Re-Entry Permits in Thailand

A Thai re-entry permit protects an existing permission to stay while you travel outside Thailand. It does not extend your stay, create a new visa or guarantee admission. The key is to obtain it before departure and to check the expiry date carefully.

What a re-entry permit protects

The permit preserves the permission-to-stay date already stamped in your passport. On return, immigration should admit you only until that same date. It is therefore different from a visa extension and from a new visa application.

It is commonly relevant to people holding annual extensions based on retirement, marriage, family, employment or another qualifying reason. Travellers using a multiple-entry visa may have different conditions, so the visa sticker and latest entry stamp must both be checked.

Single or multiple re-entry permit?

A multiple permit normally expires with the protected permission to stay. It does not provide an additional year by itself.

TM.8 documents and application process

Thai Immigration’s public handbook lists a completed TM.8 form, passport and copies of the relevant passport pages, plus one recent 4 × 6 cm photograph. Local offices can ask for supporting copies or evidence relevant to the individual case. Sign required copies and bring the fee in Thai baht.

1. Check the current permission-to-stay stamp and intended travel dates.
2. Choose single or multiple entry.
3. Complete TM.8 and prepare the passport copies and photograph.
4. Submit the application and pay the official fee.
5. Before leaving, check that the permit stamp and expiry date are correct.

Where and when to apply

The safest approach is to apply at the responsible immigration office well before travel. Airport services may exist at selected international departure points, but counters, locations and operating arrangements can change. Do not plan a tight departure around an unverified airport service.

If an extension is under consideration, the dates on the under-consideration stamp and any return appointment require special attention. Travelling during that period should be discussed with the responsible office before departure.

Checklist before leaving and after returning

• Confirm your passport validity and remaining permission to stay.
• Carry evidence of the re-entry permit and note its expiry date.
• Return before the protected stay expires.
• At arrival, show the permit and check the new admitted-until stamp before leaving the counter.
• After returning, review whether a TM30 address report or later 90-day report is required.

Related guidance

Read our comparison of a border run, visa run and re-entry permit, our Hua Hin immigration office guide, or information about visa extensions in Thailand.

Official source

Requirements and fees above are based on the Thai Immigration Bureau’s Public Handbook for Re-Entry Permits. Immigration decisions and document requests remain case-specific.