Thailand visa in 2026: what you need depending on how long you stay

The Thai visa system is one of the most generous in Southeast Asia with European passports and, at the same time, one of the most changed in recent years. What three trips ago was a thirty-day stamp extendable with paperwork is now a sixty-day stamp in the vast majority of cases, with updated rules after the 2024 reform. Before planning trip length — and before booking flights, above all — it is worth knowing where the system currently stands.

The sixty-day exemption

Since 15 July 2024, holders of Spanish, Italian, French, German, Portuguese, British and most European passports can enter Thailand without a prior visa and receive on arrival a stamp of sixty calendar days. This stamp is issued at the border — airports of Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang), Phuket, Chiang Mai, Krabi, and major land border crossings — and requires no prior procedure.

The count starts on the day of entry. A traveller entering 1 January must leave, at the latest, on 1 March (sixty complete days, both inclusive). The sixty days can be extended by thirty more on payment of a 1,900 THB fee (about fifty euros) at any immigration office inside the country. The extension is over the counter, same day, with the following documents: original passport with entry stamp, form TM.7 (filled in there), two recent passport-size photos, copy of the personal details page, copy of the entry stamp page and the TM.6 card if issued, and the fee in cash. The result is a maximum stay of ninety days without further steps.

Non-negotiable entry requirements:

• Passport valid for at least six months from the date of entry.
• Onward ticket (air or overland) within the stamp period. Airlines at origin check this and can deny boarding if it is not shown.
• Proof of funds: 20,000 THB per person or 40,000 THB per family (around 550 and 1,100 euros respectively). In practice it is very rarely asked for, but the rule exists and has been enforced during tighter periods.

The TR tourist visa (ninety days)

For stays exceeding the standard sixty days, or for those wanting a more comfortable margin from the start, there is the Single Entry Tourist Visa (TR). It is obtained at the Thai embassy in the home country — in Spain, at the Madrid embassy or Barcelona consulate — or at a Thai consulate in a neighbouring country during the trip (the classic option is doing it in Vientiane, Laos, or Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia).

The TR gives ninety days from entry and can be extended by thirty more at an immigration office, with the same mechanics as the exemption. Total: up to one hundred and twenty days without leaving the country. Requirements on application: form, passport valid for at least six months, two photographs, entry and exit ticket, proof of accommodation, proof of funds equivalent to 20,000 THB, and the fee (around forty euros, variable by consulate). Processing time: two to five working days at the Spanish embassy, one or two at Southeast Asian consulates.

The METV visa (six months, multiple entries)

For trips combining Thailand with several regional countries, or for digital nomads wanting to enter and exit several times, there is the METV (Multiple Entry Tourist Visa), allowing unlimited entries during six months with maximum sixty-day stays per entry, extendable by thirty. It is the most practical visa for long stays with frequent exits, but requirements are stricter: bank statements for the previous six months with a minimum balance equivalent to 200,000 THB, return flight reservation, detailed itinerary, and many consulates require an interview. The fee is around two hundred euros.

Leaving and re-entering: what changed in 2024

Before the reform there was a widely used informal mechanism — the so-called visa run — consisting of crossing the land border to Cambodia, Laos or Malaysia and returning the same day to reset the stamp. The 2024 reform tightened this practice for abusers: land entries under exemption are now capped at two per year, and the third attempt leads to border refusal or a much shorter stamp. Air entries have no such cap, but a history of very frequent entries and exits can raise questions with the immigration officer.

The practical recommendation is not to plan the trip around visa runs. If the stay will exceed ninety days, it is better to arrange a TR or METV visa from origin.

Special cases

Minors: children enter under the same rules as adults, but require their own passport with six months’ validity. If travelling with only one parent, Thai authorities do not require express authorisation, but Iberia and other airlines may do so; carrying a signed authorisation from the other parent avoids delays.

Pets: entering with an animal requires an international veterinary health certificate, a rabies vaccine more than thirty days old, and a permit request to the Thai Department of Livestock Development (DLD) at least fifteen days in advance. The process is complex and recommended only for long trips.

Digital nomads: since 2024 there is the DTV (Destination Thailand Visa), specifically for remote workers, with five-year validity and stays of one hundred and eighty days per entry. Requirements: proof of remote employment or own business, bank balance equivalent to 500,000 THB (about 13,500 euros), medical insurance. Fee: around 280 euros. It is the only visa that legally covers remote work from Thailand.

In-country extensions

The main immigration office is Chaeng Wattana in Bangkok (on the outskirts, off Ramintra Road), but every province has an office: Phuket, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Koh Samui. The procedure is done in the morning — arriving before nine is compulsory in high season because tickets run out — takes two or three hours, and the result is issued the same day. The extension fee is always 1,900 THB in cash. They accept baht; no cards.

What not to do

Working, even remotely for a foreign employer, is technically prohibited on any visa other than DTV or business. Enforcement has historically been lax but started hardening in 2024 with exemplary fines in Chiang Mai and Phuket. Posting from a co-working space to your own social media account is not a real problem; dealing with clients, signing contracts or invoicing locally is.

Overstaying the stamp without extending generates a 500 THB fine per day (up to a maximum of 20,000 THB) on exit, plus an “overstay” mark on the passport that hampers future entries. On-time extension is the only elegant solution.

All the operational details of the visa — exact office addresses, hours, downloadable forms, DTV steps — are kept updated in the visa section of the full Far Guides Thailand guide.