Thailand Passport and Visa Requirements |
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To answer all your questions regarding passport and visa requirements before booking the best hotels in Thailand and embarking on an expedition to the land of smiles, we have put together an abbreviated explanation below. First and most importantly, Thailand requirements that travelers should hold a passport which is still valid for not less than 6 months before entering the country. Visitors from most Western and South East Asian countries, including USA, The UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and most other European countries, do not have to apply for tourist visas, but can obtain free tourist permits at the airport upon arrival. This permit will allow you to stay as a tourist for maximum 30 days. If your country is not on the list for visa exemptions, you can apply for one at any foreign Thai embassy or consulate with very little hassle. However, as said, most nationalities do not need apply.
If you however plan to stay longer than 30 days, you have to apply for a Non-Immigrant Tourist Visa at a Thai embassy or consulate in your home country. This will allow you stay for 60 days. It can be further extended while you are in Thailand for another 30 days, allowing you to stay a total of 90 days. Though you can do this at any immigration office in Thailand, the best place to go is probably at the immigration office in Bangkok (Tel: 0-2287-3101). Don't turn up looking scruffy. Thais look down on this and willingness to help you quickly and effectively may become less upon laying eyes on tattered clothes and unshaven faces. Immigration offices are also available should you visit Koh Samui in the Nathon area, Phuket or Chiang Mai hotels and several other towns.
Border runs have been cut short due to the very recent change in rules regarding overland entry by Thai immigration. Foreigners entering Thailand via border posts at Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Malaysia without securing a prior visa will now be granted only 15 days of stay in the country as opposed to the previous Visa on Arrival, which was valid for 30 days.
Lost or Stolen Passports
The FCO (British Embassy Bangkok) now states that the MINIMUM time to process a lost passport is 14 days. This is because all new passports are biometric where facial features and iris recognition require processing. A lost passport can affect so many things such as having to pay for another flight.
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