Important Update: Thailand Government has waived off Visa on Arrival fees till Apr 30′ 2020 . With Exemption, Fee of 2,000 baht, or nearly Rs 4,400, is waived for travellers from 21 countries, including India. Even if you apply for Visa on Arrival online (E-Visa on Arrival), Visa fee will remain waived off. Hope this helps you plan your Thailand trip !!
In Nov’18, Thailand Government launched E-Visa on Arrival facility. You can apply for your Visa on Arrival online and get pre-approval. Once you land in Thailand, just head to E-Visa counter and get your Visa on Arrival. Please note that this is not an E-Visa but a pre-approval for your Visa on Arrival. Thailand Government is separately working on E-Visa facility and is expected to launch the same in 2019 for select countries (China, Britain, France). We do not suggest applying for Thailand Visa on Arrival online. (Read below for our reasons). We will suggest to apply for your Visa on Arrival once your land in Thailand and have written a separate blog for the same which you may read here – How to get Thailand Visa on Arrival
Click here to read all blogs from our Thailand backpacking trip.
Thailand Visa – 3 Ways to Get Thai Visa
While we have explained for getting Thailand E-Visa on Arrival in this blog but there are 3 ways that you can apply and get your Thailand Visa. As of now, only first 2 processes are available for getting Thailand Visa for Indians while Thai Government has announced launch of E-Visa in 2019. A quick summary of each process is below – (Read more: Thailand Visa for Indians – Visa Types, Fees and How to Apply ) –
- Thailand Visa on Arrival for Indians– This is a 15 day Visa issued to citizens from selected 21 countries once you land in Thailand. You can submit your documents, pay Visa fees and get your Thailand Visa at airport or any of 48 immigration points once you land there. (Read more – How to get Thailand Visa on Arrival for Indian Tourists ). Recently Thai Government also launched an E-Visa on Arrival facility. We have covered E-Visa on Arrival details in this blog.
- Apply for Thai Visa beforehand in India – In case, you are looking for a longer duration Visa or do not want to stand in queue after landing in Thailand, you can apply for Thailand Visa from India beforehand. Usually fees for this kind of Thailand Visa is also lesser compared to getting your Thailand Visa on Arrival. Read more – How to get your Thailand Visa in India (Bangalore/Chennai)
- Thailand E-Visa (To be launched) – Thailand Government has announced that they would launch Complete E-Visa in 2019 (rather than E-Visa on Arrival). Plan is to launch it for China, Britain and France citizens in 2019. Once launched, this will be your complete 60 days Visa (Visa on Arrival is valid only for 15 days) and you can directly head to immigration once in Thailand (skipping all Visa on Arrival processes). When launched, Thailand E-Visa applications will be made via https://www.thaievisa.go.th/ but foreigners will also still be able to apply for a visa in person at a Thai embassy or consulate.
In this blog, we have covered process and requirements for applying Thailand Visa on Arrival online (E-VoA/Visa on Arrival). At the end, we have also analyzed if it is worthwhile to apply for you Thailand Visa on Arrival online or should you directly apply for your Visa on Arrival once you land in Thailand.
So what is Thai E-Visa on Arrival?
Thailand E-Visa means applying for Visa on Arrival online and get pre-approval for your Visa on Arrival. Recently, Thailand Government launched E-Visa on Arrival facility. You can apply for your Visa on Arrival in advance online even before landing in Thailand and can get online pre-approval. Once you land in Thailand, just head to E-Visa counter (A separate counter next to Visa on Arrival counters) and get your Visa on Arrival.
Who are Eligible to Apply for E-Visa on Arrival Online?
Citizens from all those countries who are eligible for Thailand Visa on Arrival can also apply for Thai Visa on Arrival Online. Indian Citizens are also eligible for Thailand online Visa on Arrival. Here is list of eligible countries.
| S. No. | Country | S. No. | Country |
| 1 | Andorra | 12 | Maldives |
| 2 | Bulgaria | 13 | Malta |
| 3 | Bhutan | 14 | Mauritius |
| 4 | China | 15 | Papua New Guinea |
| 5 | Cyprus | 16 | Romania |
| 6 | Ethiopia | 17 | San Marino |
| 7 | Fiji | 18 | Saudi Arabia |
| 8 | India | 19 | Taiwan |
| 9 | Kazakhstan | 20 | Ukraine |
| 10 | Latvia | 21 | Uzbekistan |
| 11 | Lithuania |
How is E-Visa on Arrival different from the Visa on Arrival that you get after landing in Thailand
There is no difference!! E-Visa on Arrival is just getting pre-approval for your Thailand Visa on Arrival. By applying online, you can directly head to E-Visa on Arrival desk and skip long queue for normal On Arrival Visa. Visa Validity (15 days) and Visa on Arrival Fees (2000 Bahts) all are same. Visa on Arrival queues at Thailand Airports are pretty long and it takes anywhere between 1 to 2 hours for you to apply for Visa on Arrival at airports. With a pre-approved E-Visa on Arrival, you can skip this queue and also make Visa fee payments online in advance rather than carrying cash.
Which Immigration points is Thai E-Visa on Arrival accepted?
As of now, Thai E-Visa on Arrival (E-VoA) is accepted only at following 5 airports. In case, you plan to land at any of these, you can apply for Thai Visa on Arrival online in advance and straight-way head to E-Visa on Arrival Counter.
- Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok
- Don Mueang Airport, Bangkok
- Phuket International Airport
- Chiang Mai Airport
- Krabi Airport
Thailand Online Visa on Arrival Fees
Since this is online pre-approval for your Thailand Visa on Arrival, so fees are same as for Thailand Visa on Arrival i.e. 2000 Bahts per person. In case, there are any changes in Thailand Visa on Arrival fees or fees is waived off altogether, same would also apply to E-Visa on Arrival.
However, there is an additional fee of 525 Bahts for online processing if you apply for E-Visa on Arrival online. You can pay both Visa on Arrival fees and Processing Fees online through Payment Gateway while applying for Visa on Arrival online (as explained in next section)
Documents Required for Thailand online Visa on Arrival
Before you start applying for Thailand E-Visa on Arrival online, please keep soft-copies of following documents ready –
- Passport Cover and Bio-Data Page (PNG, JPG, GIF, PDF): Both Passport Cover and personal details page need to be updated.
- Flight tickets to Thailand and from Thailand: Both Arrival and departure tickets need to be uploaded.
- Accommodation Details: Hostel/Hotel booking in Thailand for your stay.
How do you apply for Thailand E-Visa on Arrival Online?
Thailand Immigration has launched a dedicated website where you can apply for Thailand E-Visa on arrival – https://www.evisathailand.com/. The service is run by Thai Immigration in cooperation with the SAMART Group. Below is the step by step guide for applying your Thailand Visa on Arrival online.
Step 1: Visit Thailand E-Visa on arrival website – https://www.evisathailand.com/. and start Visa on Arrival appliction on right hand side by filling up i) Passport Nationality ii) Arrival Airport and iii) Arrival Date details. Click ‘Apply Now’ once you fill in all details.
Step 2: Accept E-Visa on Arrival T&Cs on next page. Please read T&Cs clearly as it mentions that your Visa fee paid once will not be refunded in case your Visa application is not approved or you fill in wrong details.
Step 3: Fill in all the details and upload required documents on next page. Please note that you can fill details for multiple passengers by clicking on ‘Add Another Passenger’ at the bottom.
Step 4: On next page, your fees will be displayed including both Visa on Arrival Fees (2000 Bahts) and Online processing Fee (525 Bahts). You may select your preferred network to pay for your fees online.
Once you pay for your fees online, then your Thailand Visa on Arrival online application is submitted for approval. Once approved, you will receive a confirmation on your email (within 24 -72 hours). Please take a print out of confirmation and carry the same with you when you travel to Thailand.
In case of any queries, you may write in to contact@evisathailand.com. Here is also a video shared by Samart group explaining the process of E-Visa on Arrival – Both application and experience on arrival in Thailand.
Timelines for applying Thailand E-Visa on Arrival Online
Please note timelines for applying Thailand Visa on Arrival online –
- Application Time: One can apply for Thailand Visa on Arrival online for at least 24 hours before arrival at the kingdom to at most 30 days before arrival. However, we will suggest to apply at least 72 hours before your travel as pre-approval takes anywhere between 24 hours to 72 hours.
- Approval Time: It takes anywhere between 24 hours to 72 hours for you to receive Visa on Arrival pre-approval in your email.
Do we recommend Applying Thailand Visa on Arrival Online?
Our Answer is – No !!
Here are our reasons for not applying Thailand Visa on Arrival online –
- First advantage of applying Thailand Visa on Arrival online is that you can skip Visa on Arrival queue once in Thailand and can directly head to E-Visa on Arrival Counter. There is already a priority queue for Visa on Arrival through which you can bypass long lines and quickly get your Visa on Arrival at Thailand Airports paying just 200 Bahts extra whereas online application fee is 525 Bahts. Why will you pay online extra when you can get in priority queue at far lower charges.
- Second advantage is that you can fill your Thailand Visa on Arrival Online Application Form from anywhere. If you apply for Visa on Arrival after landing in Thailand, you just need to fill one extra form TM 88 (Visa on Arrival Application Form). It is a simple form which you can download and print in advance from Thailand Immigration Website (Link here) and easily fill in 5 minutes either in flight or while being in queue at airport.
- Third advantage is that you can pay for your Visa fee online and need not carry Thai Bahts in Cash for Visa fee. We do not think that this is such a big difference. This further neutralizes with the fact that your fee will not be refunded if you make any mistake in applying online, It is far safer to apply at airport where all details are checked by Visa on Arrival officials with almost no chance of you loosing money for any error.
Basis our own experience, we will suggest to apply for your Visa on Arrival once you land in Thailand. In case, you want faster processing, chose Priority Lane by paying 200 Bahts extra rather than spending time online and paying 525 Bahts for online approval. Even if you get approval, you anyhow have to visit E-Visa on Arrival counter before heading to immigration. Here is a detailed blog that we have written for Thailand Visa on Arrival process and experience. Hope this helps you plan your trip better – How to get Thailand Visa on Arrival for Indian Tourists (Also 21 Eligible Countries)
E-Visa Launch Plans – Announcement by Thai Government
Meanwhile, Thailand Government has announced that they will launch issuing Complete E-Visa in 2019 (rather than E-Visa on Arrival). Plan is to launch it for China, Britain and France citizens in 2019. Once launched, this will be of use since you will have your complete 60 days Visa (Visa on Arrival is valid only for 15 days) and you can directly head to immigration once in Thailand (skipping all Visa on Arrival processes). It will be far smoother process compared to current Visa on Arrival online process. When launched, e-visa applications will be made via https://www.thaievisa.go.th/ but foreigners will also still be able to apply for a tourist visa in person at a Thai embassy or consulate.
Hope this helps you understand Thailand Visa on Arrival online Application Process (E-VoA) better and also apply for one if it suits your requirements. Please feel free to drop us comments in case you need any additional details.