How to Apply for a Thai Visa?
Everyone who is not exempt visa requirements or eligible to get one on
arrival has to apply for a Thai visa from one of the diplomatic missions of
Thailand abroad, such as an embassy or consulate. The application process
for a Thai visa is as follows:
-
Contact the Thailand diplomatic mission in your country.
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Collect the required documents.
-
Submit
the Thai visa application.
-
Wait
for the application to be processed.
-
Collect the passport and visa.
Contact the Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate in your country
When you start the process of applying for a Thai visa, the first step to
take is to get in touch with a Thai Embassy or Consulate. Normally, you
should apply to the embassy or consulate in your country. However, if there
is no Thai representation in your country, you may have to apply to the Thai
embassy/consulate that’s in a neighboring country or through a visa
application agency.
You must contact them or visit their website in order to learn how to make
an appointment (if one is required), about their opening hours, working
days, and the preferred method of paying for the visa fee.
Unfortunately, there is no uniform process for Thailand visa application
submissions for all nationals, since it is dependent on the specific embassy
or consulate in each country.
You can find a list of Thai diplomatic representations here.
Collect the required documents for a Thailand visa
The documents
you must submit when applying for a Thailand visa depend on the purpose
of your travel. However, all applicants must have:
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A passport, which is valid for at least another six months and has at
least two blank visa pages.
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A return travel ticket, proving you intend to leave the country after
your visa ends.
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Completed and signed Thailand Visa Application Form.
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Two recent passport-size pictures.
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Proof of sufficient financial funds to cover the duration of your stay.
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Paid Thailand Visa fee.
Submitting the Thai visa application
Depending on the embassy or consulate through which you’re applying, you can
submit the visa application through one of the following two ways:
-
In-person, on the date of your appointment
-
Through the post, in which case you also have to include a prepaid and
self-addressed envelope so the embassy can return your passport with the
visa to you
Thailand visa processing time
Again, the processing time for a Thai visa depends on which diplomatic
representative office you apply in. Some promise to have it processed within
2 working days, while others may take longer. However, you should expect to
wait for about 5 -10 working days for your Thai visa to be processed,
starting from the time that the embassy/consulate receives your complete
application. So, make sure you apply in advance of the time you intend to
travel.