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Visas and entry

Visa-free stays, DTV, the TDAC card, customs and entry rules, with check dates.

15 guides

Guide Thailand retirement visa in 2026: age, money and insurance The Thai retirement visa is open from age 50. You need an income of at least THB 65,000 a month or a balance of at least THB 800,000 (3-month statements from any banks are accepted for the visa). The long-stay O-A visa, valid for up to a year, also requires insurance of USD 100,000 or THB 3,000,000, a medical certificate, a police certificate and proof of permanent residence in the country of application. You can instead take a 90-day retirement visa and extend it for a year in Thailand, in which case THB 800,000 must sit in a Thai bank. The 10-year O-X visa is not available to Russians: Russia is not on the list of 14 eligible countries. Data as of October 2026.
Guide Thailand visa for Russians in 2026: visa exemption, tourist, DTV, retirement and others Russians need no visa for up to 30 days: the exemption under the Thailand-Russia agreement remains, and the 60-day stay ended on 15 September 2026. For longer stays you choose by purpose: a tourist visa for up to 60 days costs USD 40 at the embassy in Moscow, a 5-year DTV for remote work and courses USD 350, and the O-A retirement visa for people aged 50 and over allows up to a year. All applications from Russia go online through thaievisa.go.th, the fee is paid in cash in dollars at the embassy, and processing usually takes 14 business days (as of October 2026).
Guide Thailand Elite (Thailand Privilege Card): what it costs and what it gives Thailand Elite, called the Thailand Privilege Card on the programme's site, is a paid membership with a long-term visa that does not allow work. Visa packages as of October 2026: Bronze THB 650,000 for 5 years, Gold 900,000 for 5, Platinum 1.5 million for 10, Diamond 2.5 million for 15, and Reserve 5 million for 20 years by invitation. Approval takes up to 2 months, membership is activated within a week of payment, and the visa is then affixed at an airport or at immigration. You cannot work on it: it is classed as a long-term tourist visa.
Guide Thailand LTR (Long-Term Resident) visa: four categories, requirements and fees The LTR (Long-Term Resident) is a ten-year visa from the BOI programme for wealthy foreigners, pensioners, remote workers and specialists in priority industries. You are first allowed 5 years, and a further 5 are added if you keep meeting the conditions. You apply online on ltr.boi.go.th, for free, and a decision usually comes within 20 working days. Issuance in Bangkok costs THB 50,000 for 10 years, and at the Royal Thai Embassy in Moscow USD 2,000 (as of October 2026).
Guide Work visa and work permit in Thailand: who applies and what documents you need To work legally in Thailand you need two documents: a Non-B visa and a work permit. The permit application is filed online on the Department of Employment's e-WorkPermit platform, launched in October 2025, and the Thai employer requests the Ministry of Labour's approval for the visa. Under the Ministry of Labour's fee schedule the application costs THB 100 and a one-year permit THB 3,000. An employer who lets someone work without a permit faces a fine of THB 10,000-100,000 per foreigner (as of October 2026).
Question Where to fill in the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) for free The Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) is free. You fill it in only on the Immigration Bureau's official site, tdac.immigration.go.th, within 3 days before your arrival date. If a site asks for payment, it is a copycat: in March 2026 Thai immigration said at least 10% of foreign arrivals had registered through fake TDAC sites. The card has been mandatory for all foreign nationals since 1 May 2025 (as of October 2026).
Question Do you need an onward ticket and 20,000 baht to enter Thailand? Under the visa exemption rules in force since 15 September 2026, immigration can ask for proof of onward travel within 30 days and proof of funds: 20,000 baht per person according to the Royal Thai Embassy in London, or 10,000 baht per person (20,000 per family) for visa on arrival and certain visa-exempt cases according to TAT, with children under 12 not counted. Entry and length of stay are decided by the immigration officer at the airport. In practice these checks are random, but without a ticket or funds you can be refused entry. Airlines may also ask for an onward ticket at check-in (October 2026).
Question Does Thailand charge a 300 baht tourist entry fee No, Thailand does not charge a tourist entry fee as of October 2026. On 14 August 2026 the National Tourism Policy Committee backed a flat 450 baht for every arrival by air, land or sea, replacing the earlier 300 and 150 baht rates (government PRD, 17 August 2026). It still needs Cabinet approval; air collection would start 180 days after publication in the Royal Gazette, and land and sea about 360 days after that. Reports of a 1,000-5,000 baht exit tax are not backed by any official document we could find.
Question How long can you stay in Thailand visa-free in 2026 The 60-day visa exemption is gone: Thailand revoked it for all 93 countries and territories from 15 September 2026, under Interior Ministry announcements published in the Royal Gazette on 31 August 2026. Travellers from 60 listed countries, including the UK, US, Australia and all EU member states, now get up to 30 days for tourism, while some nationalities keep bilateral arrangements. If you entered before 15 September, you can stay until the date in your stamp (as of October 2026).
Question Can you bring a vape or IQOS to Thailand No. Thailand has banned the import of e-cigarettes, e-liquids and heat-not-burn devices such as IQOS since 2014, with no exception for tourists or personal use (as of October 2026). Under the Customs Act, bringing goods past customs without clearing them carries up to 10 years in prison or a fine of four times the duty-inclusive value (s. 242), importing through clearance while evading a ban carries up to 10 years or a fine of up to THB 500,000 (s. 244), and buying or keeping such goods up to 5 years and the matching fine (s. 246). In practice, the UK Foreign Office says vapes are confiscated and fines typically run THB 5,000-30,000.
Question Can you extend a visa-exempt stay in Thailand, and how to do it in Phuket Yes: a visa-exempt stay can be extended at an immigration office for 1,900 baht with a TM7 form, a 4x6 cm photo and copies of your passport and entry stamp, applied for in person (Immigration Bureau). For the 30-day visa exemption that 60 countries have had since 15 September 2026, the Royal Thai Embassy in London says the extension is up to 30 days. Approval is at the officer's discretion, and travellers report it is granted once per entry. In Phuket the immigration office is in Phuket Town on Phuket Road (October 2026).
Guide How to get a Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) in 2026 The Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) is a 5-year multiple-entry visa for remote workers, freelancers, people on soft-power courses such as Muay Thai, Thai cooking or medical treatment, and their families. Each entry gives up to 180 days, which you can extend once by another 180 days at Immigration. You need a 3-month bank statement showing at least THB 500,000, and for applications filed from 31 August 2026 also proof of permanent residence in the country where you apply and a police clearance certificate. You apply online at thaievisa.go.th, the base fee set by Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs is THB 10,000, and each embassy charges its own amount (as of October 2026).
Guide Can you still do visa runs from Thailand, and how many a year Yes, there is a limit, but it is narrower than many posts claim. From 15 September 2026, TAT says travellers on the new 30-day and 15-day visa exemptions can generally enter through land border checkpoints no more than twice per calendar year, with Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore and any other nationalities the Minister designates exempt. The Royal Thai Embassy in London words it more broadly as twice per calendar year without splitting land and air. Either way, the officer at the border decides on every entry, and living on back-to-back visa-exempt stamps is getting riskier.
Guide What you can bring into Thailand duty-free You can bring 200 cigarettes (or 250 g of tobacco) and 1 litre of alcohol into Thailand duty-free, plus personal effects worth up to 20,000 baht. There is no limit on cash, but the Bank of Thailand requires a declaration for more than USD 15,000 in foreign banknotes or more than 450,000 baht. Personal medication is allowed up to 30 days' supply, in original packaging with a prescription; narcotic drugs, and psychotropic drugs beyond 30 days, need a Thai FDA permit. E-cigarettes are banned (October 2026).
Guide What you need to enter Thailand in 2026 Since 15 September 2026 the 60-day visa exemption is gone: travellers from 60 listed countries and territories, including the UK, US, Australia and EU states, get up to 30 days for tourism. Every foreigner must file the free Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) at tdac.immigration.go.th within 3 days before arrival, and officers may ask for onward travel within 30 days and proof of funds: TAT lists THB 10,000 per person (20,000 per family) for visa on arrival and certain visa-exempt cases, while the London embassy says THB 20,000 per person. There is no tourist entry fee yet, and travel insurance is not among the published conditions for visa exemption or visa on arrival (as of October 2026).