Sometimes a 30-day or 15 -day period of stay under the Thai Visa exemption and Thai Visa on Arrival schemes respectively are not long enough to truly enjoy all the wonderful adventures that the Land of Smiles has to offer. More often than not the charmed visitor like you would want a longer stay in Thailand. In this case, you would need to apply a Thai tourist visa from the Thai embassy in your respective home country prior to your departure in the kingdom. The Thai tourist visa provides a 60-day period of stay in Thailand which can be extended into another 30 days giving a total period of stay of 90 days.
Recently, Thai embassies and consulates worldwide have started issuing a double entry visa which means you can stay in Thailand for a total of 6 months. Your first entry tourist visa allows you a 90-day stay, 60 days plus the 30-day extension. Once you have this exhausted, you can proceed to the border or go out of the country then come back and obtain your next tourist visa at the border or at the airport. Also, Thai tourist visa applications worldwide are not subject to visa fee. This remains the case until March 2010.
The main requirements for the tourist visa application are as follows:
Completed Visa Application Form Proof of Funds to finance the trip -This can be in the forms of travelers cheque, bank statements, cash and credit card balance Itinerary or ticket reservation Passport Photo (2×2) Visa fee – It’s free at the moment until March 2010.
You can lodge your Thailand tourist visa applications at the nearest Thai embassy or consulate in your area. In some countries like the UK and the US, you may be able to post or mail your visa applications to the Thai embassy and they will mail you back your passport with the visa stamped on it if your application is successful. You can download a free copy of a Legal Guide to Thai Visas on our website.