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Travelers coming to Thailand have different Thai visa options depending upon the passport they hold. Some people will be granted a visa exemption upon arrival in the Kingdom while others may be granted an actual visa when they arrive. The validity of this extension can vary depending upon relations between the passport holder’s home country and the Kingdom of Thailand. Below are lists of countries and the special Thai Immigration privileges accorded to their nationals. For those thinking of traveling to Thailand it is probably wise to double check the visa rules before coming to Thailand as Thai Immigration regulations can change relatively quickly. As a result, the information contained below can become out of date.

Passport holders from the following countries shall be entitled to apply for a 15 day visa on arrival in Thailand:

Bhutan, China, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, India, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Maldives, Mauritius, Oman, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Taiwan, Ukraine, Australia.

Passport holders from this list of countries may enter Thailand on a 30 day visa exemption:

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bahrain, Brunei, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Monaco, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, The Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Singapore, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Vietnam

Passport holders from this list of countries may enter Thailand on a 90 day visa exemption:

Peru, Brazil, The Republic of Korea

Passport holders from these countries may enter Thailand for 30 days without a visa based upon a bilateral Treaty or Agreement with the Kingdom of Thailand:

Hong Kong, Laos, Macau, Mongolia, Russia, Vietnam

Passport holders from these countries may enter Thailand for 90 days without a visa based upon a bilateral Treaty or Agreement with the Kingdom of Thailand:

Argentina, Brazil, Chile, The Republic of Korea, Peru

Holders of Diplomatic Passports from the following countries may enter and remain in the Kingdom of Thailand without a visa:

Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Laos, Macau, Mongolia, Myanmar, Oman, Vietnam

Holders of Diplomatic Passports from these countries may enter and remain in Thailand for 90 days without obtaining a visa:

Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Bhutan, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, The Netherlands, Nepal, Panama, Peru, The Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Tunisia, Turkey,
Ukraine, Uruguay

For more information, please see the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs by clicking here

(Please do not mistake this post as being a suitable substitute for legal advice from a licensed professional. No attorney-client relationship is created between the reader and the author of this posting.)

Tags: passport, Thai Visa, Thailand Immigration, Thailand Visa
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US Immigration and Thai Immigration have a great deal in common and also many differences. I decided to write a quick blog post exploring the differences between the two systems in order to provide more clarity for those seeking to immigrate to either Thailand or the United States.

With regard to ease of visa obtainment, overall it is generally more difficult to obtain a USA visa than a Thai Visa. That being said, there are certain aspects of US Immigration that are far more generous than Thailand’s system. For example Thai Permanent Residence is very difficult to obtain from a practical standpoint and almost no one enters the country with Permanent Residence, especially if they have never been to Thailand before. In contrast, the United States confers lawful permanent residence upon entry to the USA for those married to a United States Citizen for longer than 2 years at the time of visa application.  For those married less than 2 years at the time of application, conditional permanent residence is immediately granted upon entry and the conditionality must be lifted later.

A Thai Business Visa is somewhat similar to an American Business Visa in that both allow for travel to the USA or Thailand for business purposes. However, neither visa actually confers the right to work in either country. This is where the similarities end because in order to obtain lawful employment in the USA the immigrant would need to get a visa that has work authorization. In Thailand, the immigrant would need to obtain a Thai work permit. Getting work authorization for Thailand is somewhat easier in Thailand than in the United States.

The Thai Tourist Visa and the American Tourist Visa are quite similar. They both are non-immigrant visas designed for recreational purposes. Currently, the Thai Tourist visa is being offered free of charge to those wishing to visit the Kingdom of Thailand. This is not the case for the American tourist visa as a non-immigrant application fee and pin number fee are required for those applying for a tourist visa.

One of the most significant differences between United States Immigration and Immigration to Thailand is the fact that Thailand does not have any provisions in its Immigration law for a Fiance visa. The Fiancee Visa in the United States is commonly know by its visa category classification: K-1 visa. No matter what it is known as, it is designed to allow a Fiancee of an American Citizen entry into the United States for the purpose of marriage and permanent residence in the USA. Thailand has nothing remotely resembling this type of visa. Further, it does not appear that Thailand will be creating anything like the K1 Visa anytime soon.

Overall, Thai Immigration is dissimilar to American Immigration because US Immigration is far more substantially funded and has more agents operating under the aegis of USCIS and the US State Department.

(Nothing contained in this blog post should be used as legal advce. No Attorney/client relationship shall be created between author and reader.)

Tags: American Visa Thailand, K-1 Visa Thailand, Thai Visa, Thailand Business Visa, Thailand Visa, US Immigration Thailand, us visa lawyer thailand, US Visa Thailand
Posted in Fiance Visa Thailand, General Legal Information, K1 Visa Thailand, Legal Opinion, Miscellaneous, Thailand Visa, US Embassy Thailand, US Visa and Immigration, US Visa Thailand, Visa Waiver | 1 Comment »

Some Visas in Thailand do not confer resident status which can be beneficial for a number of reasons. Thai education visas and Thai tourist visas do not confer resident status and as a result accrual of time spent in Thailand on either of these visas will not count towards the necessary time requirements for Thai permanent residence.

Currently, Thailand is issuing visa exemptions (the right to remain in Thailand without a proper visa) for 30 days at an airport and for 15 days at a land border. However, Thai tourist visas are currently free to applicants at certain Embassies.

Thai “O” Visas or Other Visas, are issued to those who are either a family member of a Thai national, permanent resident, or visa holder, based upon a filial relationship to the visa holder. Currently, it is possible to obtain O visas for Non-Thai children, but for those children under a certain age, it is not possible to overstay in Thailand. This situation is similar in US Immigration where non-Citizen children cannot accrual unlawful presence in the United States. A child may be overstaying a visa, but the child cannot accrue time as a person present in the USA unlawfully.

At one time, Thai work permits were used as a basis for granting business visa extensions in Thailand. Before that time, a business visa extension could be obtained without obtaining a work permit, but this situation was considered unacceptable because it left many non-Thais in Thailand on business visas, some of whom were working, but without a work permit. For a period of time, the work permit was the foundation of the business visa extension application. Recently, the Thai work permit was “untied” from the business visa extension and as a result it is easier to obtain a work permit, but seemingly more difficult to obtain a Thai visa extension.

Many people forget that a Thai multiple entry visa is good until its expiration date and the visa holder will be granted a stay of 90 days upon entry. This leads to the situation where the non-Thai presents his visa to Thai Immigration one day before the visa’s expiration, but is granted entry into Thailand for nearly 90 days past the visa’s expiration.

(Please note: this post is not a substitute for personal legal advice from a licensed attorney. No lawyer-client relationship is created between author and reader.)

Tags: O visa, overstay, Permanent Resident, Thai Visa, Thailand Immigration, unlawful presence
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Thailand O Visa

The Thailand O visa is something of an anomaly because it is truly a “catch-all” visa category. Generally O visas in Thailand are used by spouses of either Thai nationals or spouses of those present in Thailand on some other type of Thai Visa. The O visa confers work authorization insofar as it allows the holder of said visa to petition for a Thai work permit.

Although legally eligible to obtain a work permit, there are sometimes work permit difficulties for the O visa holder. As a practical matter, some Thai immigration officers and Ministry of Labour officials do not like to see work permits issued to those in Thailand on an O visa unless the O visa is based upon an underlying spousal relationship to either a Thai National, Permanent Resident in Thailand, or business visa holder (in the case of the spouse of a business visa holder, the O visa holder may have some difficulty obtaining a work permit).

Thailand Elite Card

The Thailand Elite Card program was a program designed with the idea of improving business tourism in Thailand. The card offered many benefits that would be convenient and useful for the prospective business traveler in Thailand. Most notably, there were some very positive immigration benefits conferred upon businesspeople holding a Thailand Elite Card.

At one time, there was a 3 year multiple entry visa conferred upon foreigners under the Thailand Elite Card program. Under this program applicants paid a one time fee of 1.5 million baht and received a card that entitled them to special benefits throughout Thailand. The program also had a special relationship with Thai Immigration that allowed card holder to obtain 3 year multiple entry non-immigrant B visas.

Recently, with governmental shakeups in Thailand the Elite Card program has been canceled with regard to immigration matters. Therefore, although one could conceivably still obtain the elite card, the immigration benefits of the card are no longer granted and therefore the special three year visa is no longer conferred upon card holders.

At present, it would appear to be quite difficult, if not practically impossible, to obtain a 3 year non-immigrant business visa to Thailand. That being said, one year Thai visas are still available for qualified applicants.

For more information please see:

Thailand Visa

Thailand Business Visa

US Visa Lawyer Thailand

(Note: All information in this post should be used for general purposes only. No attorney-client relationship is created between the reader and author of this post. This post should not be used as a substitute for individualized legal advice from a licensed professional.)

Tags: Thai permanent residence, Thai Visa, Thai Visas, Thailand Business Visa, Thailand Elite Card, Thailand Immigration, Thailand o visa
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