Thai visa extension lets you extend your stay in Thailand after the expiration date of your entry stamp. If you have family in Thailand (Thai wife, Thai husband or Thai Kid) and you want to extend your visa in Thailand without leaving the country, this is how you can easily extend your stay visiting Thai family.
A 60-day extension can be issued if you are married to or being the parent of a Thai. You can go to your local immigration office, where within a few minutes or hours with your visa will be extended up to a maximum of further 60 days, after which you will have to leave Thailand or apply for appropriate visa.
How can you extend your stay in Thailand?
Even if an application for 60-day extension of your visa for visiting family in Thailand works relatively easy, you should be well prepared.
Duration of Thai Visa Extension Based on Visiting Family
Your stay in Thailand can be extended by 60 days and each stay in Thailand can be extended only ONCE.
Required Documents for Visa Extension Based on Thai Family
1. Passport, valid for at least 6 months
2. Copy of passport information page
3. Copy of Visa Stamp Page, the pages with the entry stamp - you can do it both on different pages or on one sheet on both sides, this is not essential
4. TM.6 - the Departure Card
This card issued at the entrance to the country must be filled in correctly and the address of the hotel to stay in Thailand must be entered. The departure card is taken by the passport control officer when leaving the country so be careful not to lose it. Often the departure cards are stapled into the passport.
5. TM.7 - Application for Extension of Temporary Stay in The Kingdom
The TM.7 form will be provided at the immigration office. You can also print it yourself, but only on 1 A4 sheet on both sides
6. TM.30 - Notification from House-Master, Owner or the Possessor of the Residence where Alien has Stayed
7. Two color passport photos (4x6cm)
Other documents submitted to support the application
For those who are married with Thai national:
- Copy of marriage certificate and copy of marriage registration (Kor Ror 2 and Kor Ror 3)
- Copy of Thai spouse’s ID card
- Copy of Thai spouse’s house book (Tabien Baan)
- The spouse to be present with you at the immigration
For those who are parent of Thai child:
- Original and copy child birth certificate
- Copy of child house book (Tabien Baan)
- Copy of child passport
- Copy of Thai spouse’s ID card
- The child with you to be present at the immigration
For those who rent accommodation in Thailand
- TM.30 reporting form signed by the owner of the property
- Copy of owner/house-master’s house book (Tabien Baan)
- Copy of owner/house-master ID card
- Copy of rental contract (if applicable)
Remarks
Do not forget to bring a business card of your hotel or your residence. You will be asked to provide the full information of your address and a valid phone number to extend your Thai visa.
In most cases you don't need to worry much about the documents. You can get all your necessary copies done inside or outside the immigration office for a small fee. Normally the staff will know what exact copies are needed if you will tell them what you’re applying for. Some of immigration offices can also make passport photos.
Visa Extension Fee
Thailand 60-day visa extension based on visiting family fee is 1,900 THB. Depending on the exchange rate, that's around 55 EUR. The application fee is the same for 30 days and 7 day extensions. Visa extension fee must be paid in cash and only local currency (Thai Baht) is accepted for payment.
Be noted that whether permission is granted or not, application fee won’t be refunded.
Steps of getting visa extension based on Thai family
- Prepare all the documents in advance and arrive at the nearest immigration office in Thailand. You will get your extension application form (TM.7) there.
- Take the form and fill it out. There will be the samples of filling out applications near the information desk. Check here: How to Fill in Thailand Visa Extension Form (TM.7)
- After filling out the visa extension form, go back to the information counter, where the officer will check the correctness of the documents and give you a number in the queue.
- Go to the counter with the number shown on the board. Say hello, hand over your documents, they take pictures of you, take your documents and money as the extension fee.
- Come back to your seat and wait to be called to get your passport back with the stamp! Be sure to double check if the date on your renewal stamp is correct.
The 60-day extension for visiting Thai family process can take about 1 hour or even half a day, depending on the queue.
When to apply for Visa extension based on Thai family
You don't necessarily have to show up at immigration on the last day of your permitted stay because the extension days will still start at the expiry of the visa and not from the day the extension is issued. We recommend doing it a few days before so in case of any problems you would still have few days to find out what to do with your stay and avoid ending up on the blacklist and paying fines.
Where to apply for Thai visa extension based on family visiting
Applications for Thai visa extension must be submitted at your local Thailand Immigration Office. Immigration offices can be found in all main provinces of Thailand.
If you are staying in Bangkok, the main immigration office is located north of Bangkok at the Government Complex (South Zone) near the Don Mueang International Airport. Immigration offices in the main tourism areas:
- Thailand Immigration Office in Bangkok
- Phuket Immigration Office
- Krabi Immigration Office
- Chiang Mai Immigration Office
- Chonburi Immigration Office (Pattaya)
Other Thailand immigration offices can be found on the official website of Thai Immigration.
Overstay
Do not overstay your stay and be sure that you can deal with the renewal on time! The immigration authorities have no fun at all with the so-called “overstays”. In case of exceeding the visa time allowed by the visa, a fine of 500 THB is paid for each day of unauthorized stay, however, the total amount may not exceed 20,000 THB. For unauthorized entry into the territory of Thailand (ie without a valid visa), a foreigner may be sentenced to a fine of up to 20,000 THB and deportation, in the worst case, you may be prohibited from entering the territory of Thailand for a specified period by a court decision. Also, in addition to this, get a note in your passport about the duration of you overstay and the amount paid, which may negatively affect the possibility of visiting Thailand in the future.
Longer Stays
Your Thailand visa can be extended only once per entry. If you wish to stay longer, you'll need to make a visa run to one of the neighboring countries. You can get a fresh Single-Entry Tourist Visa in Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia or any other country in the region.
For more detailed information about getting Thai visa there check:
- How to Get Thailand Visa in Laos
- How to Get Thailand Visa in Bali, Indonesia
- How to Get Thailand Visa in Myanmar
Important Notes
Keep in mind that the rules are often changed and are interpreted differently by different officials!
We advise you to contact Immigration office before going there to make sure this information is always up to date.
When going to Immigration office, make sure that you dress neatly. This is a deal with the authorities and dressing politely is needed.