In late 2021, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Thailand switched the visa application process to an e-visa system that no longer requires applicants to physically hand in documents and their passports at local embassies and consulates.
We decided to try this system to apply for an ordinary tourist visa that allows for a 60-day stay in the Kingdom plus an optional extension of 30 days rather than the 30+30 with visa-free entry.
Most international visitors arrive in Thailand using the visa waiver program, which allows visitors to remain for a limited time without having to apply for a visa first.
With the exception, for example, for Korean and some South American passports that receive a rather generous stay under the VWP, most others receive a 30-day entry stamp which is rather short if you intend to stay 2-3 months.
Options are usually to either do what is called a “visa run” and go to a neighboring country for a day and then return to Thailand or to visit a local immigration office to have a one-time extension of the entry permit for a 1,900 Baht fee. The visa run option is straightforward, but the extension process can be troublesome depending on the location, and dealing with immigration in the Bangkok area is always a nightmare with long commutes and huge lines.
It might make a lot of sense for long term travelers to just apply for a tourist visa in advance and get these annoying errands out of the way beforehand, plus it’s a lot cheaper than the other options.
I wrote about the new e-visa process when it was first introduced back in October of 2021:
Goodbye Consulates: Thailand E-Visa Website Is Now Up & Running For Many Nationalities
Not all nationalities and countries are hooked up with the E-Visa system but the mainstram ones are including Australia, Canada, European countries, USA etc.
We needed a two-month stay for one of our passports and decided to use the system for the first time, applying for a tourist visa through the Consulate General in Frankfurt, Germany.
You first have to create a profile on the Official Thai E-Visa Website (make sure you don’t get on some scam site).
The application is self-explanatory but there are certain supporting documents required, including proof of residency in the country where you apply for the visa and proof of funds.
The following items are requested to be uploaded later on:
- Passport Biodata Page
- Passport Photo
- Pictures of ALL ENTRY STAMPS in the passport within the last year
- Photo of the applicant holding the passport next to the face
- Flight confirmation (issued ticket) from the country where the application is lodged
- Proof of residence (national ID with address)
- Proof of funds (in this case, a bank statement with a min balance of 500 Euro)
The website isn’t really explicit about the supporting documents. For example, we sent a picture of the front page of the German ID and a print of the recent bank transactions including current balance.
The fee for the single entry visa is 35.00 Euro and is paid online via credit card:
This is considerably cheaper than extending the visa in Thailand, where it costs 1,900 Baht, and you also need to take taxis to the immigration office, make copies, have a passport picture, and wait around.
With this, the application was completed and submitted electronically.
Apparently, that was not enough. After about a week, there was a message in the application system that they requested “further documents” but no explanation of what they wanted. Turned out the consulate in Frankfurt sent an email that landed in the Spam folder saying that
- The airline ticket has to originate from Germany (Why? The traveler is on a round-the-world trip)
- They need the reverse side of the German ID
- They require a full bank statement (which is only generated once a month, depending on your bank)
We eventually supplied the documents and booked a mileage ticket with United MIleage Plus to satisfy the ticket requirement. Once issued, it doesn’t really matter anymore from where you fly. It makes no sense why someone who has four separate tickets DE-USA-JAPAN-THAILAND-DE is ineligible to apply for a visa with these tickets. Oh well…
It took yet another week until it was processed, and finally, an approval email arrived:
Ok, so the document is finally available, and the traveler will be able to visit Thailand without having to jump through additional hoops to get the stay extended. Had Thailand kept the 45-day visa stamp, this probably wouldn’t have been necessary in the first place, but whatever.
What is my take on this new system?
Anything that doesn’t require to physically show up at a consulate or embassy is a good thing, and not having to send passports through the regular mail system is a big relief as well. There is always a risk when sending your passport by mail, and I really don’t like doing that despite having a second one as a spare.
For a plain tourist visa, this was rather tedious. Especially using a passport that usually just does Visa Waiver. I would probably not go through all this again, or maybe the second time is easier as it’s more clear what they actually expect.
If someone wants to spend 2-3 months in the Kingdom without leaving the country, this is still the best way to approach it. It keeps the passport clean and administrative hassle during your vacation at a minimum.
Conclusion
Depending on where in Thailand one intends to stay, it might be easier to just pop into an immigration office, such as the small one in Patong Beach, Phuket, and extend it when required. It takes more space in the passport and costs a bit of time, and you also need to supply a passport picture. If you live further away from such an office or stay in Bangkok, maybe it’s better to avoid going to the office or you’ll lose half a day at least.
The good thing is that the e-visa system is now also handling more important long-term visa types such as study, retirement, investor, or SMART visa. It’s definitely much better to do this online rather than showing up at the embassy or consulate, provided you have all the documents.
I wish the instructions would be a bit more precise from the start so that applicants can provide everything right away without the need the check emails (especially the Spam folder) for further requests. It would also make the workflow of the consular staff much easier when applicants submit everything as required in the first place.