Most visitors need no Thailand visa for a short holiday: 60 nationalities, among them American, British, Australian, Canadian and all EU passport holders, enter visa-free for 30 days. Anything longer, and anything other than tourism, needs the right visa before you fly. The rules changed twice in late 2026, so this page gives the position on 14 November 2026 and points to a detailed guide for each visa.
Do you need a visa for Thailand?
| Passport | Holiday up to 30 days | Longer or non-tourist stay |
|---|---|---|
| US, Canada | No visa | Visa required |
| UK, Ireland | No visa | Visa required |
| Australia, New Zealand | No visa | Visa required |
| EU countries, Switzerland, Norway | No visa | Visa required |
| Azerbaijan, Belarus, Serbia | Visa on arrival | Visa required |
| Countries outside the exemption list | Visa required | Visa required |
The exemption no longer covers business meetings or conferences.
Which Thai visa do you need? By type of stay
| Your plan | Visa |
|---|---|
| Holiday of up to 30 days | None for 60 nationalities |
| Holiday of one to three months | Tourist visa, 60 days, plus a 30-day extension |
| Working remotely for a foreign employer or clients | DTV visa |
| Learning Muay Thai or Thai cooking for several months | DTV, soft power category |
| Retiring at 50 or over | Retirement visa: Non-Immigrant O, O-A or O-X |
| Taking a job with a Thai employer | Non-Immigrant B and work permit |
| Studying at a school or university | Non-Immigrant ED |
| Joining a Thai spouse or family | Non-Immigrant O |
| Long stay with no age or income test | Thailand Privilege |
| High income or large assets, ten-year horizon | LTR visa |
| Moving to Thailand for good, after several years | Permanent residence |
Types of Thai visas compared: stay, cost and conditions
| Visa | Stay | Cost | Main condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visa exemption | 30 days, extendable 30 days | Free, 1,900 THB to extend | Passport from an exempt country, tourism only |
| Tourist visa (single entry) | 60 days, extendable 30 days | 30 GBP in London, 40 USD in Washington | Bank statements, flights in and out |
| Tourist visa (multiple entry) | 60 days per entry, for 6 months | 150 GBP in London, 200 USD in Washington | Same documents |
| DTV | 180 days per entry, 5 years | 10,000 THB | 500,000 THB in savings, remote work or soft power activity |
| Retirement (Non-Immigrant O) | 90 days, then 1 year at a time | 80 USD, then 1,900 THB a year | Age 50, 800,000 THB or 65,000 THB a month |
| Retirement (O-A) | 1 year | 200 USD | Same funds, plus insurance of 3,000,000 THB |
| Retirement (O-X) | 5 years | 400 USD | 3,000,000 THB in a Thai bank, 18 nationalities |
| Work (Non-Immigrant B) | 90 days, then 1 year with a work permit | 80 USD in Washington | Thai employer and approval from the Ministry of Labour |
| Education (ED) | 90 days, extended for the course | 80 USD in Washington | Enrolment in an approved school |
| Thai spouse or family (Non-Immigrant O) | 90 days, then 1 year at a time | 1,900 THB a year to extend | 40,000 THB a month or 400,000 THB in the bank |
| Thailand Privilege | 5 to 20 years | 650,000 to 5,000,000 THB | Background check |
| LTR | 10 years | 50,000 THB | Income of 80,000 USD a year, or assets |
| Permanent residence | No end date | Reported at 7,600 THB to apply, 191,400 THB on approval | 3 years on a non-immigrant visa, yearly quota |
Consulate fees are those shown by the embassies named, on 14 November 2026. Every embassy charges in its own currency, and fees are not refunded.
Thailand entry requirements: passport, arrival card, funds
- Passport. Valid for at least six months after the day you arrive, with one blank page. A dual national must leave on the passport used to enter.
- Arrival card. The Thailand Digital Arrival Card, free, online, within the three days before arrival, on the only official site, tdac.immigration.go.th. Each traveller needs one, children included.
- Funds. Officers may ask for 10,000 THB per person or 20,000 THB per family.
- Onward ticket. Proof that you will leave within your permitted stay. Airlines check it at boarding.
- Vaccines. None required, except a yellow fever certificate if you arrive from, or spent more than 12 hours in transit through, a country with a risk of transmission. It applies from the age of nine months, and the certificate is valid for life.
Staying past your permitted date costs 500 THB a day, capped at 20,000 THB, and a long overstay can end in detention and a re-entry ban.
How and where to apply for a Thai visa
Visa applications go through the official Thailand e-Visa portal, thaievisa.go.th, and are decided by the embassy or consulate that covers where you live. You upload scans, pay online and receive the visa by email.
Allow 15 working days for a tourist visa. Washington asks education visa applicants to file at least 30 working days ahead. Embassies accept applications up to 90 days before travel, and New York asks for at least 30 days. Extensions, 90-day reports and changes of status are handled inside Thailand by the Immigration Bureau, not by embassies.
Work, study, family, LTR and permanent residence
Thailand work visa and work permit
A job in Thailand needs two things: a Non-Immigrant B visa, obtained abroad, and a work permit, issued in Thailand. The employer starts the process and provides a letter stating the position, salary and length of contract, together with the Ministry of Labour approval. Washington charges 80 USD for a single entry, to be used within 90 days of issue, and 200 USD for multiple entries valid one year. It asks for three months of bank statements showing 1,000 USD per person, or 4,000 USD for multiple entries. Law firms report that a company generally needs 2,000,000 THB of paid-up capital and four Thai employees for each foreign work permit.
Education visa (ED)
For study at a school approved by the Ministry of Education, from a Thai language course to a university degree. The visa gives 90 days and is extended at immigration for the length of the course. Washington charges 80 USD and asks for a signed enrolment letter and bank statements showing 4,000 USD, or 1,000 USD for short courses. Apply at least 30 working days ahead.
Thai marriage and family visa
A foreigner married to a Thai national, or with Thai family, applies for a Non-Immigrant O. The London embassy sets the financial test at an income of 40,000 THB a month or a balance of 400,000 THB, with proof of the relationship, on a page last updated in April 2024. The visa gives 90 days and is extended one year at a time in Thailand. Unlike the retirement visa, it can be combined with a work permit.
LTR visa
The Long-Term Resident visa, run by the Board of Investment, lasts 10 years and costs 50,000 THB. It has four categories: wealthy global citizens with 1,000,000 USD in assets, wealthy pensioners aged 50 or over with a passive income of 80,000 USD a year, remote workers employed by large foreign companies, and highly skilled professionals. A lower income of 40,000 USD is accepted in some categories with a master's degree, or for pensioners with 250,000 USD invested in Thailand. The Board of Investment gives its decision on eligibility within 20 working days.
Permanent residence in Thailand
Permanent residence is reported to open after at least three consecutive years on one-year extensions of a non-immigrant visa, through employment, investment or family. Thailand accepts no more than 100 people per nationality each year, plus 50 stateless persons. Applications are taken during a short window announced annually. The 2026 notice gave 9 March to 3 April, and the dates change each year. Fees are reported at 7,600 THB to apply and 191,400 THB on approval, or 95,700 THB for the spouse or child of a Thai national. Guides describe an interview in Thai and a wait of one to three years in practice. We could not open the Immigration Bureau page, so confirm each point with it.
In this section
Thailand cut visa-free stays to 30 days on 15 September 2026. Who needs a tourist visa, what it costs, how to extend and why visa on arrival is gone.
The Thailand e-Visa is issued on thaievisa.go.th only. Who needs one, step-by-step application, documents, fees by embassy and how long it takes.
The TDAC is free on the official .go.th website and opens 3 days before arrival. Step-by-step guide, who is exempt, fixing a mistake and scams to avoid.
The Destination Thailand Visa gives remote workers 180 days per entry for 5 years. Requirements, 500,000 THB proof of funds, fees and the 2026 rule change.
Retire in Thailand from age 50 with 800,000 THB or 65,000 THB a month. O, O-A and O-X visas compared, insurance rules, costs and yearly renewal.
Thailand Privilege, the former Elite visa, costs 650,000 to 5,000,000 THB for 5 to 20 years. Packages, what it allows and how it compares with other visas.