6 Month Visa For Thailand

The Thai government has implemented a 6 month visa policy for tourists entering Thailand. The purpose is to promote tourism in the country. There is no longer restrictions on any nationalities and visas can be obtained at the arrival airport. You are granted a 30 day stay for each entry into Thailand once you have arrived the visa free period cannot be prolonged, extended or adjusted. In addition, it is possible to obtain a 60 day tourist visa in advance before entering the country. The new policy makes it possible to stay in Thailand visa-free for up to 6 months by making only one trip through the border checkpoint during that time. Thailand is one of the most popular tourist destinations. The weather is always warm, the food is delicious and for some reason it’s one of the very few countries where man-eating tigers occasionally roam the streets looking for tourists to eat.  You may choose to visit the Buddhist temples or shopping malls, while others may want to ride elephants. Whatever you decide to do, you’ll be sure enjoy your stay in Thailand with their colorful culture and vibrant society.

Thailand is a popular country for people to visit or move to, especially for retirees. Over the past few years I have seen an increase in the number of long time expatriates applying for Thai citizenship. Applying for citizenship is not cheap and can cost up to USD110,000 per person or USD250,000 for a family. There are other ways to get residency but they involve lots of hurdles too. So instead many choose to just stay and work in Thailand on non-immigrant visas that can be renewed every year without any problems.

We have some good news out of Thailand. As of early 2016, the Thai government introduced a new type of tourist visa for people of all nationalities. Americans and travelers from all over the world can now obtain a six month multiple-entry Thailand tourist visa. These new multiple entry visas will replace the countries current double and triple entry visas.

This change is great news for people who want to visit Thailand. Quite often, Thailand is one destination on a multi-country trip to Southeast Asia. It’s quite common for people to fly into and out of Bangkok, but also want to see Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia on their travels. Hopefully, this new visa will make it easier for people traveling in and around Thailand to get in and out of the country with ease.

It’s also great for people who have family living in Thailand. There is a huge ex-pat population in cities like Bangkok and Chang Mai, and Americans may want to visit their family members on a regular basis. That will now be easier thanks to the six month multiple entry visa.

Single entry Thailand visas will still be available for people who simply want to visit Thailand once. Single entry visas currently cost $40 USD, and the six month, multiple entry visas cost $200 USD. These visas must me applied for before travel to Thailand, and cannot be obtained while in country.

You should also keep in mind that while these 6 month visas allows for multiple entries within a six-month period, each stay duration may only last for up to 60 days. Visas become valid on the date that they are issued. The duration of stay is determined upon entry to Thailand.

According to the Thai Office of Immigration Bureau, people who need to stay in Thailand longer than the six month window

Thai Elite Visa

Thailand Elite Visa is a long-term visa categorized under Privilege Entry Visa allowing residency in Thailand along with benefits for a period between 5 and 20 years depending of the chosen package in exchange of a membership fee. The Elite Visa is a 5-year renewable multiple entry visa with an extendable 1-year length of stay per each entry.

This visa is appropriate for anyone who lives or regularly comes to Thailand but doesn’t want to deal with Thailand’s bureaucratic visa system. This includes digital nomads that don’t want to do visa runs, retirees who don’t want to be stressed with the new complicated regulations that have been regularly introduced, or investors or business people who need to fly in and out of Thailand several times a year.

Tourist Visa

This is a 60-day Tourist Visa to Thailand that can either be a multiple or single entry and can be extended for up to another 30 days by means of a visa run. Well if you want to extend longer than 30 days, you can convert the visa to a Non-Immigrant Visa which will require you to go to the nearby city or country such as Penang and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Non-Immigrant Visa

This is normally a single entry visa to Thailand valid for 90 days. Like the tourist visa, you can extend your stay by doing a visa run going to the border or nearby city/country. Obtaining a work permit and opening a bank account is possible.

UPDATE: Some embassies will reject your COE application if you do not have the correct format for the Health Insurance.