Is there any advantage to paying for a tourist visa to Thailand if US citizens can enter visa-exempt for 60 days?

Question

My husband and I are coming to Thailand in October.  We are retired.  We are planning to come in on a tourist visa and then explore longer term options.  I thought we needed to get a tourist visa.  The Thai government eVisa site is selling them.  Now I see that US citizens are eligible for a 60 day visa exemption extendable another 30 days.  Is there any advantage to paying for a tourist visa when apparently we need no visa at all?

Ask Thailand · Answer

The discussion centers around whether it is beneficial for US citizens to pay for a tourist visa to Thailand when they can enter the country under a visa exemption for 60 days, extendable for 30 more days. Most comments suggest that there is no advantage to purchasing a tourist visa, as travelers can enter without one. However, some mention that applying for a non-O retirement visa could be an easier long-term solution. Overall, the consensus is to take advantage of the visa exemption instead of paying for a tourist visa.

Alan ******** · Answer

No

Monzi ************* · Answer

No advantage - I did everything once I arrived in Thailand

Bart ************** · Answer

There's no advantage unless you want someone to pre-check and confirm your eligibility to enter as a tourist, which could be useful with excessive travel history to Thailand. Without that, no point getting a visa.

Jan ****************** · Answer

You can apply for a 90 days Non O retirement visa in country on both tourist visa (TM.86) and visa exemption (TM.87). You’ll need to get an agent to assist you with opening a bank account. I suggest you call your airline and ask about their policy regarding onward ticket if you plan to leave with a one way ticket.

The easiest thing is normally to apply for a regular 90 days Non at your embassy at home before you leave and do one year extension of stay in Thailand. Then you can just use your income/bank at home to fulfil the requirements, easily open a bank account and there’s no onward ticket requirement for regaining your flight.

Jason ************** · Answer

Following, planning to visit Thailand for 2 months early November. Before travelling through South Asia untill November 2025 then Australia.

Stuart ********* · Answer

No point in paying for a tourist visa now really. Come visa exempt and you’ll get 60 days (plus 30 if you extend once).

Is there any advantage to paying for a tourist visa to Thailand if US citizens can enter visa-exempt for 60 days?

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