Thailand Travel Guide

Passports & Visas

All visitors to Thailand must carry a valid passport with proof of onward passage (either a return or through ticket). Visa applications are not required if you are staying less than 30 days and are a national of 1 of 41 designated countries including Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States (New Zealanders may stay up to 3 months).

The Immigration Division of the Royal Thai Police Department is found at 507 Soi Suan Plu (off Sathorn Road, and a short taxi ride from Chong Nongsi BTS; tel. 02287-3101). Many foreigners have made use of the limitless 1-month free entry visas that many travelers used to be granted on arrival. However, since November 1, 2006, this free visa privilege only extends to an accumulated total stay of 90 days, in a 6-month period.

Visitors planning to stay for longer than a month can arrange for 60-day tourist visas at embassies overseas for a cost of 1050B ($30/£16); this is renewable in Thailand for an additional 30 days for another 1,900B (US$54/£29). If you overstay your visa, you will be charged between 500B and 1,000B (US$14-US$29/£7-£15) per day, which is payable when exiting the kingdom. Longer overstays are punishable by anything upwards of a 20,000B (US$571/£308) fine or a stay in jail. For more information, check www.thaivisa.com, but bear in mind that it may not be updated.

Warning: Until they were outlawed in 2006, small travel agencies offered "visa services" where you paid for a courier to take your passport to a border post to get a new visa stamp. A police crackdown has put a halt to this illegal practice. Foreigners who take advantage of the free 30-day visa-on-arrival service must remember that they may only do this three times in a row (allowing them a cumulative stay of a maximum of 90 days). After that they will not be allowed to enter Thailand until they pay for a new visa issued by a Royal Thai Embassy overseas.

A Note on Passports -- For an up-to-date, country-by-country listing of passport requirements around the world, go to the "Foreign Entry Requirement" Web page of the U.S. State Department at www.travel.state.gov.

Royal Thai Embassies Overseas

In the United States, contact the Royal Thai Embassy, 1024 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Suite 401, Washington, DC 20007 (tel. 202/944-3600; fax 202/944-3611); The Permanent Mission of Thailand to the United Nations, 351 E. 52nd St., New York, NY 10022 (tel. 212/754-2230; fax 212/754-2535); the Royal Thai Consulate-General, 801 N. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90038 (tel. 213/937-1894; fax 213/937-5987); or the Royal Thai Consulate-General, 35 E. Wacker Dr., Suite 1834, Chicago, IL 60601 (tel. 312/236-2447; fax 312/236-1906). In Canada, contact the Royal Thai Embassy, 180 Island Park Dr., Ottawa, Ontario K1Y OA2 (tel. 613/722-4444; fax 613/722-6624); or the Royal Thai Embassy, 106-736 Granville St., Vancouver, BC V6Z 1G4 (tel. 604/687-1143; fax 604/687-4434). In Australia, contact the Royal Thai Embassy, 111 Empire Circuit Yarralumla, Canberra ACT 2600 (tel. 02/6273-1149; fax 02/6273-1518); or the Royal Thai Consulate-General, 2nd floor, 75-77 Pitt St., Sydney, NSW 2000 (tel. 02/9241-2120; fax 02/9247-8312). In New Zealand, contact the Royal Thai Embassy, 2 Cook St., Karori, P.O. Box 17226, Wellington (tel. 644/476-8618; fax 644/476-3677). In the United Kingdom, contact the Royal Thai Embassy, 29-30 Queen's Gate, London (tel. 171/589-0173; fax 171/823-9695; enquiries@thaiconsul-uk.com).

Medical Requirements

No inoculations or vaccinations are required unless you are coming from, or passing through, areas infected with Yellow Fever, but do verify what may be recommended. Yellow Fever certificates are required for those coming from 14 African and South American countries. Check at the appropriate consulate or embassy for up-to-date information about health certificates that may be required for entry. Also see your doctor before leaving your home country.