General Visa Information

we are not lawyers and this is just general information on getting a visa , types, and what is required. Check with you Country Embassy for more information.

The following is from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand website

1. Generally, a foreign citizen who wishes to enter the Kingdom of Thailand is required to obtain a visa from a Royal Thai Embassy or a Royal Thai Consulate-General. However, nationals of certain countries do not require a visa if they meet visa exemption requirements as follows:

(1) they are nationals of countries which are exempted from visa requirements when entering Thailand for tourism purposes. Such nationals will be permitted to stay in the Kingdom for a period of not exceeding 30 days. For more information, please see Tourist Visa Exemption;
(2) they are nationals of countries which hold bilateral agreements with Thailand on the exemption of visa requirements. For more information, please see List of Countries which have Concluded Agreements with Thailand on the Exemption of Visa Requirements .

2. Nationals of certain countries may apply for visa upon arrival in Thailand. Travellers with this type of visa are permitted to enter and stay in Thailand for a period of not exceeding 15 days. For more information, please see Visa on Arrival.

5. To apply for a visa, a foreigner must possess a valid passport or travel document that is recognised by the Royal Thai Government and comply with the conditions set forth in the Immigration Act of Thailand B.E.2522 (1979) and its relevant regulations. In addition, the visa applicant must be outside of Thailand at the time of application. The applicant will be issued with a type of visa in accordance to his or her purpose of visit. For more information on types of visas and general requirements for each type of visa, please see Types of Visa and Issuance of Visa.

6. In general, applicants are required to apply for a visa in person. However, Royal Thai Embassies and Royal Thai Consulates-General in some countries and in some cases may also accept applications sent through representatives, authorised travel agencies or by post. Please enquire at the Royal Thai Embassy or Royal Thai Consulate-General where you intend to submit your application of acceptable ways of application.

7. Please note that the period of visa validity is different from the period of stay. Visa validity is the period during which a visa can be used to enter Thailand. In general, the validity of a visa is 3 months, but in some cases, visas may be issued to be valid for 6 months, 1 year or 3 years. The validity of a visa is granted with discretion by the Royal Thai Embassy or Royal Thai Consulate-General and is displayed on the visa sticker.

8. On the other hand, the period of stay is granted by an immigration officer upon arrival at the port of entry and in accordance with the type of visa. For example, the period of stay for a transit visa is not exceeding 30 days, for a tourist visa is not exceeding 60 days and for a non-immigrant visa is not exceeding 90 days from the arrival date. The period of stay granted by the immigration officer is displayed on the arrival stamp. Travellers who wish to stay longer than such period may apply for extension of stay at offices of the Immigration Bureau in Bangkok, located at Government Center B, Chaengwattana Soi 7, Laksi, Bangkok 10210, Tel 0-2141-9889 or at an Immigration office located in the provinces. For information on application for extension of stay, see the Immigration Bureau website at www.immigration.go.th

9. Foreigners entering Thailand are not permitted to work, regardless of their types of visa, unless they are granted a work permit. Those who intend to work in Thailand must hold the correct type of visa to be eligible to apply for a work permit. Information on Work Permit applications could be obtained from the website of the Office of Foreign Workers Administration, Department of Employment, Ministry of Labour atwww.doe.go.th/workpermit/index.html

10. Royal Thai Embassies and Royal Thai Consulates-General have the authority to issue visas to foreigners for travel to Thailand. The authority to permit entry and stay in Thailand, however, is with the immigration officers. In some cases, the immigration officer may not permit foreigner holding a valid visa entry into Thailand should the immigration officer find reason to believe that he or she falls into the category of aliens prohibited from entering Thailand under the Immigration Act B.E. 2522 (1979).

we will cover tourist and non immigration check with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand for other visa and information

TOURIST VISA

1. REQUIREMENT

This type of visa is issued to applicants who wish to enter the Kingdom for tourism purposes .

2. DOCUMENTS REQUIRED

	- Passport or travel document with validity not less than 6 months
	- Visa application form completely filled out
	- Recent( 4 x 6 cm.) photograph of the applicant
	- Evidence of travel from Thailand (air ticket paid in full)
	- Evidence of adequate finance (20,000 Baht per person and 40,000 Baht per family)
	- Consular officers reserve the rights to request additional documents as deemed necessary

3. VISA FEE

	1,000 Baht per entry (Visa fee may be changed without prior notice)

4. VALIDITY OF A VISA

	The validity of a visa is 3 months or 6 months.

5. PERIOD OF STAY

	Upon arrival, travellers with this type of visa will be permitted to stay in Thailand for a period of not exceeding 60 days.

6. EXTENSION OF STAY

Those who wish to stay longer or may wish to change their type of visa must file an application for permission at the Office of Immigration Bureau located on Government Center B, Chaengwattana Soi 7, Laksi, Bangkok 10210, Tel 0-2141-9889 (or at http://www.immigration.go.th ). The extension of stay as well as the change of certain type of visa is solely at the discretion of the Immigration officer..

7. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Nationals of certain countries are required to apply for a visa only at the Thai Embassy or Consulate-General in their home/residence country or at the designated Thai Embassy. Therefor, travellers are adivised to contact the nearest Thai Embassy or Consulate-General to find out where they may apply for a visa to Thailand before departure.
Information on lacation and contact number of all Thai Embassies and Consulates-General is available at /web/10.php

3. NON-IMMIGRANT VISA

1. REQUIREMENT

This type of visa is issued to applicants who wish to enter the Kingdom for the following purposes:
	- to perform official duties (Category “F”)
	- to conduct business / to work (Category “B”)
	- to invest with the concurrence of the Thai Ministries and Government Departments concerned (Category “IM”)
	- to invest or perform other activities relating to investment, subject to the provision of the established laws on investment promotion (Category “IB”)
	- to study, to come on a work study tour or observation tour , to participate in projects or seminars , to attend a conference or training course , to study as a foreign Buddhist monk (Category “ED”)
	- to work as a film-producer, journalist or reporter (Category “M”)
	- to perform missionary work or other religious activities with the concurrence of the Thai Ministries or Government Departments concerned (Category “R”)
	- to conduct scientific research or training or teaching in a research institute (Category “RS”)
	- to undertake skilled work or to work as an expert or specialist (Category “EX”)
	- other activities (Category “O”) as follows: to stay with the family, to perfrom duties for the state enterprise or social welfare organizations, to stay after retirement for the elderly, to receive medical treatment, to be a sport coach as required by Thai Government, to be a contestant or witness for the judicial process.

2. DOCUMENTS REQUIRED

	2.1 The applicants must submit the following relevant documents depending on the purpose of their visit.
		- Visa application form completely filled out
		- Passport or travel document with validity not less than 6 months. The validity of 18 months is required for one year visa application. - (4 x 6 cm) protograph of the applicant, taken within the past six months
		- Evidence of adequate finance ( 20,000 Baht per person and 40,000 Baht per family ) - Birth Certificate (“O”)
		- Certifcate of Marriage or its equivalents (“O”)
		- Transcript / Letter of acceptance from the concerned schools/universities or institutes (“ED”)
		- Letter from Thailand’s Board of Investment. (“IB”)
		- Official Note certifying the purpose of travel from the Government Agencies /Embassies and Consulates / International Organizations / State Enterprises inThailand. (“F” / “B” / “ED” / “M” / “R”) - Letter of approval from the Ministry of Labour (To obtain this letter, the prospective employer in Thailand is required to submit Form WP3 at the Office of Foreign Workers Administration, Department of Employment, Ministry of Labour Tel 02-2452745, 02-2453209 or at a Provincial Employment Office in the respective province. Further information is available at http://www.doe.go.th/workpermit/index.html) (“B”)
		- Letter from a company stating the objective of the visit to Thailand (“B”)
		- Document showing correspondence with trading partners in Thailand. (“B”) - Letter of invitation from companies qualified to employ foreigners. (“B”)
		- Employment contract indicating rationale for employing the applicant as well as his/her salary, position and qualifications (document must be signed by authorized managing director and affixed the seal of the company) (“B”)
		- Copy of Work Permit issued by the Ministry of Labour (only in case the applicant has previously worked in the Kingdom ) (“B”)
		- Copy of corporate documents; namely 1) list of shareholders 2) business registration and business license 3) company profile 4) details of business operation 5) list of foreign workers stating names, nationalities and positions 6) map indicating the location of the company 7) Balance sheet, statement of Income Tax and Business Tax (Por Ngor Dor 50 and Por Ngor Dor 30) of the latest year 8) Alien income tax return (Por Ngor Dor 91) and 9) Value-added tax registration (Por Ngor Dor 20) , etc.(“B”)
		- Copy of educational records of the applicant and letters of recommendation from the prior employers, identifying job description and length of service time. (“B”)
		- Document indicating the number of foreign tourists (for tourism business only) ,or document indicating export transactions issued by banks (for export business only)(“B”)

	2.2 The document to be submitted for non-immigrant visa application is contingent upon necessities and appropriateness of purposes stated in the application form.
	2.3 Consular officers reserve the rights to request additional documents as deemed necessary.
	2.4 Copies of company documents must be signed by Board of Directors and affixed the seal of the company.
	2.5 In the absence of a required document, a letter explaining the unavailability of such document must be provided.
	2.6 The applicant must sign on each page of the copy.
	2.7 Documents in foreign languages must be translated into Thai. If translated into English, it should be notarized by notary organs or the applicant’s diplomatic/ consular mission.

3. VISA FEE

	2,000 Baht for single entry and 5,000 Baht for multiple entries.

4. VALIDITY OF A VISA

	Single-entry and multiple-entry visas are valid for three months. Multiple-entry visas could also be valid for one year.

5. PERIOD OF STAY

	The holders of this type of visa are initially granted a period of stay in the Kingdom not exceeding 90 days unless otherwise instructed by the Office of Immigration Bureau.

6. EXTENSION OF STAY

Those qualified persons can obtain an additional one year stay permit counting from the date of entry in the Kingdom pertaining to the Office of the Immigration Bureau’s regulations on extension of stay. The extension of stay is at the discretion of the Immigration officer.
N.B. Applicants wishing to stay in the Kingdom longer than 90 days have to file their application either at the Thai consular mission aboard or at the Office of Immigration Bureau in Bangkok located on Government Center B, Chaengwattana Soi 7, Laksi, Bangkok 10210, Tel 0-2141-9889 (or website at (http://www.immgration.go.th ) . The consular officer must refer the case to the Office of Immigration Bureau for approval. Upon receiving approval, the consular officer may issue the visa as instructed by the Bureau

7. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Nationals of certain countries are required to apply for a visa only at the Thai Embassy or Consulate-General in their home/residence country or at the designated Thai Embassy. Therefore, travellers are advised to contact the nearest Thai Embassy or Consulate-General to find out where they may apply for a visa to Thailand before departure.
Information on lacation and contact number of Thai Embassies and Consulates-General is available at/web/10.php

some good resources:

TSL & Associates (Thailand)

TSL & Associates (Thailand) has been providing Immigration Law and Visa services for over 10 years. Its office are within walking distance of the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, and has access to all the other foreign embassies in Thailand.

We have developed a reputation for excellence in all areas of immigration law and often receives referrals from government and non-government agencies including community organizations, businesses, other law firms, and other immigration professionals.

As a firm practicing exclusively in the field of immigration law, we assist corporations and individuals to meet requirements and take advantage of international immigration law, successfully obtaining temporary visas, permanent resident visas and work permits.

ATM’s

All over Thailand even small towns. There will be a fee of 150 to 180 baht . I use only ATM’s located at a bank. All the banks I know of have an ATM machine outside so easy to use. I would not use ATM’s except at a bank!

Currency:

Thai 1000 Baht note for edducation

The currency of Thailand is the “Baht” - sometimes spelled “Bath” but pronounced to rhyme with “hot.” One Baht is divisible into 100 Satang. Major credit cards are accepted by hotels and large shops, but “hard cash” is the preferred tender almost everywhere. Travelers checks are not widely accepted outside of hotels, so change them for cash at a bank exchange, which you’ll find in any and every tourist destination. Most business only take the baht and not other currency so when arriving, get some Baht.

Coins come in six denominations: 25 and 50-Satang coins are very small and made of brass. They’re practically useless, and as a tourist you’re unlikely to encounter them unless you shop at a supermarket or department store. The other coins come in one, two, five and ten-Baht pieces. The one, two and five-Baht coins are silver, while the ten-Baht coin consists of a silver ring around a brass center.

Bills vary in size and color according to denomination: 20-Baht is green, 50-Baht is blue, 100-Baht is red, 500-Baht is purple and 1,000-Baht is white. There is also still a 10-Baht bill in circulation, which is brown in color, but these are quite rare. Actually, there are several versions of coins in circulation, and not a few variations in bills as well. They’re all legal tender, so don’t worry if you start comparing the change in your pocket and notice some differences.

All bills and all coins have a picture of His Majesty the King, and are therefore to be shown some respect.

There are exchange currency counters at the airports and usual next to most banks.

Western Union are also numerous shopping centers and some banks

Credit Cards

You should be aware that many shops in Thailand, while they may accept credits, will often charge you more for using one. The typical surcharges are 3% for Visa or MasterCard and 5% for American Express.

Health

We recommend having Travel Insurance

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