Do US citizens need to apply for the Special Travel Visa or can they enter Thailand without one?

@Raoul ******

If I’m thinking about it correctly (it’s late and I’m bad at math) then it might actually be cheaper to go with STV.

Visa exemption scheme was free upfront, but each extension after the 45 days costs at least $67 (not actually sure how much it costs for 60 days, but I’m assuming it’s more than the 30 days). So for 90 days (the first 15 of the 45 I’m not counting cuz quarantine) costs at least $134. The STV should be good for 90 days (last I checked) and costs around $65. Keep in mind this for US citizens, not sure about other countries. Also I’m not sure how much it would cost to renew a STV once in Thailand.

I didn’t have time to wait for the embassy to process and mail back my passport and stuff, so that was a deciding factor for me. As far as I can tell, depending on how long someone wants to stay, the price difference isn’t terribly significant, especially after spending so much on a quarantine hotel.

Hope that made sense! 😅

@Ryan *******

possible. I just went to the immigration office the other day for my 30 day extension and was told I could come back at the end of March for a 60 day. It may depend on when OP arrives, but it’s hard to know for sure about anything until you’re at immigration.

@Kayla *****

an STV is a sticker placed in your passport by your local consulate. Therefore it needs to be attached before you wing you way to Thailand. A US national cannot get a visa on arrival- they can however get a visa exempt entry which will give them 45 days (up from 30 to compensate for the 15 nights quarantine requirement). An STV can be extended twice each for a further 90 days but can’t be changed to any other form of visa in Thailand. A regular tourist visa or visa exempt entry can.

@Ka***

You don't understand that though because you're talking about 2 different things. Do you want a Special tourist visa, or do you want to enter Thailand on a visa exempt entry?