Thailand tourist visa 2026: the TR via e-Visa

A Thai tourist visa, the TR, lets you stay up to 60 days from the date you enter, and you can extend that once inside Thailand for another 30 days — up to 90 days in total. That is three times the 30 days now granted under the ordinary visa exemption, which Thailand cut from 60 days on 15 September 2026 for the 60 countries on its list, including the UK, the US, Australia, Ireland and the EU. A TR has to be arranged before you fly: you apply online through the e-Visa system at the Thai mission responsible for the country where you live, and we found no general rule that lets you get or switch to one once you are already in Thailand. London's own fee page still quotes GBP 30 for a single-entry TR, though that page has not been updated since 2022, so it is worth checking the current amount with the embassy before you pay.

In short

• A TR gives up to 60 days per entry, with one extension of up to 30 days inside Thailand — up to 90 days total — granted at an immigration officer's discretion.
• You apply before travelling, through e-Visa, at the mission that covers your country of residence. We found no general rule that lets you obtain a TR once you have already entered Thailand.
• Since 15 September 2026 the ordinary visa exemption for 60 countries, the UK, the US, Australia and the EU among them, was cut from 60 days to 30; anyone admitted on or before 14 September 2026 keeps the 60 days they were given.
• Fees are set by each mission in its own currency: London's unchanged-since-2022 page shows GBP 30 single-entry / GBP 150 multiple; Helsinki's published fee page lists EUR 40 / EUR 170 — confirm the amount payable with the mission.
• Doing remote work for an employer or clients outside Thailand, or taking part in an eligible soft-power activity? The DTV may fit instead of a tourist visa.

Tourist visa vs visa exemption

The change that matters most for British, American, Australian and most European travellers is the one to the exemption, not to the TR. From 15 September 2026, the previous 60-day exemption for 93 countries was replaced by a 30-day tourism exemption for 60 countries and territories (Tourism Authority of Thailand); anyone admitted on or before 14 September 2026 kept the 60 days stamped at the border. A small number of other nationalities lost visa-free entry altogether and now need a visa for any stay.

By current reporting, the 30-day exemption can be extended once, by up to 30 days, at a Thai immigration office, for THB 1,900; the extension sits in the Cabinet framework behind the scheme rather than in the gazette notification itself, so check the fee and procedure with the Immigration Bureau before you rely on it, and the decision is at the officer's discretion. Land-border crossings are also capped at two visa-exempt entries per calendar year — not for nationals of Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia or Singapore — though the embassy's own English-language summaries describe the two-a-year limit more broadly, without naming the land border specifically, so confirm with the Immigration Bureau before a repeat land crossing. Air arrivals have no published numeric cap, but officers can still refuse entry if a travel pattern looks like repeated short stays rather than tourism. We cover what that means in practice in the 30-day exemption in Phuket.

A TR sits apart from all of this. It is obtained in advance rather than granted at the border, it gives up to 60 days per entry, and the September change did not shorten it: Thailand's embassies in Moscow, Helsinki and London all still list up to 60 days on their tourist-visa pages.

How long a TR lasts and whether you can extend it

A single-entry TR is valid for three months from the date it is issued, and you need to enter Thailand within that window; once you do, you get up to 60 days from the date of entry, not from the date of issue. A multiple-entry tourist visa, the METV, is valid for six months and allows up to 60 days on each entry within that period.

On a single-entry TR, you can extend your stay once, inside Thailand, by up to 30 days, for a total of up to 90 days. You apply at an immigration office before your current permission expires, on form TM.7, and pay in cash — THB 1,900 by current immigration-office practice, though we have not found an official Thai text that names that figure specifically for a TR extension. The officer decides; nothing guarantees the extension. Whether the same extension is available on each entry of a METV is something we could not confirm, so check with the immigration office before you count on it.

If you are already on Phuket and the clock is running down, our team can tell you what to bring to the immigration office and when to go — see visa extension in Phuket. Missing the deadline altogether starts an overstay, with its own fines and entry-ban risk, which we cover in the visa run and overstay guide.

Applying on the e-Visa site: steps and documents

Apply for a TR or METV online at thaievisa.go.th through the mission responsible for your residence. Moscow's instructions allow applications personally or through a representative; check your mission's rules before using a representative. The general shape of the process is:

1. Register on thaievisa.go.th, choose the mission that covers you and the tourist-visa category, complete the form and upload your documents.
2. Pay the consular fee in the mission's own currency. Moscow's published instructions call for cash US dollars at the counter against a QR-coded payment slip; whether Moscow has since added an online option is not confirmed, so check the current notice of the mission you are using.
3. Wait for a decision — about 14 working days after payment at the Moscow mission, plus 4 to 6 weeks if Bangkok has to sign off; other missions set their own timelines.
4. If the mission asks for more documents, send them within 45 days (the Moscow rule) or the application is cancelled; applying around a month before you travel leaves room for this.
5. Print the approved e-Visa. The airline checks it before boarding, and so does the immigration officer on arrival.

The Royal Thai Embassy in Moscow, for example, asks for a completed application, a passport valid for at least six months, a passport-style photo taken in the last six months, a fully paid return ticket, proof of accommodation and evidence of funds, with documents in Russian translated into English and notarised. Treat this as a working example rather than a universal list, and check the full requirements with the mission you are using. What counts as evidence of funds, and how much, is set mission by mission:

Mission	What it asks for
London	No fixed minimum stated; a bank letter in GBP, USD or EUR is accepted
Helsinki (METV)	EUR 6,000 per person, as a month-end balance for each of the last 6 months
Moscow	THB 20,000 per person (about USD 700); METV also needs 3 months of statements with at least USD 2,000 in each

At the Moscow mission, children under 18 travelling without one or both parents need a notarised copy of the birth certificate and notarised parental consent; check the equivalent requirement with other missions. A consulate can always ask for more or invite you to an interview.

What the tourist visa costs

There is no single baht tariff: each mission sets its own fee, in its own currency, and none of them refund it after a refusal. The amounts below are each mission's published fee; confirm the current e-Visa fee with the mission before you pay.

Mission	TR, single entry	METV, multiple entry
London	GBP 30 (fee page last updated 2022 — confirm the current amount)	GBP 150
Helsinki	EUR 40 (fee page dated 2023 — confirm the current amount)	EUR 170
Moscow	USD 40	USD 200

If your trip runs past 60 days, budget roughly THB 1,900 for the one extension available inside Thailand — that figure comes from current immigration-office practice rather than a published tariff, so confirm it before you go. For a broader comparison of visas for longer stays — retirement, marriage, LTR, DTV — see Thailand visa options in 2026.

Visa on arrival is not an option for UK, US, Australian or EU passports

If "visa on arrival" is what brought you here: since 15 September 2026 it is limited to Azerbaijani, Belarusian and Serbian passport holders; the older list of about 30 eligible nationalities is gone. By current reporting it costs THB 2,000 and lasts 15 days — the Thai embassy in Moscow confirms this for Belarusian passport holders specifically. Do not plan on extending a visa on arrival; confirm any available options with the Immigration Bureau before travel. British, American, Australian, Irish and EU citizens are not on today's three-nationality list — you either use the exemption or apply for a TR in advance. No Thai airport counter sells those passports a visa on landing.

TR, an exemption extension or DTV: which to choose

	Exemption + extension	TR + extension	METV	DTV
Consecutive days	30, plus up to 30 more at an officer's discretion	60, plus up to 30 more	up to 60 per entry, over 6 months	up to 180 per entry, over 5 years
Where to apply	At the border; the extension at a Thai immigration office	e-Visa, in advance, at the mission covering your residence	Same as TR	e-Visa, in advance, only where you are a national or permanent resident
Typical cost	Roughly THB 1,900 for the extension (immigration-office practice, not a published fee)	Mission fee (check with your mission; London's unchanged-since-2022 page shows GBP 30) plus roughly THB 1,900 for the extension	Mission fee (check with your mission; London's unchanged-since-2022 page shows GBP 150)	THB 500,000 in funds plus mission fee (check with your mission)
Suits	A trip of around six weeks or less	A stay of up to three months	Several short trips across six months	Remote work for a foreign employer or clients, or an eligible soft-power activity

Say you are planning a 75-day trip on a British passport. The exemption, even with its one extension, tops out at 60 days — short of what you need. A TR covers it: up to 60 days on arrival, plus up to 30 more if approved, for up to 90 in total. You apply for the TR through e-Visa about a month before you fly, at London's quoted fee (worth confirming, since the published fee page dates to 2022); the roughly THB 1,900 extension is a separate step, filed at an immigration office inside Thailand before your 60 days run out.

A DTV answers a different question. It runs for five years, allows up to 180 days per entry, and asks for THB 500,000 in funds. Since 31 August 2026, under a change the Royal Thai Embassy London announced, a police certificate is mandatory and you can only apply where you are a national or permanent resident; missions are implementing the detail differently, so check the requirements of the one you would use. It is built for remote work and long stays, not a two-month holiday, and we set out the fee, documents and mission-by-mission rules in DTV visa requirements. If you are weighing a TR against a DTV, our team can talk through which one fits your plans before you commit to either.

Common reasons for refusal

A consulate mostly checks whether your application is complete and matches its own rules:

• the application went to a mission that does not cover your nationality or residence;
• the bank statement, or the period it covers, falls short of what that mission asks for;
• at Moscow, the return ticket is not fully paid or there is no accommodation booking — other missions set their own document list;
• at Moscow, documents in Russian are not translated into English and notarised — other missions set their own rules for documents not in English;
• at Moscow, requested extra documents were not sent within 45 days, which cancels the file rather than refusing it outright — other missions publish their own deadlines.

A visa does not guarantee entry on its own. Thailand's Tourism Authority reminds travellers that immigration officers can ask to see funds on arrival — THB 20,000 per person or THB 40,000 per family for tourist-visa holders, with children under 12 not counted, and the final call is the officer's. Every entry, visa or not, also needs a TDAC filed before arrival; we explain the form in how to fill in the TDAC.

What we could not confirm

• An official Thai text naming THB 1,900 specifically as the TR extension fee, rather than the figure quoted by current immigration-office practice.
• Whether each entry on a multiple-entry METV can be extended the same way as a single-entry TR.
• Whether Moscow has added online payment since mid-2025, whether London or other missions accept it, and whether London's GBP 30 / GBP 150 fee page, last updated in 2022, still reflects the current e-Visa cost.
• The statement period required for a TR application in London: we could not confirm it, so check with the embassy before applying.

If a mission changes its published rules, we will update this article.

What next

If you are not sure which option fits your dates, message us on Telegram, WhatsApp or through the contact form on the site. We will reply within 24 hours with the option that suits your trip and what to prepare. We agree the cost of our help before we start, and we cannot guarantee a mission's decision or an immigration officer's.

• Match your situation to a visa: stay in Thailand longer than 30 days.
• Already on the island: visa extension in Phuket with a lawyer.
• A typical situation: a visa exemption extended in Phuket in one visit.