Thailand is one of the largest destinations in Southeast Asia. An exciting country, full of places to discover and with a culture and some of the most welcoming people.
However, being outside my home town, a series of questions are open to travelers. ” How to get your visa for Thailand? ”,“ What steps do I have to do to obtain a visa? ”. In the next post you can solve all these doubts and discover that everything is much easier than it seems.
Is a visa necessary to Travel to Thailand?
The answer to the question of whether a visa is required to enter Thailand is not just one. It mainly depends on the length of stay you are going to stay in the country and your nationality of origin. Another factor is the way of entry into the country, since, if it is terrestrial, the conditions change.
What you will need to enter Thailand is a valid passport, valid for at least 6 months from your date of entry into the country. Also remember that, depending on your country of origin, a series of vaccines will be mandatory. If you are in any of the mandatory vaccination cases, among which India is NOT, you must have your vaccination card in order to enter.
Visa less than 30 days in Thailand
If your visit to Thailand is less than 30 days, certain nationalities are exempt from applying for a visa. Exempt travellers include those of Spanish nationality. So, if this is your case, you will save yourself a lot of paperwork.
Required documentation
The documentation necessary to enter the country in this case is very basic:
- A valid passport from one of the States that does not have to apply for a visa. The passport must have an expiration of more than 6 months from the date of entry.
- Completed immigration sheet. If you arrive by plane they will give it to you on the flight so that you can present it at the border control. It is easy to cover, but if you want to avoid queues, we recommend that you get off the plane soon and have it filled. If you enter through a land border, you can request the sheet at the border post. In this case, according to the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the maximum time of stay in the country is reduced to 15 days. We recommend that you carry this immigration sheet with your passport at all times, as they can ask for it.
- If you travel by plane, you must present the return ticket or the one that leaves the country, with a date of less than 30 days.
60-DAY VISA IN THAILAND
If your stay is going to be longer than 30 days, it is mandatory to apply for a visa, whatever your nationality. It is a tourist visa, so this must be the reason for your trip. This visa is valid for a maximum of three months from its issuance, and you can stay in the country for a maximum of 60 days. Of course, the moment you leave Thailand your visa will expire, even if you have not been for 60 days. The cost to obtain the visa is € 35.
The processing is not from one day to the next, in fact, if you present it at the Thai embassy it takes 2 business days. If you send it by mail, you must add the shipping and return days. That is why we recommend that you process it at least 15 days in advance of your departure.
Required documentation
The necessary documentation is as follows:
- Your original valid passport with more than 6 months validity.
- If you reside in India legally but do not have a nationality, you must also provide your residence card (NIE) certified by the notary or the police to guarantee its authenticity.
- Two photos size card (4x5cm), front, without sunglasses and bareheaded.
- A photocopy of the round trip ticket. The return date cannot be more than 60 days from arrival. If you process more than one visa, you must provide as many copies as there are visa procedures.
- Visa application form.
- Photocopies of hotel reservations for your entire stay in Thailand. If you are going to stay at someone’s house (or use Airbnb), you need an invitation letter along with a document from the host (passport or ID).
- Payment of fees: € 35.
In the event that you reach 60 days, you can apply for the visa extension for another 30 days at any Immigration Office in the country.
MULTIPLE ENTRY TOURIST VISA
This type of visa is useful if you plan to visit neighbouring countries, but your round-trip ticket goes from your country of origin to Thailand. This way you will not need to process an entry visa every time you cross the border to Thailand.
The validity of the visa is 6 months since it is issued, and in that time you can enter and leave the country as many times as you want. Of course, each stay in Thailand cannot exceed 60 days in a row. The cost of the visa is € 175.
Required documentation
To process the multiple-entry tourist visa, the documentation to be presented is the same, only a few points change, which we detail below:
- Your original passport in order with more than 12 months of validity since entering the country.
- Two photos size card (4x5cm), front, without sunglasses and bareheaded.
- A photocopy of two-entry and two-exit tickets (to be used within 6 months from the issuance of the visa). That is, in addition to your round-trip ticket from your place of origin, at least one round-trip ticket to another country, proving that you are leaving Thailand and returning.
- Visa application form.
- Photocopies of hotel reservations for your entire stay in Thailand. If you are going to stay at someone’s house (or use Airbnb), you need a letter of invitation along with a document from the host (passport or ID).
- Proof of possessing sufficient financial means to cope with the stay in Thailand:
Visa for Employed Workers
- Bank statement reflecting a minimum average balance in the last six months of THB 200,000 (€ 6,000)
- Photocopy of the last payroll signed and / or stamped by the head of the company
Visa for Own-Account Workers (Self-Employed)
- Bank statement reflecting a minimum average balance in the last six months of THB 200,000 (€ 6,000)
- Proof of payment of self-employed fees, proof of payment of VAT and personal income tax. (Models 100, 300 or 131 of the Tax Agency).
Visa for Pensioners
- Bank statement reflecting a minimum average balance in the last six months of THB 200,000 (€ 6,000)
- Bank or Social Security certificate indicating the amount of the pension you receive.
Visa for students without own income
- Declaration signed by the guarantor relative as he takes financial responsibility of the applicant.
- The family guarantor will provide the required documents depending on their employment situation, as indicated above.
Which countries are exempt from Visa?
Here we show countries that are exempt from visa requirement for stays less than 30 days, or may apply for a visa to the arrival (VISA ON ARRIVAL) if staying less than 15 days:
| Stays of less than 15 days (VISA ON ARRIVAL) | Stays of less than 30 days (EXEMPT FROM VISA) |
| Bulgaria | Germany |
| Bhutan | Andorra |
| China | Australia |
| Cyprus | Austria |
| Ethiopia | Belgium |
| Fiji | Bahrain |
| Georgia | Brunei |
| India | Canada |
| Kazakhstan | Czech Republic |
| malt | Denmark |
| Mexico | Estonia |
| Nauru | Finland |
| Papua New Guinea | France |
| Romania | Greece |
| Saudi Arabia | Hungary |
| Taiwan | Iceland |
| Uzbekistan | Indonesia |
| Vanuatu | Ireland |
| Israel | |
| Italy | |
| Japan | |
| Kuwait | |
| Latvia | |
| Liechtenstein | |
| Lithuania | |
| Luxembourg | |
| Malaysia | |
| Maldives | |
| Mauritius | |
| Monaco | |
| Holland | |
| New Zealand | |
| Norway | |
| Oman | |
| Philippines | |
| Poland | |
| Portugal | |
| Qatar | |
| San Marino | |
| Singapore | |
| Slovakia | |
| Slovenia | |
| Spain | |
| South Africa | |
| Sweden | |
| Switzerland | |
| Turkey | |
| Ukraine | |
| Arab Emirates | |
| U.S | |
| Brazil | |
| South Korea | |
| Peru | |
| Hong Kong | |
| Vietnam |
How to get Visa for Thailand? – Request by mail
The visa application can be made at the Thai embassy of the country where you are. In the case of India the address is as follows:
Royal Thai Embassy, New Delhi
| The Address | 56-N Nyaya Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi 110021 |
| Phone | +91 11 2419 7200 |
| Fax | +91 11 2419 7199 |
| thaidel@mfa.go.th thaiemb.india@gmail.com | |
| Consular section email | consular.del@gmail.com |
| Website | http://newdelhi.thaiembassy.org |
| Facebook Pages | https://www.facebook.com/thaiembassy.newdelhi/ https://www.facebook.com/NamasteThailandNewDelhi/ |
| Emergency number | +91 95 9999 1484 |
If you cannot personally present the papers at the embassy, they recommend that you send the documentation by MRW with the ̈Delivery and Collection servicio service. In this case, if you meet the requirements to obtain the visa, MRW will collect your documents within the indicated period and take them back to you. When the cash payment of the fee is required, MRW can arrange it with the courier upon delivery of the documentation.
If you choose another courier service, it will be responsible for managing the delivery, collection and payment of the fee in cash. The delivery / collection time will be from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
From the embassy they make it clear that they do not make any type of shipment, so pre-stamped envelopes are not accepted .