 must exist on a Thai bank account. The balance must already be in the bank account 2 months before the renewal application and must remain in the bank account
for a further 3 months! Only after expiry of a total of 5 months may max. 400,000, - THB be lifted! Accordingly, 400,000, - THB must be permanently proven!
Non Immigrant Visa "O / X" entitles to a stay of up to 5 years and can be extended for a further 5 years (only for over 50-year olds or retirees) For the visa a statement of assets of at least 3,000,000 THB must be on one thail. Account or at least 1.8 million THB fixed assets on a thail. Bank deposited or an annual income of at least 1.2 million THB be demonstrated. Similarly, a health insurance in Thailand must be completed with a coverage of at least 40,000 THB for outpatient services and 400,000 THB for inpatient services. A police certificate of good conduct must be presented!
Information about non-immigrant O / A visa from Thai Immigration Bureau
Visum types based on ED- or Volunteer interests
-
Non Immigrant Visa "ED" "S" for Education, Training, Pupils, Language Students & Unpaid Internship - max. 90 days
stay
- Non Immigrant Visa "ED" "M" for Education, Training, Pupils, Language Students & Students and Unpaid Internship - max. 90 days stay per entry, validity 1 year
- Non Immigrant Visa "B / S" internship-paid internship - max. 90-day stay (The only option is to apply for a non-immigrant visa B / S. The visa authorizes a 90-day stay and must be extended to the Immigration Office for a longer stay on-site.)
- Non Immigrant Visa "O / S" Volunteer / Volunteer - max. 90 days stay
- Non Immigrant Visa "M / S" Media Film Producer & Journalist Visa - max. 90 days stay
Important: Only the visa categories "B" (Business), "B / S" and "M / S" entitle you to work for a fee. The category "O / S" is voluntary work WITHOUT payment!
Information about the visa
- The visa application can be submitted at the earliest 3 months before entry to Thailand. Within the 3-month period then has to be entered to Thailand (otherwise expires the visa)
- All visa types must be applied for in person at the embassy or consulates (in the home country or Thailand) (Only the embassy in Berlin can apply for a visa by post).
- The visa period is set by the Immigration Office in Thailand and stamped in the passport (depending on the visa type). From the day of arrival, the authorized length of stay begins. An entry can be refused by the Immigration Office in Thailand.
- With the departure from Thailand, the visa is invalid and can not be used for re-entry.
special visa information
If you plan to stay in Thailand for a longer time, maybe for retirement or for work purposes,
you can read the visa regulations at the
respective Thai Embassy Homepage.
Royal Thai Embassy, London
29-30 Queen's Gate, London, SW7 5JB
Phone: 0207 589 2944, 0207 225 5500 (for visa matters)
and 0207 225 5528 (for Thai National)
from 1400 - 1700 hours.
Fax: 0207 823 7492
Email: visa@thaiembassyuk.org.uk (visa)
passport@thaiembassyuk.org.uk (passport)
csinfo@thaiembassyuk.org.uk (consular)
Consular Office Washington,D.C
Royal Thai Embassy
2300 Kalorama Rd., N.W.
Washington,D.C 20008-1623
Phone : 202-684-8493
Phone Service : 1.30 pm. – 5.00 pm. EST.
Fax : 202-459-9536
opening times: Monday-Friday : Walk in Service : 9:00 am – 12:00 pm EST.
Homepage: http://thaiembdc.org/
Royal Thai Embassy Ottawa / Canada
180 Island Park Drive,
Ottawa, Ontario K1Y 0A2
Phone: 1 (613) 722-4444
Fax: 1 (613) 722-6624
Email: General Enquiries: contact@thaiembassy.ca
Consular Enquiries (Visa & Passport): consular@thaiembassy.ca
Embassy Office Hours:
Monday to Friday, 09.00 – 12.00 hrs and 13.00 – 17.00 hrs
Consular Office Hours:
(Visa and Passport Enquiries):
Monday to Friday, 09.30 – 11.30 hrs and 13.30 – 15.00 hrs
Homepage: http://www.thaiembassy.ca/en
Royal Thai Embassy South Africa
248 Hill Street (Corner of Pretorius Street)
Arcadia, Pretoria, RSA P.O. Box 12080,
Hatfield, 0083, Pretoria
Phone: (27-12) 342 5470
Fax: (27-12) 342 3986
Email: info@thaiembassy.co.za
Office Hours: (Mondays - Fridays)
Embassy 09.00 - 12.00 13.30 - 17.00
Visa Section: Submissions only: 09.00 - 12.00;
Homepage: http://www.thaiembassy.org/pretoria/en/
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