Tourist Visa Info

Visitors wishing to stay in the kingdom for more than 15 days must apply for an entry visa from a Thai diplomatic mission in any country. In the event there are no Thai diplomatic missions in their home country, they may apply to a mission in a neighboring country.

When a person is a national of a country with no Thai embassy or consulate, he also can write to the Immigration Division at Soi Suan Phlu, Sathorn Tai Road, Bangkok, and ask for a letter of permission which, if granted, can be used for entry to Thailand in lieu of a visa.

A visa must be used within a period of 90 days from the date of issue; unless an extension is obtained, it otherwise becomes void. The tourist visa permits a stay of up to 60 days . It can be extended once by 30 days.

Extensions

Tourist visas can be extended by one month at Thai immigration offices. The immigration head office is on Soi Suan Phlu off Sathorn Thai Rd. To get there by bus from the Sukhumvit Road area , one rides a No 1, 8, 11 or 13 aircon bus or a No 2, 25, 40 or 48 non-aircon bus up to the intersection of Ploenchit Rd and Witthayu Rd (Wireless Rd). From there a No 62 non-aircon bus passes by the immigration offices (coming that way, one will see it at the left side).

The procedure of extending a visa is simple . One fills out a form, attaches one passport picture , pays a standard fee of 500 Baht and gets the extension. Three counters have to be passed, and it's a matter of usually around 1 hour.

Credit Cards

Credit cards are widely accepted in Thailand and most businesses display stickers for the cards they accept. Shops will sometimes add an additional charge of 3 to 5 percent when a client pays with his card.