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Visa Run
When a visa is close to expiry many people who want to stay for a longer period of time do what is typically known as a visa run.This involves crossing any Thai border and leaving the country. You must travel into another country and visit a Thai Embassy or consulate and apply for a new Tourist visa or Non-Immigrant visa.

Recently the Thai authories have had stricter screening measures to make sure the people applying are actually "tourists" and don't use the tourist visa for working illegally in Thailand. Applicants with too many back-to back tourist visa stamps or stickers in their passports may have their application declined.

Further Details
For further details on any of the visas listed please contact your nearest Thai Consulate who will be able to give you the most accurate and up to date information.

Taste of Thai is not linked with any of the Thai Consulates in the UK and we are not in a position to advise you in an official capacity. We hope you have found the information useful and please contact us if you find any of our information is not accurate.

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Residence Permits
As well as Thai visas there are also Permits for someone wishing to live permanently in Thailand. To Apply for a Residence permit an applicant must have received permission for yearly stays in Thailand on a non-immigrant visa for at least three concurrent years.

Typically this permit would be suitable for a foreigner who has family in Thailand and wishes permission to stay without the need to constantly renew their visa.

Work Permits
You must have a Non-Immigrant visa to apply for a work permit and there are strict rules that you must follow when you work in Thailand on a permit . There are serious penalties if you do not follow them.

Foreigners who have not worked in Thailand before must produce documents from potential employers confirming what they will be paid. There are minimum wage requirements to qualify and up to date details can be provided by your local consulate.

Each permit lasts one year and you must apply again before the current permit expires.



THAI VISA INFORMATION

Please note: you won't need to worry about any of this if you are just having a holiday in Thailand that is less than 30 days. The information below is just for people who would like to stay a little bit longer. But you will need a UK passport which is still valid for at least six months from the date of your arrival in the Kingdom.

If you are planning an extended stay in Thailand you will require a visa. If you are just visiting as a tourist for a period of less than 30 days you will not need a visa, providing you enter the country via an international airport.

With effect from 06 December 2008 any person eligible to enter Thailand under the “Visa Exemption Rule” will be granted a stay of maximum 30 days but only if entering the Kingdom via an international airport. Persons entering Thailand through a land border checkpoint from a neighboring country will be granted a maximum stay of just 15 days. This visa stamp or permission to stay is free of charge and can very simply be renewed by doing what is known as a visa run, or a border hop. This involves simply leaving the country, in some cases for as little as a few minutes, and then returning to get a new stamp.

For longer stays
The government changed the rules in 2006 to allow nationals from 39 countries to remain in Thailand for no more than 90 days in a six month period. This would mean that these travellers could no longer border hop indefinitely.

Recently the rules changed back to what they were in 2006 with one very important difference. Where before a traveller could get a 30 day stamp free of charge regardless of mode of entry, this will no longer apply.

The official version of the rules are that only travellers arriving by air are entitled to the 30 day stamp. If your travels take you to a neighbouring country like Vietnam or Malaysia and you travel back into Thailand by land then you will only get 15 days.

The “Visa Exemption Rule” applies to a single stay of up to 30 days for a British National provided they can satisfy the conditions below:

Providing the purpose of visit is strictly tourism.

You must be in possession of a confirmed flight ticket (e-ticket acceptable) to show they will be flying out of Thailand within 30 days or 15 days of entry, as appropriate. Open tickets do not qualify. Travelling overland out of Thailand by train, bus, etc to Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia (including en route to Singapore), Myanmar (Burma), etc is not accepted as proof of exiting Thailand.

You may be asked to show your flight ticket on entering Thailand. If you do not possess a flight ticket to show you will be exiting Thailand within 30 days of entry you are likely to be refused entry and may not even be allowed to check in for your flight at your departing airport.

Having access to living expenses of 20,000 baht (approx £400) per person or 40,000 baht (approx £800) per family.  It may be necessary to be able to prove this on entry.

Most Popular Thai Visas are shown below:

Tourist Visa
A tourist visa will be issued to applicants wishing to enter the Kingdom for tourism purposes. You are not allowed to work or conduct business with a tourist visa. This visa will allow you to stay in Thailand for a period of 60 days.

Multiple Entry Tourist Visa
You can indicate how many entries you would like to have when applying for a tourist visa. For example, you could apply for a double entry tourist visa if you wanted to stay for 120 days in Thailand.

Non-Immigrant Visa
A foreigner applies for a non-immigrant visa when he/she wants to stay or work in Thailand. There are a several types of Non-immigrant visa, over ten in total. Three of the most popular are:
Non-Immigrant B visa for business purposes. If you wish to conduct business in Thailand, this is the visa you need. Also, if you wish to work in Thailand, this is the visa to apply for. Non-Immigrant Ed visa is for those who wish to study in Thailand. A number of language schools advertise this visa as being available for the students who take their courses. Non-Immigrant O Visa The “O” stands for other. This is the visa to apply for if you are retiring in Thailand or are married to a Thai national and would like to stay for a period of one year.

Transit Visa
This type of visa will be issued to applicants who wish to enter Thailand for the following purposes :
- to travel in transit through the Kingdom in order to proceed to the country of destination or to re-enter his/her own country.
- to participate in sports activities (sportsmen, sportswomen, etc.)
- the person in charge or crew of a conveyance coming to a port, station or area in the Kingdom

Diplomatic Visa
Foreign nationals entering into Thailand to assume duties at a foreign diplomatic mission or consulate or for the performance of duties with international organizations. Immediate family members of foreign diplomats or officials are permitted to stay in Thailand.

Courtesy Visa
Courtesy Visa is Suitable for Foreign diplomatic, official or ordinary passport holders who wish to enter Thailand on official duty or for other purposes.

Retirement Visa
This type of visa may be issued to applicants aged 50 years and over who wish to stay in Thailand for a period of not exceeding 1 year without the intention of working.

We would recommend that you apply for your visa directly through a Thai Consulate and not through a visa agency who will charge you an inflated fee.

Contact details of your nearest Thai Consulate in the UK can be found on our home page. Please note we are not linked with any of the Thai Consulates in the UK - Please contact them direct with all your visa enquiries and applications.

These details are provided for your information only and whilst we check regularly to ensure they are correct please confirm their accuracy with your local consulate. Information above correct as published on 1st September 2009.

 

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