10 Steps Before You Go to Thailand. Step Three - Passports, Visas, & Documentation

3.  Getting the Right Documents in Order

Which documents do I need to get into Thailand?  The following is a general road map of where to start.  There are several good American and Thai legal resources online that offer complimentary information that can answer many of the more specific questions you may have.  My favorite is Thai Embassy.  It's a website partnered with Siam Legal International Services, one of biggest and most experienced firms handling Thai Visa and travel information.  

 Keep in mind that the world of Thai Immigration Law is vast, complicated, often poorly translated into English, and confusing.  If you plan to stay longer than thirty days, it may be worth it to pony up some money and pay a firm or lawyer to answer some of your trickier questions.  The last thing anybody wants or needs is to get all the way to the airport in Thailand and be immediately ordered back onto a plane ride home.  If any of these resources don't cover your situation, really consider consulting a professional on the issue.

***As always, DISCLAIMER:  I am NOT YET an attorney because I am still awaiting Bar Exam results.  I am NOT your attorney.  You are NOT my client.  This is NOT legal advice, nor do we have any sort of attorney-client relationship.  I am NOT soliciting ANY clients. This constitutes general travel advice based on personal experience.

GENERAL STARTING POINTS:

Less than thirty days AND a U.S. citizen?  Passport required.  See below.

More than thirty days AND a U.S. citizen?  Passport AND Thai Visa (or "Visa Runs") required.  See below.

A.  PASSPORT.

No matter what the duration of your stay, you must get a passport if you do not already have one.  If this is the kind of thing you're interested in enough to be reading this blog, you should have a passport anyway.  Passports generally are good for ten years and it's a good thing to have around so you can travel on short notice.

Several Tips for Passports:

• If you already have a passport, make sure it is valid for at least six months AFTER your projected arrival in Thailand.  Stated alternatively, your passport should not have an expiration date sooner than six months from the day you arrive in Thailand.  EXAMPLE:  You are arriving in Thailand on June 1.  Your passport expires on November 20th.  This is an expiration date that is sooner than six months after June 1 (in this example, your passport needs to have an expiration date after December 1).  Thus, in this this example, you would need to renew your passport.

• If you do NOT already have a passport, apply for one AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.  Getting a passport can be time consuming because you have to deal with a government agency to get it done.  The processing time varies (mine was 6-10 weeks as stated but took only four) and you should check with the office at which you want it processed.  You can apply for a passport at most local U.S. post offices.  More specifically, you can locate where there is an office near you (officially termed an "Acceptance Facility") at this website through the U.S. Bureau of Consular Affairs.  The U.S. Department of State has thorough information on exactly how to apply for a U.S. passport for first-time and repeat applicants, broken down into seven steps.  The basic scenario looks like this: you fill out some forms, bring those little 2-by-2 photos and your identifying documents with you to an office, pay a fee, and they will send you a passport in the mail (along with your identifying documents) within the time frame they give you.  GET THIS OUT OF THE WAY - IT'S THE EASY PART.  

B.  VISAS:  EXEMPTIONS, TOURIST VISAS, AND NON-IMMIGRANT VISAS.

STAYING LESS THAN THIRTY DAYS:

i.  THE VISA EXEMPTION

Well, what country will you be entering Thailand from?  And will you be entering by land travel (train, bus) or by air?

For citizens of the following 48 countries (U.S. included.  Go here for the full list), you do not need a Visa if:

1. The purpose of your visit if for TOURISM (read: NOT working, starting a business, going to school, etc.); AND
2. You have PROOF OF ONWARD TRAVEL (a return ticket showing a departure date within thirty days of arrival; proof of exit by air gets you the full thirty days, while proof of exit by land gets you fifteen days); AND
3. You have proof of at least 20,000 baht per person per month (find a Thai Baht to USD converter through Google; type in Baht to USD).

If these ALL apply, a person has statutorily-granted Visa exemption status under the Visa Exemption Rule created in 2008.

STAYING LONGER THAN THIRTY DAYS:

ii.  THE THAI TOURIST VISA

This Visa allows you to stay in the country for 60 days for the same kind of tourist purpose as the kind listed above (i.e., this does not allow you to work, etc.)  To get this Visa, you must essentially:

• Submit an application in person or by mail to a U.S. Thai Consulate Office (download from the website of the Consulate to which you are applying.  Find the office nearest you by looking through the Thai Embassy list.  A popular office is the one in Los Angeles.  The application PDF for the L.A. Office can be found here).
• Pay $40 with the application (money order) and submit supporting documents along with the application (varies by Consular Office; typically includes 2 passport-size 2" by 2" photos, proof of return plane ticket, and address of where you will stay in Thailand).
• SUBMIT THE APPLICATION AT LEAST TEN (10) BUSINESS DAYS BEFORE YOUR DEPARTURE DATE.  Keep in mind that the Visa MUST BE USED WITHIN THREE (3) MONTHS of when it is granted to you.  What does this mean?  It's best to apply about 1-2 months out from your departure date; this way, there is plenty of time to process the application, but you can shift around your flight date if needed without running out the three month clock of redeeming the Visa in Thailand.

The initial Visa can be extended for another 30 days by going to the Immigration Office in Bangkok and paying an additional $60 fee (1,900 baht).  An "additional extension" can be granted to keep you seven days beyond this 30 day extension.  This means the total time you can eek out of a Tourist Visa is 3 months + 7 days.  You might be able to extend beyond this for"emergency purposes."

WORKING IN THAILAND, STUDYING ABROAD, OR NON-TOURIST PURPOSES:

iii.  THE THAI NON-IMMIGRANT VISA.

This type of Visa has more complicated requirements in addition to those above, namely this: you will need to have a job or school that will vouch for you BEFORE you can apply for the Visa.  Details on these types of Visa can be found at the Royal Thai Consulate of Los Angeles. 

Keeping Everything in Order

Once you have your applications and requirements in order and in hand, you should create a fail-safe physical and digital back-up file for all of your travel documents.  

Creating the File:

• First, buy one of those accordion folders with dividers or something similar.  Make this the place where ALL of your important papers will go when you're abroad.  In addition to your passport and I.D., you should make copies of the applications you submitted for your passport and Visa.  
• Make copies of other important documents and keep one copy in the file to go with you abroad and one copy to stay with someone back home.  What you are doing is essentially creating a "dummy" file for yourself.  This way, if you lose anything or it gets stolen, you have someone to call back home who is holding originals of EVERYTHING.  Suggestions for this file:  copy of passport ID page, Visa, emergency contacts, immunization records, birth certificate, Driver's License, maps, transcripts, resumes, degrees and certifications, medical and dental information, plane tickets, etc.
• GUARD THIS FILE!  Keep it in a LOCKED place (there are plenty of locking briefcases out there if your camp doesn't have lockers or safes).  Obviously, always bring this with you on planes (NOT checked in luggage) and don't walk around with it in public when it's not necessary.