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Types of Thailand Visa: The Most Important Categories

Thailand – “The Land Of Smiles”, is an amazing tourist destination. Exotic yet safe, easy on the pocket yet equipped with every modern amenity and food that will dance across your taste-buds – Thailand has it all. Getting a Thailand visa on arrival for Indians, makes visiting Thailand from India quite hassle free. It is no wonder that many Indians who travel end up extending their stay.

No matter what your purpose – work, travel, education or even traveling through Thailand to some other country, Thailand visa for Indians is required in order to visit the country. If you are traveling for the purpose of tourism, you can get a Thailand tourist visa on arrival at any ports of entry to Thailand. Let’s read about different types of Thailand visa, to make Thailand visa application easier.

Different types of Thailand Visa

The following types of visas are issued by the Thai government to foreign nationals:

1. Tourist Visa –

It is called Type TR visa.
It is issued to foreigners who wish to enter Thailand for tourism purposes.
It can be a single entry or multiple entry visa.
Its validity could be of three (03) months or six (06) months.
It allows the applicant to stay Thailand for upto 60 days or less.
It is applicable only for tourism purposes and cannot be used for employment or business purposes. Based on your nationality, Thailand visa on arrival can be issued for 14, 30, 60 or 90 days, this duration is based on your country as there are different set of rules and eligibility criteria for different countries.

2. Business Visa –

It is called Type B or IB visa.
It is issued to foreigners who wish to conduct business, invest or to work in Thailand.
It can be a single entry or multiple entry visa.
Single entry visa is valid for three (03) months and multiple entry visa is valid for one (01) year.
It allows the applicant to stay in Thailand for upto 90 days and can be extended by contacting the Immigration Bureau of Thailand.
A confirmed employment letter – in case of visiting to work, bank statement showing sufficient funds (500,00 Baht) – case of self employed or wishing to invest in a business in Thailand, etc. are required as a document proof before applying for this visa type.

3. Student Visa –

It is called Type ED visa.
It is issued to foreigners who wish to attend various courses or want to pursue full time education, workshops or internships in Thailand.
It can be a single entry, valid for three months or multiple entry visa, valid for a year.
It allows the applicant to stay in Thailand for upto 90 days and can be extended until the duration of their course, by contacting the Immigration Bureau of Thailand.
Applicants must provide necessary documents which shows that the course, workshop or internship meet the minimum requirement to be eligible for this visa type.
Various documents are needed along with the visa application form, such as: a letter from the educational institute or school where the applicant is enrolled, or the training institute where the applicant plans to attend the workshop. The letter must be typed on the official letter head of the institution and signed by an authorized person. A copy of the institutes license and registration certificate is also required.

4. Diplomatic or Official Visa –

It is called Type D visa incase of visiting Thailand and Type F visa incase of posting in Thailand.
It is issued to foreigners who are representatives of governments and plan to visit Thailand for diplomatic or official purposes.
The Royal Thai Embassy, upon official request, may grant visas to official and diplomatic passport-holders who wish to perform duties at a foreign Consulate or International Organization in a Diplomatic Mission in Thailand.Depending upon the purpose the Ministry of Foreign affairs may issue this visa to parents, spouse or children of the Diplomat/Official visiting.
It is valid for three (03) months.
It allows the applicant to stay in Thailand for 90 days, it can be extended by the Department of Protocol at Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand.
A cover letter from the Embassy, UN organisation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs or relevant ministries is required stating the purpose, position and the name of the applicant.

5. Marriage Visa –

It is called Type O visa (non immigrant) – Thai Spouse.
It is issued to applicants who are legally married to Thai citizens.
It can be a single entry visa with 90 days validity or a multiple entry visa with a 1 year validity.
The applicant must submit their marriage certificate, certified by the Embassy.
An application letter by the applicants spouse along with 3 months of bank statement showing sufficient funds of at least 400,000 Baht or equivalent.

6. Retirement Visa –

It is also called Type O visa (non immigrant). However, there are different categories to it: Type O-A (long stay/retirement) and Type O-X (long stay/retirement).
It is issued to applicants aged 50 years and above, who wish to retire and stay in Thailand for longer duration.
Type O-A visa is valid for 1 year, lets the applicant stay in Thailand for a duration of 1 year and can be extended for 1 year every year. Type O-X visa is valid for 5 years, lets the applicant stay in Thailand for a duration of 5 years and can be extended after the first 5 years for additional 5 years.
Employment is prohibited with a Type O-A visa, whereas Type O-X visa allows the applicants to do volunteer work and own a vehicle and a condominium.
The applicant must give proof of funds:
- For Type O-A: Bank statement showing a deposit of amount not less than 800,000 Baht or a certificate of income/pension showing monthly income not less than 65,000 Baht or a combination of both showing, amount in deposit account plus a monthly income is not less than 800,000 Baht. The original reference letter from the banking concerned is necessary along with a copy of bank statement.
- For Type O-X: Bank statement showing a deposit of amount not less than 1.8 million Baht in a Thai bank located in Thailand and a certificate of income/pension showing the amount not less than 1.2 million Baht per year. (The applicants must have accumulated not less than 3 million Baht, in a Thai bank located in Thailand in 1 year, before they enter Thailand)
The applicants must submit a proof of no criminal conviction in their country of origin, along with a medical certificate stating they don’t have any prohibited diseases such as, Tuberculosis, Leprosy, Elephantiasis, etc. in addition to this, Type O-X applicant also have to submit a proof of insurance stipulated by the Office of Insurance Commission and Health Insurance of Thailand.

7. Transit Visa –

Issued to travelers with a 3 days validity, who wish to reach their destination or re enter their own country through Thailand.
Sports player are granted this visa with a one month validity if they are visiting Thailand to take part in sporting events or training activities.
Confirmed air tickets showing proof of travel, along with a proof of funds showing 10,000 Baht must be submitted by tourists, A letter of invitation or acceptance should be submitted by sports players confirming their participation in sporting events or training activities.

8. Permanent Residence Visa –

To be eligible for this visa:
- The applicant must have stayed for 3 consecutive years in Thailand on one-year visa extensions.
- Must be married to a Thai citizen for atleast 05 years and must be earning 30,000 Baht per month.
- If the applicant is single, they must show a proof of income of atleast 80,000 Baht.
The applicant must present personal tax statements of 3 years to the immigration authorities as a proof of income to be eligible to apply for Thai permanent residence visa.
Applicants must submit a proof of no criminal record in their country of origin.

9. Smart visa –

It has various categories, depending upon the reason for Thai visa application:
- Type Smart T – for highly skilled professionals in targeted industries, such as Science and Technology experts.
- Type Smart I – for investing in companies using technology in delivering and manufacturing services, proof of investment of minimum 20 million Baht is needed.
- Type Smart E – to work in technology based industry as Senior Executives.
- Type Smart S – issued to start up entrepreneurs to set up a company in targeted industry in one year with minimum 25% ownership or must be a board member.
- Type Smart O – issued to legal dependents (children, spouse or parents) of Thailand Smart visa holders.
It is a new type of visa designed specifically to attract highly skilled individuals.
A maximum 4 years of permission to stay is granted to Smart visa holders.
The applicants are entitled to additional privileges and exempted from work permit requirements.

Thailand visa processing time

It takes 5 to 10 working days to process the visa application by The Royal Thai Embassy. Applicants are advised to submit their applications atleast 15 days prior from their date of departure, as the processing time may vary depending on the procedure at the embassy.

Interested in visiting Thailand? Doesn’t matter if it’s for business or leisure, applying for a Thailand visa is the first step of planning your trip. Applying for Thailand visa online is as easy as 1 2 3, but any mistake while filing the visa application form or documents submitted could result in visa rejection. Therefore, it is advised to take help of a visa agent.

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