Thailand Visa Extension Guide

Can You Extend Your Stay in Thailand?

Yes. Whether you entered on a visa exemption, tourist visa, or visa on arrival, you can usually extend your permitted stay by an additional 30 days at a Thai immigration office.

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Extension Options

Visa Exemption Extension

If you entered visa-free (30 or 60 days depending on nationality), you can apply for a 30-day extension at any Thai immigration office.

Cost: ฿1,900

Documents needed:

• Passport
• TM.7 extension form (available at immigration office)
• Passport photo
• Proof of accommodation (hotel booking)

Processing: Usually same day (2–4 hours wait at busy offices).

Tourist Visa Extension

If you entered on a tourist visa (TR), you can extend once for 30 additional days.

Cost: ฿1,900

Same documents as above.

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Where to Extend

Any Thai immigration office in the country. For tourists, the most accessible offices are:

Bangkok: Immigration Division 1 (Chaeng Wattana Government Center) — busy but efficient. Also offices at Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports.

Chiang Mai: Promenada Resort Mall immigration office — more tourist-friendly than main office.

Phuket: Phuket Town immigration office.

Islands: Ko Samui and Phuket have offices. Smaller islands (Koh Tao, Koh Phangan) do not — travel to the mainland.

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Visa Run vs Border Run

If you want more than a 30-day extension, you need to leave Thailand and re-enter.

Border run: Cross into a neighboring country (Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar) and immediately return. You get a new visa exemption on re-entry. Very common practice.

Visa run: Travel to a Thai consulate or embassy in a neighboring country to obtain a new tourist visa before re-entering.

Thailand’s position on border/visa runs: Thailand has cracked down on frequent runners — if you show a pattern of repeated entries and exits without significant stays, immigration may question your intentions or deny entry.

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