Visiting Thailand as a Tourist
If you are from a country that is not on the list of visa-free scheme for tourists (bilateral agreement with Thailand), you definitely need to apply for a visa at a Thai embassy or consulate before you come. This will likely incur a small fee as well.
However, more than 60 countries have bilateral agreements with Thailand for their visa-free scheme. You need to show proof of finance for supporting yourself while traveling in the country.
Entering via land or sea ports, an extra fee may be charged. For extending your tourist visa and / or changing type of visa, various amounts of fees are applied depending on what purpose / type of visa you need. Please visit the Thai Embassy website for a detailed explanation on this.
Visiting Thailand for other purposes
For other non-immigrant visas such as business, migrant worker, or with work permit, initial visa fees range from 2,000 – 5,000 Baht. Lots of relevant documents must be shown to the Thai Immigration Authority for the bureaucratic process that must be followed. Please visit Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs official website for details.
The New 9-Month Special Tourist Visa
Since March 2020, most countries have changed their immigration policies. Thailand visa requirements are no exception. Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) introduced a special tourist visa, initially for no cost but as updated in March 2021, a 2,000 Baht fee is applied. This allows visitors to stay in Thailand up to 9 months but renewal of this visa type is uncertain. Besides proof of sufficient funds for staying in Thailand, you need to have a medical insurance that also covers health expenses related to coronavirus for up to 100,000 USD.
Another Option: The 1-Year Education Visa
If you are interested in long stay in Thailand but don’t want to pay a lot of fees, a one-year education visa is another option. There are still some fees to pay and these costs vary from school to school. Thai language course students, when reporting to immigration office, need to prove their skills in Thai language they are studying. If you’re in a hurry, see our post on how long to wait for your Thai visa for more details.
At Hand to Hand Combat School, you don’t need to worry about language skills and the course cost covers both for course fee (for martial art skills you can really use to protect yourself) and ED (education) visa service – without leaving Thailand. For detailed information please visit talk with some of our friendly staff.
