General
Every foreigner is subject to the visa requirement. This means that you must be in possession of a visa before entering Thailand. But as it should be, there are also exceptions.
For example, there is the “Visa Exemption” or the visa exemption. This applies to certain nationalities. The Dutch and Belgians are part of this.
Purpose
You can use the “Visa Exemption” if it concerns a stay for tourist reasons.
Duration of the period of stay
Both at an airport entry and at a border post by land, you will obtain a stay of maximum 30 days uninterrupted stay.
Request
You do not have to apply for the “Visa Exemption” in advance. You will automatically receive this from the immigration officer upon entry. At least, if you do not have another valid visa in your passport. If that is the case, you will receive the period of stay that corresponds to the visa you currently hold.
However, the immigration officer can always ask whether you have sufficient financial resources available. For a “Visa Exemption” it is usually sufficient to show 10 Baht, or 000 Baht per family. Can be in any currency. It is therefore a good idea to have enough cash with you on arrival.
The immigration officer may also ask you to show a ticket (or other proof) that proves that you intend to leave Thailand within 30 days.
However, both financially and the ticket are rarely asked for. Usually there will be a reason, such as entering Thailand several times in a short time on the basis of “Visa Exemption”. But of course it can always just happen.
Pricing
The “Visa Exemption” is always free.
amount of entries
The maximum number of arrivals via an international airport is not specified anywhere. With every new entry you can get a new “Visa Exemption” (if you do not have another valid visa in your passport). Please note, with repeated arrivals and this especially “back to back” (consecutive) you may expect that you will be taken aside for a while. You may then be asked some questions about the real reason for your stay. Sending you back immediately will not happen so quickly, unless they had a reason to do so of course. What will happen more in that case is that you will get a mention or warning. This will mean that you must first purchase a visa upon your next entry, or upon entry within a certain period.
The number of entries on the basis of “Visa Exemption” has been determined via a border post over land. There it is limited to 2 entries per year. The 3rd time you will be sent back and you will either have to get a visa or make an airport entry. The latter can in turn raise the necessary questions.
Extend
You can extend a “Visa Exemption” once at an immigration office for 30 days. This costs 1900 Baht.
One week before the end of the 30-day residence period is sufficient to submit your application. If you go earlier, you run the risk of being told to come back later.
You must provide the following documents or evidence (most requested and not exhaustive):
1. Form TM7 – Extension of temporary stay in the Kingdom – Completed and signed.
https://www.immigration.go.th/download/ zie Nr 14
2. Recent passport photo(s) (4×6)
3. 1900 Baht for the renewal (cannot be refunded after submission)
4. Passport
5. Copy passport page with personal details
6. Copy passport page with the “Arrival stamp”
7. Copy of the TM6 -Departure card
8. Proof of Address
9. Copy of the TM30 – Notification for housemaster, owner or the possessor of the residence where alien has stayed (not everywhere)
10. Financial resources of at least 10.000 Baht, or 20 Baht per family. (not everywhere)
11. Proof (eg a plane ticket) that you will leave Thailand within 30 days. (not everywhere)
It is quite possible that, if point 10 is requested, the extension will be calculated on the basis of, for example, your airline ticket. You will not get the full 30 days, but only until your departure date. However, it will happen very rarely (I've seen it happen once in Pattaya) and most of the time you just get the full 30 days, but I want to mention it anyway.
Extension declined
If, for whatever reason, the requested extension is refused, an extension of 7 days will usually still be granted as a replacement.
In itself, this is of course also an extension of your stay. But this period actually serves to give the traveler the opportunity to leave Thailand within a legal period after refusal of an extension.
Comments
1. When you leave for Thailand and then enter Thailand on the basis of “Visa Exemption”, it is good to take the following into account.
Airlines have the responsibility, at the risk of a fine, to check that their travelers have a valid passport and visa to enter the country. If you wish to enter Thailand on the basis of “Visa Exemption”, then of course you cannot show a visa. You may then be asked to prove that you are going to leave Thailand within 30 days.
The simplest proof is of course your return ticket, but you can also prove with another plane ticket that you will continue flying to another country within 30 days. Some airlines also accept a declaration from you that releases them from all costs and consequences in the event of a refusal. If you are going to leave Thailand by land, this is almost impossible to prove and an explanation can sometimes offer a solution.
Not all airlines require or monitor this yet. If in doubt, contact your airline and ask if you need to show proof and what, if any, they accept. Preferably ask this by email so that you have proof of their answer later at check-in.
2. You may be able to extend a “Visa Exemption” by 30 days in Thailand at immigration. Its purpose, however, is and remains the intention of a maximum stay of 30 days upon entry, for touristic reasons. If you already intend to stay longer upon entry, you should normally purchase a tourist visa before entry. However, this is rarely checked at immigration, but keep in mind that upon entry you may be asked how long you plan to stay.
3. A “Visa Exemption” never gives the possibility to apply for a work permit. Any form of work, including voluntary work, is prohibited.
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Forgot something else.
If you are married to a Thai, you can also extend the period of stay with a “Visa Exemption” by 60 days.
You must provide the following documents or evidence (most requested and not exhaustive):
1. Form TM7 – Extension of temporary stay in the Kingdom – Completed and signed.
https://www.immigration.go.th/download/ see No. 14
2. Recent passport photo(s) (4×6)
3. 1900 Baht for the extension (Attention, cannot be refunded after submission)
4. Passport
5. Copy passport page with personal details
6. Copy passport page with the “Arrival stamp”
7. Copy of the TM6 – Departure card
8. Proof of address of the Thai partner ie copy of the Tabien Baan (address book) signed by the Thai partner.
9. Copy of the Thai partner's Thai ID card and signed by the Thai partner
10. Copy of the TM30 – Notification for housemaster, owner or the possessor of the residence where alien has stayed (not everywhere)
11. Financial resources of at least 10.000 Baht (not everywhere)
12. Proof (eg a plane ticket) that you will leave Thailand within 60 days. (not everywhere)
13. Proof Marriage
Dear Ronnie,
I just read here that I have a "Visa Exemtion" (entering Thailand without a Visa.)
can request an extension of 60 days, (Married to a Thai lady.)
for a total stay of 120 days = 3 months.
If I understand correctly, do I never have to apply for a Visa at the Thai Consulate in Antwerp,
to be able to stay with my family in Thailand for 3 months. (Total 90 days.)
I don't get permission from the FPS anyway. to stay longer than 6 months per calendar year,
because otherwise I will lose my disability benefit.
My stay in Thailand is allowed, 2 times for 3 months, = 2 times 90 days
or 1 times 180 days = 6 months.)
The extension in the area of “Visa Exemtion” will cost me 1.900 Thb. +- 53 euros. If I have to be brought to Antwerp + the Visa costs and sending by registered mail,
it costs me 3 times as much.!
Can you confirm that my reasoning is correct, please.
Thanks in advance.
Regards.
Regain.
Yes, you can indeed extend it by 60 days.
If you are married and your wife is officially registered at an address in Thailand and you also reside at that address..
Decision always remains with the immigration officer of course, but that is the case with every extension.
Be careful when you leave, of course. See note 1.
I arrived at Bangkok airport on February 16th and was informed at passport control that I can get a maximum of 3x a year an extension of visa-exemption. The announcement came after seeing an earlier renewal stamp. This restriction on entry by air was previously unknown to me.
First I hear of it too.
I've heard something similar before. However, it is not an official rule nor a custom.
The intention is clear: visa-free entry is intended for tourism, someone who enters more than 1x visa-free within 3 year and this is also extended stays in Thailand for 180 days and is therefore possibly (or probably) not a tourist but someone who lives there and/or works.
That was a rule in the past.
You were then allowed to stay in Thailand for a maximum of 180 days in a period of 90 days on the basis of “Visa Exemption”
I think that rule was abolished sometime in 2008. Maybe some immigration officers still haven't figured that out 😉
Had a curious experience with lufthansa. Ticket in/out booked with 50 days between in and out. You can check in online 24 hours before departure. Failed message “contact service desk.”
Turned out they assumed I would use visaexemption and that doesn't equate to more than 30 days. So it is not possible to check in in advance via internet.! So at the airport I could only choose a seat that was left! Aside: had annual visa!!
Note to moderator: if it doesn't fit into the restrictions of the “newsletter” I'll notice.
I do not know all the details that must be entered during the check-in procedure, but I assume that there is a number v
Have you ever tried to fill in the number of your “re-entry”?
(Complete text)
I do not know all the details that must be entered during the check-in procedure via the internet, but I assume that a visa number must be entered somewhere if you are going for longer than 30 days. Otherwise, no one with a visa would be able to check in over the internet.
If you have a year extension, did you also try to use your original visa number? Or possibly the number of your annual extension or "re-entry". Is there a different combination but who knows?
Maybe that's how it works?
I have had a retirement visa in Thailand for 7 years now, and I wonder what the possibilities would be if I lived half in Thailand and half in Vietnam.
Now I have to have 800.000 baht in a bank account all the time, otherwise I could do some fun things with it.
Are there people who live half in Thailand and half somewhere?