Getting and Extending Your Thai Visa With an Australian or Canadian Passport

If you are planning a trip to enchanting Land of Smiles and find yourself wondering whether you need a visa or would you be able to extend it while you are in Thailand, you are in a right place !

Here are some of the most common question people ask !

Do I need a visa to enter Thailand?

Luckily, Australian and Canadian citizens can travel to Thailand without visas as a part of Visa Exemption scheme with The Kingdom of Thailand.

Starting October 1, 2022 until March 31, 2023, the length of stay has been extended to 45 days.

To enter Thailand under this rule, you need to meet the following criteria:

• You are visiting Thailand strictly for tourism.
• You hold a genuine passport with a valid expiry of over 6 months.
• You can provide a valid address in Thailand on entry that can be verified. This address can be a hotel or an apartment.
• Preferably, you have a return ticket.(More on this in ‘Do I really need a return ticket?’)
• Provide proof of funds of at least 10,000 THB (approx. $450AUD/400CAD) for single travelers, or 20,000 THB  (approx. $850AUD/750CAD) per family during your stay in Thailand.

Do I REALLY Need a Return Air Ticket?

On the Thai Embassy website it is said you absolutely must have a return ticket. 

In our experience, however, when we entered Thailand in early October 2022, we did not have return tickets.  When asked about it by border security, we explained our intention to extend our Visa Exemption at the Thai Immigration Office and stay in the Kingdom for longer. 

We do recommend having sufficient funds in your bank account to be able to purchase a return ticket if required by the border agent.

Can I apply for a Thai Tourist Visa in Thailand?

No can not. You will need to leave The Kingdom of Thailand first. Then apply for it at the Thai Embassy.

Can I apply for a Thai Visa In Another Country?

Yes. You do not have to go back to your own country to apply for a Thai Visa. However, we do recommend you contact a Thailand Embassy or Consulate in a selected foreign country and ask them whether they can grant you a visa. Some countries do not have agreements in place to be able to check your documents. E.g. Australian and Canadian nationals can not receive Thai Visas at the Thai Embassy in Romania.

Can I Extend My Stay In Thailand If I Entered Under Visa Exemption Scheme ?

The answer is YES ! You absolutely can ! For that you will need:

• Passport + copy
• Photo 4 x 6 cm (not older than 6 months)
• TM30 notification 
• Visa Extension of Temporary Stay in the Kingdom application form
• Acknowledgement of Terms and Conditions for Stay in the Kingdom of Thailand form
• Application fee 1,900 Baht

First, you need to reach out to your accommodation manager and request a TM30 notification form. TM30 form is used by landlords (housemaster, possessor, or manager) to report the stay of a foreigner (non-Thai national) in his/her property. More information can be found on Thai Embassy website.

Then, you can head to your local Thai Immigration Office to pick up all the forms you need. You can have a copy of your passport and visa photos taken there for you for a small fee. 

After you fill in all of your forms and they get checked by staff members, you will be given a number and asked to wait in a dedicated area.

Waiting time can vary from 1 to 3 hours. We strongly advise you to come first thing in the morning to avoid long queues. 

What Happens If I Overstay a Thailand Tourist Visa?

The fine depends on the number of days you have overstayed. The minimum charge is 500 Baht per day. It goes up to a maximum of 20,000 Baht for overstays of 40 days or longer.

Thai Immigration officials take into consideration human factor and realize people make mistakes. If you are in a situation when you by accident booked a flight a day too late, or your flight was cancelled and as a result you have to leave a day late, do not panic !  In cases such as these, with a few hours overstay, the 500 Baht overstay fine is usually waived. Explain the situation to the immigration officer when you are being stamped out of the county.  Apologize and you will be treated fairly.

If you have a longer overstay, lets say, 1 week, then you will be required to pay this 3,500 Baht ( 7 days x 500 Baht ) before you are allowed to leave the country. It is easiest to pay when you fly out.  Make sure you explain the reason to the immigration office at the airport. After that, you will be taken to a nearby counter where you can pay the overstay fine. If you do not have sufficient funds in your account, you may be taken to the holding cells until you can raise funds.

On the bright side, if you pay the fine and then leave the country, you won’t be blacklisted or have any problem returning to Thailand at a future date.

Consequences of Repeated Violations

Please note that repeated violations of overstaying can hold serious consequences. Your passport could be stamped with an “undesirable alien” stamp, declaring you in violation of the immigration laws and regulations of the Kingdom of Thailand. This stamp could make travel and obtaining entry to other countries much harder in the future.

We hope you found this information helpful !

If you have any questions, please leave a comment !