Guide · Thailand · Visas and entry
Extend a Thailand tourist stay in 2026
You extend a Thai tourism permission in person at an Immigration office, once per entry, before the current stamp expires. Practice through 2026 centres on form TM.7, a photo, photocopies and a cash fee commonly reported at 1,900 THB for 30 extra days. Since 15 September 2026 the exemption itself starts at 30 days, so the practical ceiling is now around 60 days rather than 90. Officers decide. This is not legal advice.
Meet Locale editorialLast checked 9 September 2026Verify before you fly
Not legal or medical advice. Rules change. Verify with Thai Immigration or your embassy before you fly. Last checked: 9 September 2026.
The only date that matters
Read the expiry written into your passport at entry. An extension, if granted, is added to that permission — not to a number you read in an article.
Not legal advice. Immigration officers exercise discretion and office practice varies. Confirm with the Immigration office that will handle you. Last checked 9 September 2026.
What changed on 15 September 2026
The arithmetic travellers relied on for two years no longer holds.
Thailand's 60-day tourism exemption was revoked by Ministry of Interior notices published in the Royal Gazette on 31 August 2026, effective 15 September 2026. The tourism exemption is now 30 days for the 60 countries and territories on the new list.
| Entry date | Stay on arrival | Plus one extension | Practical ceiling |
|---|---|---|---|
| On or before 14 September 2026 | Up to 60 days | +30 days | About 90 days |
| From 15 September 2026 | Up to 30 days | +30 days | About 60 days |
Nobody already in Thailand is cut short. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that people already in the country, or entering before the effective date, may stay until the last date of the permitted period stamped in the passport. If you entered on 10 September with 60 days, you have 60 days, and an extension is applied to that.
The category question — which list your passport now sits on — is covered on Thailand visa 2026.
What to take to the Immigration office
Offices vary, but the bundle reported consistently through 2026 is worth packing in full:
| Item | Why it is needed |
|---|---|
| Passport | Original, showing the entry stamp |
| Photocopies of the biodata page and arrival stamp | Offices keep paper records |
| One photo | Size as posted at that office, often 4×6 cm |
| Form TM.7 | Usually available at the office; some offices publish a PDF |
| Address evidence (TM.30 or booking) | Some offices ask whether your accommodation filed it |
| Cash | Commonly 1,900 THB. Cards are frequently not accepted. |
Arrive early. Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket offices queue, and same-day processing is common but not guaranteed.
Timing, and why last-minute is a bad plan
Apply before the stamp expires. Once the date passes you are not in an extension queue, you are in an overstay process, and the two are handled differently.
Officers can refuse an extension. What travellers describe as uneventful is a clean record, a plausible remaining itinerary, and complete paperwork. That is still discretion rather than entitlement, so leave several days of margin rather than presenting on the final afternoon.
What this process is not
- It is not a visa run. Leaving and re-entering is a fresh entry with its own refusal risk, and with one category per nationality since September 2026 the margin for repeat exemption entries is thinner. It is not an extension.
- It is not the route for a DTV, which follows its own rules and is applied for from outside Thailand.
- It is not related to TDAC, which is the arrival card for your next entry, not a document for this office visit.
- It is not a way to convert a tourism stay into permission to work.
If a stay of several months is the goal, the honest answer is that an exemption plus one extension no longer reaches it. Apply for the appropriate visa before travelling.
Common mistakes
- Assuming the old 60 + 30 arithmetic still applies to an entry made after 15 September 2026.
- Arriving on the expiry date itself with no margin for a queue or a missing photocopy.
- Bringing card only when the counter takes baht cash.
- Assuming every entry category extends the same way.
- Paying an agent for a form that is free at the counter.
Where this sits on Meet Locale
Ask in Visas and entry with your nationality, the office you plan to use, and your stamp date. People who queued there recently can tell you about opening hours, photo sizes and waiting times. Believe the officer over the thread when they differ.
FAQ
How many extra days does a tourist extension give?
The standard tourism extension reported at Immigration offices through 2026 is 30 additional days, granted once per entry and added to the permission already stamped in your passport. Your passport receives a new expiry date. There is no routine second extension on the same entry for ordinary tourists.
What does a Thailand visa extension cost?
The cash fee collected at Immigration offices for a 30-day tourism extension is commonly reported at 1,900 THB. Bring Thai baht in cash, since many offices do not accept cards. Confirm the posted fee at the counter on the day, because this figure is office practice rather than a published international rate.
Now the exemption is 30 days, what is the maximum I can stay?
For entries from 15 September 2026, a 30-day tourism exemption plus one 30-day extension gives roughly 60 days in total. Under the revoked 60-day scheme the same pattern reached about 90 days. If you need longer than that, plan a visa application rather than an extension.
I entered before 15 September on 60 days. Can I still extend?
Your entry keeps the permission stamped on arrival, and the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that people already in Thailand may stay to the last date shown in the passport. An extension is applied to that stamped permission in the normal way. Apply before the stamp expires, at an Immigration office, in person.
Can I extend a Visa on Arrival stamp?
Do not assume it works like an exemption. Extension rules differ by entry category, and some categories are not extended at all. Take your passport to the Immigration office that would handle you and ask about the specific stamp you hold before your date runs out.
What happens if I overstay instead of extending?
The UK government states the penalty as a fine of 500 THB per day up to a maximum of 20,000 THB, with the risk of detention, deportation at your own expense, and a re-entry ban of up to 10 years. It is dealt with when you next meet Immigration, usually at departure. Extending on time is considerably cheaper.
Sources
- 1Thai Government PR Dept / MFA Dept of Consular Affairs: visa exemption revision effective 15 September 2026Retrieved 2026-09-09
- 2Thai Immigration Bureau — office locator and local notices, confirm TM.7 requirementsRetrieved 2026-09-09
- 3UK FCDO Thailand entry requirements — extensions and overstay penaltiesRetrieved 2026-09-09
- 4Royal Gazette (ratchakitcha) — implementing notices published 31 August 2026Retrieved 2026-09-09