Famously called the ‘Land of Smiles,’ Thailand is a country in Southeast Asia that is bordered by Myanmar and Laos in the north, Cambodia in the east, the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia in the south, and the Andaman Sea in the west. The country is home to the Thai Islands, a mountainous region in the northern part of the country, the Mekong River, and other picturesque natural landscapes.
Thailand experiences a tropical climate and thus is an attractive spot for tourists from all around the world. The country has a developing economy, good transportation and infrastructure, and an emerging real estate market. In this blog, you will learn how to get a Thai passport, the required documents you need to obtain it, the benefits of being a Thai citizen, and more.
Living in Thailand
Interested applicants must note that you cannot directly obtain a Thai passport through investments. However, residency in the country can be obtained through financial investments.
Ways to live in Thailand
If you are a foreign investor, there are three different ways that you can opt to live in Thailand – through obtaining a visa, a permanent residence permit, or citizenship. In this section, we’re going to let you know about the various ways through which you can live and work in Thailand.
Visa
You will need a visa to stay in Thailand if you are there to study, work or do business. A visa can be a single-entry visa or be valid for a period of three months. You can also get a multi-entry visa which will be valid for one year or visits for 90 consecutive days. But you must note that every time you leave Thailand on a multiple-entry visa, you have to seek permission to re-enter the country from the Immigration Office.
Simply put, with an annual multiple-entry visa, you are not allowed to live in Thailand for the entire year. Each entry into the country is restricted to 90 days. If you are planning to live in Thailand for a more extended period of time, you need to leave Thailand and then return at a later date.
Visa-free countries
Here is a list of countries where Thai passport holders can travel visa-free.
- Albania – visa-free/90 days
- Angola – pre-visa on arrival
- Argentina – visa-free/90 days
- Armenia – visa on arrival / eVisa/120 days
- Azerbaijan – eVisa/30 days
- Bahrain – visa on arrival / eVisa/30 days
- Barbados – visa-free/90 days
- Bolivia – visa on arrival / eVisa/90 days
- Brazil – visa-free/90 days
- Brunei – visa-free/14 days
- Burundi – visa on arrival/30 days
- Cambodia – visa-free/14 days
- Cape Verde – visa on arrival (EASE)
- Chile – visa-free/90 days
- Comoros – visa on arrival/45 days
- Congo (Dem. Rep.) – eVisa/90 days
- Cuba – tourist card/30 days
- Djibouti – eVisa
- Dominica – visa-free/21 days
- Dominican Republic – visa-free
- Ecuador – visa-free/90 days
- Ethiopia – eVisa/90 days
- Fiji – visa-free/120 days
- Gabon – eVisa/90 days
- Georgia – visa-free/360 days
- Guinea – eVisa/90 days
- Haiti – visa-free/90 days
- Hong Kong – visa-free/30 days
- India – eVisa/30 days
- Indonesia – visa-free/30 days
- Iran – eVisa/30 days
- Japan – visa-free/15 days
- Jordan – visa on arrival
- Kazakhstan – visa-free/30 days
- Kenya – eVisa/90 days
- Kyrgyzstan – visa-free/60 days
- Laos – visa-free/30 days
- Lesotho – eVisa/14 days
- Macao – visa-free/30 days
- Madagascar – visa on arrival / eVisa/90 days
- Malawi – visa on arrival / eVisa/30 days
- Malaysia – visa-free/30 days
- Maldives – visa on arrival/30 days
- Marshall Islands – visa on arrival/90 days
- Mauritania – visa on arrival
- Mauritius – visa on arrival/60 days
- Micronesia – visa-free/30 days
- Mongolia – visa-free/30 days
- Morocco – eVisa/30 days
- Mozambique – visa on arrival / eVisa/30 days
- Myanmar – visa-free/14 days
- Namibia – visa on arrival/90 days
- Nauru – visa on arrival
- Nepal – visa on arrival/150 days
- Nicaragua – visa on arrival/30 days
- Nigeria – pre-visa on arrival
- Oman – visa on arrival / eVisa/30 days
- Palau – visa on arrival/30 days
- Palestinian Territories- visa-free
- Panama – visa-free/90 days
- Papua New Guinea – eVisa/60 days
- Peru – visa-free/180 days
- Philippines – visa-free/30 days
- Qatar- free visa on arrival/30 days
- Russian Federation -visa-free/30 days
- Rwanda – visa on arrival / eVisa/30 days
- Saint Lucia – visa on arrival/42 days
- Samoa – visa on arrival/90 days
- Senegal – visa on arrival/30 days
- Seychelles – tourist registration/90 days
- Sierra Leone – visa on arrival/30 days
- Singapore – visa-free/30 days
- Solomon Islands -visa on arrival/90 days
- Somalia – visa on arrival/30 days
- South Africa – visa-free/30 days
- South Sudan – eVisa
- St. Vincent and the Grenadines visa-free/90 days
- Suriname – visa-free/90 days
- Taiwan -visa-free/14 days
- Tajikistan – visa-free/30 days
- Tanzania – visa on arrival / eVisa
- Timor-Leste – visa on arrival/30 days
- Togo – visa on arrival/15 days
- Tuvalu – visa on arrival/30 days
- Türkiye – visa-free/30 days
- Uganda – eVisa
- Uzbekistan – eVisa/30 days
- Vanuatu – visa-free/30 days
- Viet Nam – visa-free/30 days
- Zambia – visa on arrival / eVisa/90 days
Permanent residence in Thailand
You can obtain a permanent residence permit in Thailand after living in the country for three years. Every year, the Thai government sets a limit for permanent residency – 100 people from each country.
Thailand passport
As per Global Passport Index, Thailand ranks in the 105th position. This index takes into account visa-free access but also investment options and quality-of-life indicators. You can apply for a Thailand passport after living in Thailand for five years as a permanent resident. In addition to this, the candidate must meet the minimum income requirement, must know the Thai language, should be able to sing the national anthem of Thailand, and must take the oath of allegiance to Thailand.
How to Obtain a Thai Passport
To obtain a Thai E-passport, the applicant must make an appointment online before coming to the office of Thailand consular affairs to submit biological data like photographs and fingerprints.
Required documentation
- You need to complete the e-passport application form
- A current passport with a photocopy or report from your local police station if your passport has been stolen
- Your original Thai Citizenship ID card, along with a photocopy
- A photocopy of your Thai House Registration and 13-digit identification number (if applicable)
- You will need to make a payment of US $37 as fees through a Money Order or Cashier’s Check to the Royal Thai Embassy for the application for a five-year passport.
- You will need to pay US $55 as fees through Money Order or Cashier’s Check to the Royal Thai Embassy for the application for a ten-year e-passport.
Applicants must note that the Royal Thai Embassy doesn’t accept cash, credit cards, or personal checks.
Thai Residency by Investment
- Under the Thailand Elite Residence Program, foreign investors can get a long-term Thai Visa. Foreign investors can obtain this visa for a period of twenty years without having to leave Thailand every 90 days.
- This visa suits foreign investors, pensioners, and other expats. You are eligible for the program if you are over 20 years old, don’t have any criminal record, are in good health, and meet the financial requirements.
Benefits of the Thai Elite Residence Program
- Offers multiple-entry with the chance of extending your stay period by one year with each entry
- You can live in Thailand continuously for more than three months without having to leave the country and obtain permission for re-entry.
- After you arrive in Thailand, your immigration and passport processes will be expedited.
- Offer transfers from the Thai airport
- Free access to golf clubs, spas, and annual health checkups
Elite Residence Program – Investment Options
There are several investment options through which you can obtain the Elite Residence Program
Elite Easy Access
- Valid for five years
- Fee: THB 600,000 ($17,400)
- No annual fee
Elite Family Excursion (minimum of two people)
- Valid for five years
- Fee: THB 800,000 ($23,200) plus THB 300,000 ($8,700) for each additional family member
- No annual fee
Elite Family Alternative
- Valid for five years and renewable for an additional five years
- Fee: THB 800,000 plus THB 700,000 ($20,300) for each additional family member
- No annual fee
Elite Privilege Access
- Valid for five years and renewable for an additional five years
- Fee: THB 1 million ($29,000) plus THB 800,000 for each additional family member
- No annual fee
Elite Superiority Extension
- Valid for 20 years (renewable for four sets of five years)
- Fee: THB 1 million ($29,000)
- No annual fee
Elite Ultimate Privilege
- Valid for 20 years (renewable for four sets of five years)
- Fee: THB 2.14 million ($62,000)
- Annual fee of THB 21,400 ($622)
- Members must be over 20 years old
Elite Family Premium
- Available only to immediate family members of Elite Ultimate Privilege members
- Membership fee of THB 1 million ($29,000)
- Annual fee of THB 10,000 ($290)
For more details about citizenship and quality of life, you can visit the following articles:
