Thailand is the most popular, favorite among Russians direction. Most compatriots who have been here once come back here with pleasure.
If you plan to come to the kingdom for a long period, relax, study or work, you need information about the duration of your stay in it. No matter how you wish, in the wonderful "Land of Smiles" you cannot live indefinitely, and you need to know how much you can stay in Thailand without a visa. This period is not more than 30 days. Next, you must definitely register your stay.
Tourist visa: types, procedure for obtaining and a list of necessary documents
What tourist visas exist in Thailand, how to get them and avoid a fine or a ban on entry for violation of a visa-free regime? Read this article.
Stamp in the passport
Upon arrival to Thailand, the airport stamps 30 days free of charge (not a visa). The maximum validity period is 37 days, namely: 30 days with the possibility of extension for 7 days, the cost of extension is 1900 baht (approximately 3400 rubles).
If the trip is designed for a longer period or the guest does not go to the kingdom for the purpose of tourism, it is necessary to apply for a residence permit. A visa to Thailand for Russians in 2018, as in previous years, is issued at the Moscow embassy of the country (you need a consular department) and at the Thai consulate in St. Petersburg. Finished documents are received there.
General list of documents for a tourist visa
The following documents are enclosed in the passport in a strictly defined order (presented below):
- Fully completed visa application form.
- Photocopy of the passport (main page).
- Photo 4 x 6 cm (photo 3 x 4 cm is also acceptable, just in case this issue should be clarified in the official department). Mandatory requirements for photography: white background, open face.
- Bank reference. A visa to Thailand for Russians is issued if there is confirmation of available funds in the bank account of the person entering. The certificate must be ordered at the bank (for the last six months). The amount per person is 20,000 baht (about $ 700 or 36,000 rubles), per family - 40,000 baht ($ 1,300 or 72,000 rubles) per month. The document requires a notarized translation into English. The certificate must be in color printing, it indicates the name, account balance, account currency and date of issue (not older than a month). It will be better if you can show a large amount. Based on experience, it is better to confirm 150 thousand rubles per 1 person.
- Documents from the sponsor. If you do not have an official place of work, you must provide a sponsorship application from the person who provides you with the money, plus a copy of his passport and a certificate from his place of work. If the sponsor is a member of your family, you must provide a sponsorship letter and a document confirming your family relationship. The solvency rule is the same - $ 700 or 36,000 rubles per person.
- Certificate of employment. If a student is traveling, then he needs a certificate from the place of study. Minors need a copy of the birth certificate, for pensioners - a copy of the pension certificate.
- Paid round-trip air tickets to Russia. If you are not traveling from Thailand to Russia, in this case you need to compile and attach an explanatory note in English stating the reason why you are not returning from Thailand home (for example, you have a long vacation). After 90 days from the moment you enter Thailand, you must fly from there: 60 days (by visa) + additional 30 days if you will renew it directly in Thailand. If the time interval between tickets (round trip) exceeds 90 days, the visa will most likely be refused.
Visa for children
Those who fly to the kingdom with the whole family are wondering if children need a visa to Thailand. I need it.
If your son or daughter is inscribed in your parents' passport, you do not need to fill out a separate form for them.
To obtain a visa for children, the following documents are required in this order:
- International passport.
- A completed application form (if the child has a Russian passport).
- A photocopy of the main page of a foreign passport.
- A copy of the birth certificate certified by a notary (or original + plain copy).
- A certificate from the school with a translation into English, notarized.
- Documents of the sponsor.
- Paid tickets.
- If you need a visa in Thailand for Russians under 16 years of age and arriving in the kingdom with one of the parents (with third parties), you need a notarized written consent for the child to travel abroad from the other side or from the legal guardian + a copy of the passport of the other party or guardian . The same conditions are mandatory for cases when the documents of parents and children are in different sets. When you plan to go to Thailand with the whole family, but apply for a visa at different times, you must attach a copy of the tickets of the second parent as confirmation that he is also flying.
All documents in Russian must be translated into English and notarized. The consulate may invite you for an interview or require additional documents.
If the whole family is traveling, one person can submit documents for everyone.
Visa is paid in cash in US dollars, while shabby, erased and torn bills older than 2006 are not accepted.
Designation of tourist visas
They are as follows:
- TR - tourist visa to Thailand for Russians.
- METV ("multivisa") - tourist visa with the possibility of an unlimited number of entries to Thailand.
- MT - this type of visa is issued to citizens flying to Thailand for treatment to receive medical care in a hospital or other Thai medical facility. To obtain such a visa, a cover letter from a hospital or medical organization of the Kingdom with justification and information on the duration of treatment is required.
The cost of a visa and everything about the timing
Documents for a visa are submitted to the consular department of the Thai Embassy on weekdays from 9:30 to 12:30. Ready-made passports can be obtained on the same days from 14:00 to 17:00.
Single entry visa
The cost of a single entry visa is $ 40, or about 2300 rubles. The visa is valid for 90 days. It allows you to enter the country once. It is issued for a period of up to 60 days (if there are no “sins” behind you, a visa will be issued for 60 days), you can extend the visa for another 30 days on site by paying 1900 baht (about 3400 rubles) at the migration office. The term for making a visa is 3 days.
When you get a visa to Thailand, you will see two dates: the date of issue and the date by which you must definitely enter the country (usually this period does not exceed three months from the date of issue). As an example: you received a visa on March 7, which means that you must enter Thailand before June 7.
According to the experience of Russians who already made a visa to Thailand in 2018, an application should be filed somewhere a month before the intended entry.
If you are in Asia, for example, in Malaysia or in Laos, then you can apply for a Thai visa at the Thai Embassy in this country.
Multiple or multivisa
The cost of a visa is $ 200 (about 11,300 rubles), the production time is 3-6 days. A visa is issued for six months (180 days) with a period of stay without departure from Thailand no more than 60 days. If you have this visa, you need to leave the country at least twice, while the duration of the trip is not important, you can return to Thailand on the same day.
The advantage of multivisa is that you can often enter and leave Thailand. If there is no such need, then it will be more practical and more convenient to apply for two single-entry visas (one in Russia (60 + 30 days), the second later, for example, in Malaysia or Laos.
Additional documents for multivisa
The list of documents is given above, plus they require:
- confirmation of the reservation of accommodation for the entire period;
- Bank statement for six months with the amount of $ 5700 or about 321,000 rubles (at the end of each month);
- a certificate from the place of work is necessary (if you have an IP issued, you need all the documents relating to it), without this certificate you will be refused a multivisa;
- paid tickets for the return trip (or to a third country) with a period not later than 60 days after entering the country, as with a multiple visa the maximum stay in the Kingdom is 60 days.
Student Visa to Thailand
A student visa in Thailand for Russians is issued for a maximum of 1 year. Previously, you could get it without wasting time later on training. Now in Thailand they very strictly monitor students attending lectures, and it is better to attend classes anyway. After completing the first year, you can study again by re-submitting documents.
Getting a visa is easy, there are main areas for study:
- English, Thai ;
- Thai massage;
- Thai boxing;
- cooking courses.
How to get a study visa
The selection of schools in Thailand is quite extensive. Here are some tips for choosing a school and not regret it.
- When choosing a school, collect as much information as possible about it. There is a risk of running into scammers.
- To submit documents to the school you need a passport, photo, as well as a rental contract for an apartment - apartment, house or villa for a long time (this should not be a hotel reservation).
- Payment. The approximate cost of teaching, in particular, the English language is about 25,000 baht (45,000 rubles) per year.
Student visa is renewed every 3 months in immigration offices, the cost is 1900 baht (3400 rubles), travel during the course of study is usually prohibited (possible by prior arrangement). With extensions and travel for a visa, the total cost of training can be about 40,000 baht (72,000 rubles).
Business visa
If you want to open a business in Thailand, you need a companion spouse or an authorized representative of Thai nationality who will own 51% of the controlling stake in your company. In this case, you can get permanent residence.
The company must be profitable. A business visa is granted for a period of 3 months, up to a maximum of 3 years. In case of successful business development, the visa can be constantly renewed.
Work Visa
A work visa in Thailand for Russians is issued by a local employer with official employment. This is not a business visa; here you are employed. To get a good job in Thailand, you need to prepare in advance. In the kingdom, good specialists in their field are valued, a high level of English proficiency is important. If you do not own it, you are likely to be in an illegal status. In the event that you are caught illegally by the police, in addition to the fine, you may face the prospect of going to a Thai prison, about which terrible rumors are circulating.
Documents for official registration for work:
- CV (strictly in English);
- your diploma translated into English and certified by a notary;
- optimal - recommendations from previous jobs.
For an effective job search, you must personally visit the offices of companies in large cities (for example, in Bangkok), since Thais rarely send responses to resumes by e-mail.
Retirement visa
Pension visa in Thailand for Russians is the easiest and most convenient. It is issued to everyone who is over 50 years old and who has an account with a Bank of Thailand in the amount of 800,000 baht (about 1,440,000 rubles) (an account must be opened at least 2 months before applying for a visa). The validity period of a pension visa is 1 year with the possibility of unlimited extension.
Thai elit
Wealthy people everywhere are simple, and this rule also works here. Is Thailand visa necessary for Russians with a tight wallet? Of course, only the process of obtaining a document for them is maximally simplified.
The country has a special state program aimed at attracting investment in Thailand. When paying a club card from 500,000 baht (900,000 rubles) to 2 million baht (approximately 3.6 million rubles) a visa is issued for a different period, depending on how long the client wants to stay in the kingdom: for 5, 10 or 20 years. The club provides some privileges for the contribution, for example, the services of a personal assistant who draws up visa documents and helps in any other matters.
New smart visas for 4 years
High-level professionals who want a high-paying position also need a visa to Thailand: for Russians, 2018 presents new opportunities. If you are a highly paid employee of a promising industry and want to work in Thailand, then in the near future you can apply for a new visa called Smart Visa. It will be issued for a four-year period from 02/01/2018. This is a project implemented by the Thai government aimed at attracting brains to the Kingdom to develop the economy and the state as a whole. The program is designed not only for Russians, but also for all expats.
The Smart Visa program will allow you to work in the country without having to apply for a visa extension every 90 days. Holders of new visas will need to declare an extension once a year, and not every 90 days. A visa is issued for 4 years instead of one.
The conditions for obtaining a visa provide for a specialist earning from 200 thousand baht (360 000 rubles) per month.
Foreigners who meet the requirements of the new visa will be able to apply for it at the Thai Embassy in their home country or at the Center for Visas and Work Permits in Bangkok.
Smart Visa holders should be involved in the following specialized areas:
- Automotive industry;
- electronics;
- medical tourism;
- agrotechnical complex (agricultural technologies);
- food technology;
- robotics;
- aviation;
- biochemistry;
- digital technology;
- medical services.
Penalties for Visa Violation in Thailand
A visa to Thailand is issued for Russians for a certain period of time, and for those who have allowed an excess of their stay in Thailand to be overstay, the following sanctions are provided.
If the offender himself informs that the period of stay in the Immigration Service has been exceeded:
- excess of less than 90 days - for each day of illegal stay a fine of 500 baht, or 900 rubles;
- from 90 days - a ban on visiting Thailand (for 1 year);
- more than 1 year - entry into the country is prohibited for 3 years;
- more than 3 years - a ban on entry into the kingdom for 5 years;
- over 5 years - you must not enter the next 10 years;
- if you have expired for more than 10 years, you will be banned from entering the country for life.
In cases where the police or the Immigration Service detained the offender:
- exceeding less than 1 year provides for a ban on visiting the country for 5 years;
- more than 1 year - entry to Thailand is prohibited for 10 years.
Do not get into an unpleasant situation with the law enforcement agencies of a foreign country, take care of your visa in advance!
How to extend a visa
Visa extension in Thailand for Russians is carried out in the main immigration office in Phuket, where you can not only apply for an extension, but also get ready-made documents. There is a branch office in Patong, but there are fewer services and reduced working hours.
The office in Phuket is located on Phuket Road (near the entrance to Saphin Hin), the office in Patong is located on the beach between Bangla Road and Sawadirak Road.
A tourist visa in Thailand for Russians can also be extended at the immigration office: The Office of Immigration Bureau - Bureau of Immigration Government Center B, Chaengwattana Soi 7, Laksi, Bangkok 10210. Here you can also apply for a change in the nature of the visa.
The decision to extend or change the nature of the visa is made by the immigration officer at his discretion.
If you need a visa to Thailand for Russians arriving by sea, you can apply for it at the small immigration departments in the ports.