What are the types of visas available for expats in Thailand and their requirements?

Thailand offers Visa free entries for some, entries with visa for others and offers different types of visa for those who like to stay a little longer than a holiday.

But these visa's do have requirements as set by the Royal Thai Police Immigration Bureau and approved by the Thai Government.

To help people out with their questions this page is made by volunteers, people who are crazy enough to dig into these Immigration rules and try to understand and even get up to date to inform others.

Yes, to give the best advice, some will take a look at your Facebook profile, to see about your history in Thailand or to see that your work inside Thailand but only ask to be a tourist for the next two months. But you can fool us, as we do not have access to any Immigration database or what ever. You only fool yourself, because you will end up denied at one point if you just give us half or even less of the information.

Many times you will read: Get a Visa that fits the purpose of your stay, I tried to make a list of the most used visa's and the way Thai Immigration sees it purpose.

What kind of visa fits your purpose of stay:

1) 15 Day Visa on Arrival, for 21 countries and short time holiday makers

2) 30 day free Visa Exempt Entry, for short time holiday makers

3) 60 Day Tourist Visa, for holiday makers who has a more time to spend.

4) Multiple Entry Tourist Visa, holiday makers who like to travel around the region during the 6 months of validity of this visa.

5) Non Immigrant Visa, this visa gives you 90 days of stay and could be based on multiple reasons, most used reasons are:

- Being over 50 years of age

- Married to a Thai National

- Dependent on partner with valid visa or Extension of Stay

- Parent of half Thai children

- Volunteer work

6) Non Immigrant ED visa, to study inside Thailand

7) The Non Immigrant B visa

For long stay there is the:

8) Thai Elite Visa, based on the tourist visa for a stay of 5, 10 or 20 years.

9) Non Immigrant O-A or O-X (Long Stay) Visa based for over 50 years of age.

If you like to engage in any work or profession while you are physically inside Thailand, you need a Work Permit from the Ministry of Labor AND a visa that allows you to work in combination with this Work Permit.

Please stop shooting the messenger who explain, they did not make the rules.