Independent visa agency — not affiliated with the government
Thailand visa application

How to apply for a Thai visa

There are generally two ways to obtain a visa for Thailand — apply from your home country before you travel, or convert your status once you are already inside the Kingdom. Here is exactly how each one works.

Generally, in order to proceed the visas for Thailand, you can process in two conditions.

One important exception

The Thailand One Year Multiple Entry Non-Immigrant Visa is the only type that cannot be processed inside Thailand — this visa must be issued by a Thai Embassy or Thai Consulate only.

Long-tail boats and riverside temples along the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, ThailandBangkok, Thailand
Two clear paths

Whether you apply from home or from here

Some travellers prepare their Thai visa before they ever board a flight; others arrive first and convert their status once they are settled along the Chao Phraya. We guide you through whichever route fits your situation.

Condition 1

Proceeding a Thai visa outside Thailand

You can start the process while you are in your own country — or in any country where you hold permanent residence status or a long-term pass visa. Here is the path from your first email to your stamped passport.

Start in your home country

Begin the application while you are in your country, or in any country where you have permanent residence status or a long-term pass visa.

Receive our questionnaire

Once you decide to process your Thailand visa through our service, we send you our visa application questionnaire by email.

Provide your information

You respond with your personal information so we can complete all of the paperwork involved on your behalf.

Documents & checklist prepared

We send back our prepared documents, including an updated checklist file, ready for you to review.

Print, sign & send your passport

Print out the documents, sign the prepared application form and other essential papers, then send your passport and our supporting documents to the Thai Consulate as we instruct.

Visa in 5–10 business days

You receive the Thai visa stamped in your passport within 5–10 business days once the Thai Consulate receives your application.

Passport returned by certified mail

Your passport with the Thai visa is safely returned to your address — the consulate uses Certified Mail Services such as Royal Mail, Overnight Courier or USPS.

Prefer not to post your passport?

You can directly submit the Thailand visa application at the consulate, which will help you get the visa within 1 working day.

On the other hand, if you want to process a visa for Thailand by yourself, you might be able to do this — but some consulates will not provide the related forms online and will not give you the full, detailed information. These gaps can cost you more time when processing your Thai visa.

Siamese Visa Service is happy to assist you in this circumstance, if you give us the opportunity. For detailed information about each type of Thailand visa, simply choose your zone or nationality further down this page and learn more about your visa before confirming with us.

Condition 2

Proceeding a Thai visa inside Thailand

Already in the Kingdom on a Visa Exemption, Visa on Arrival or 60-day Tourist Visa? In many cases you can convert your status without leaving the country.

Normally, most foreigners enter Thailand with a Visa Exemption, a Visa on Arrival or a 60-day Tourist Visa. A common question is whether these can be converted to a Thailand Non-Immigrant Visa. The answer is "Yes."

The 21-day rule

Your Thai Tourist Visa or Visa Exemption must remain valid for at least 21 days (around three weeks) before you can convert to a Thailand Non-Immigrant Visa at an immigration office.

Converting between Non-Immigrant types

For a foreigner who already holds a Non-Immigrant Visa inside Thailand but wishes to convert to a different type — for instance, Mr. A holds a Non-Immigrant B Visa that will expire soon and wants to convert to a Non-Immigrant ED or O-A visa inside Thailand. In practice, if Mr. A files a petition to convert to one of these visas, the immigration office would not accept his application, except where there are other genuine necessities.

If his qualification or reason is insufficient to be changed to that type, Mr. A must leave Thailand and go to a Thai Embassy or Thai Consulate to obtain the new type of Non-Immigrant visa he requires. So please ensure you are clear about your main purpose of staying in Thailand — this avoids wasting time exiting the country and paying additional fees you do not need.

Plan with your real purpose in mind

If you have a genuine, actual purpose for staying in Thailand, it becomes an advantage later when you want to apply for a Thailand permanent residence visa.

Building a long-term plan

For an applicant who is not yet qualified to apply for a Thailand permanent residence visa, you may begin a long plan to stay in Thailand with a 90-Day Non-Immigrant Visa or a One Year Multiple Entry Non-Immigrant Visa. Either of these permits the holder to apply for a Work Permit and to extend into a One Year Working / Business / Family / Retiree Visa.

Choose your nationality below to see the Thai visa options available, then find the appropriate Thai visa to match your need.

Choose your nationality

Thai visa options by nationality

The same eight visa options are available to every nationality group. Select your zone to see full details for your country.

Let's find the right Thai visa for you

Tell us your nationality, purpose and timeline, and we will match you with the appropriate Thai visa for your highest requirement.

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Please note: this site is not affiliated with the government. We contact the authorities only to obtain accurate, up-to-date visa information for our clients.