Often, foreigners who wish to visit Thailand or reside in Thailand on s short-term or long-term basis will need to obtain a Thailand visa. Thailand visas are given for single-entry visas, with validity ranging from thirty days to a year. Even if you do not use all of the days allotted to you with a single-entry visa, you will be unable to re-enter the country once you leave it. This is when having a Thailand re-entry permit comes in handy.
With the Thailand re-entry permit, visa holders who have been issued a single-entry visa are able to exit the country and then re-enter for the second time without the visa becoming invalid. You will have to apply for a visa again if you do not obtain a re-entry permit before you leave Thailand.
Table of Contents
ToggleWho Needs a Re-Entry Permit for Thailand?
If you hold a single-entry visa and would like to depart Thailand, but you do not want your visa to become invalid, you must get a re-entry permit. Re-entry permits are available for tourist activities and non-immigrant visas. This is extremely helpful if you live in Thailand for an extended period of time (as a student or worker) and wish to be able to leave and re-enter without jeopardizing your visa and the hassle of re-applying for it.

Note: Keep in mind that the re-entry permission is only valid for the period of the visa. This implies that the days you have spent in the country do not reset when you enter Thailand. So, for example, If you have a 30-day visa and re-enter with permission, you will not be granted an additional 30 days.
What are the Eligibility Conditions for a Thailand Re-Entry Permit?
If one of the following conditions apply to you, you are ineligible to get a Thai re-entry permit:
- If you have a Thai visa on arrival, which is only valid for 15 days and cannot be extended.
- Suppose you have a Thai multiple-entry tourist visa or a Thai multiple-entry non-immigrant visa. In these cases, you can leave the country and re-enter as many times as you like during the period of your visa without having it be forfeited.
- If you are from a country whose citizens do not require a Thailand tourist visa and arrive in Thailand under the visa-exemption regulation.
What are the Types of Thailand Re-Entry Permits?
You can request two kinds of Thai re-entry permits:
- A single re-entry permit is suitable for single usage only. You can only exit and re-enter once.
- A multiple re-entry permit lets you leave and re-enter Thailand several times throughout the visa’s validity period.
What are the Required Documents for a Thailand Re-Entry Permit?
- When you apply for a re-entry permit in Thailand, you must present the required papers to the immigration officers:
- Your passport, with the Thailand visa stamped on it
- Copies of the relevant passport pages, including:
- The page with personal information
- The expiration and issuance pages
- Any changes to personal information
- Thailand’s most recent entrance stamp
- Stamp for extending your stay
- A 4 x 6 cm photograph of oneself taken within the previous six months.
- Form TM8: Re-Entry Permit (you can search for it and download it online). Attach the image to the form.
- A Thailand Arrival/Departure card (T.M.6) and a duplicate
- Any additional documentation about the reason for your visit to Thailand.
How Can You Apply for a Thailand Re-Entry Permit?
Thailand offers two ways of obtaining a re-entry permit:
- An Immigration Office before your intended trip
- An international airport on the day of your trip
Applying for a Thailand Re-Entry Permit at an Immigration Office
If you know you’ll be leaving Thailand for a while, you may apply for a re-entry permit at a local Thai immigration office before your trip in advance.
- Discover the hours of operation for your local immigration office and bring the required paperwork, and sufficient money to pay the costs, to a re-entry permit desk.
- Based on the number of people in line, the process might take anything from a few minutes to a few hours.
- You must submit the documentation, pay the cost, wait until the immigration officials are done processing your visa application, and stamp your passport with the re-entry permit stamp.
Applying for a Thailand Re-Entry Permit at an international airport
If you rather not visit an immigration office, you can file for a re-entry permit at a Thai airport at the time you want to fly. Before going through immigration, you must get permission from one of the airport’s re-entry permit desks.
Again, the time it takes to process your re-entry permission is determined by the number of people in line before you, so arrive early.
Note: If you want to stay in Thailand for an extended period of time (e.g., as a student or work permit holder), you need to get a one-year Thai Visa Extension prior to applying for the re-entry permit.
How Much is the Thailand Re-Entry Permit Fee?
The price of a Thai re-entry permit varies based on the fact that you apply for a single-entry or multiple-entry permit:
- The fee of a single-entry Thailand re-entry permit is 1,000 Thai Baht.
- The fee of a multiple-entry Thailand re-entry permit is 3,800 Thai Baht.
Conclusion
If you possess a single-entry visa and leave the country, you won’t be allowed to come back, even if you haven’t used your entire period of stay. Having a Thai re-entry permit is helpful in these situations. This Thai permit allows you to leave the country and then re-enter for the second time without the need to put your visa at risk.
A Thailand re-entry permit has two types such as single and multiple-entry types. Each has a different price. You won’t need this visa if you have a multiple-entry Thailand visa since a multiple-entry visa allows you to exit and enter the country as you please.
If you want to learn more about other types of Thai visas, check out our sidebar on the left.
- Published by
- Max-B.
- No Comments
How useful was this article?
Click on a star to rate it!
Average rating 4.2 / 5. Vote count: 6
No votes so far! Be the first to rate this article.