Thailand Visa Extension: How to Get More Time at Immigration
Updated 2026-07-05
You extend a stay in Thailand at a local immigration office using form TM.7, one 4x6 cm photo, your passport, and a 1,900 THB fee. Visa-exempt entries and tourist visas get 30 extra days, usually issued the same day. Visa on arrival cannot normally be extended.
At a glance
| Form | TM.7 |
|---|---|
| Fee | 1,900 THB (about 55 USD) |
| Where | Any local immigration office |
| Tourist / visa-exempt extension | +30 days |
| Processing | Same day at most offices |
| Visa on arrival | Not extendable, except emergencies |
| Overstay fine | 500 THB per day, capped at 20,000 THB |
| Last verified | 2026-07-05 |
How the extension process works
Extensions are handled in person at immigration offices throughout Thailand, not online and not at embassies. You fill in form TM.7, attach a photo, hand over your passport with copies, and pay 1,900 THB in cash. At most offices the extension stamp goes into your passport the same day.
Arrive early. Popular offices such as Bangkok’s Chaengwattana and the Chiang Mai and Phuket offices issue queue numbers, and morning slots go fast in high season. The counter work itself takes minutes; the waiting is what consumes the day.
You can apply in the final week of your permitted stay without penalty, but do not cut it to the last day. If anything is wrong with your paperwork, you want a day or two of margin to fix it before your current stay expires.
What to bring
Requirements are standardized nationwide, though individual offices sometimes ask for extras such as proof of accommodation. Bring originals plus one photocopy of each passport page that matters, and sign every copy.
The TM.7 form is available at the office or as a download; filling it in beforehand saves time. Since the paper TM.6 departure card was replaced by the digital TDAC system, offices work from your passport stamps and digital arrival record, but carry your TDAC confirmation if you have it.
- Passport, valid and with your current entry stamp
- Completed TM.7 application form
- One 4x6 cm photo, taken within the last 6 months
- 1,900 THB in cash
- Photocopies of the passport bio page, visa, entry stamp, and TDAC or TM.6 record, each signed
- Proof of accommodation if the office requests it
What can be extended
Most entries can be extended once, and the length depends on how you entered. The 1,900 THB fee is the same regardless of the extension length, which makes longer extensions notably good value.
Long-stay categories renew on different tracks with their own financial evidence, but the counter process is the same TM.7 routine. The retirement extension, for example, adds a full year in-country against proof of 800,000 THB in the bank or 65,000 THB monthly income.
- Visa-exempt entry: +30 days
- Tourist visa (SETV or METV entry): +30 days
- DTV: +180 days, matching the original stay length
- Retirement (Non-O): +1 year, renewable annually in-country
- Marriage (Non-O): +1 year, renewable annually in-country
What cannot be extended
The visa on arrival is the main exception: its 15-day stay is fixed and only extended in documented emergencies such as hospitalization. Immigration will not add tourist time to a VOA, and it cannot be converted to another category in-country.
Second extensions of tourist and visa-exempt stays are also rarely granted; the +30 days is a one-time addition per entry. When it runs out, you leave, or you switch to a visa category that actually fits your situation, such as an education visa or the DTV. Do not rely on repeated border runs, which immigration increasingly refuses.
90-day reporting is not an extension
These two get confused constantly. The 90-day report is an address notification that long-stay visa holders must file every 90 days of continuous stay. It is free, takes minutes, and can often be done online. It adds zero days to your permitted stay.
An extension of stay, by contrast, is the paid TM.7 process that moves your permitted-until date. If you hold a one-year extension, you do both on separate rhythms: report your address every 90 days, and renew the extension annually. Missing the report costs a 2,000 THB fine; missing the extension deadline puts you into overstay.
Overstay: fines, arrest risk, and bans
Overstaying costs 500 THB per day, capped at 20,000 THB, paid at the airport when you leave. A day or two of overstay is a fine and a lecture; it is not treated as trivial, but it will not derail your travel history if it stays a rare exception.
Longer overstays get serious quickly. From 90 days of overstay, departing voluntarily triggers a 1-year re-entry ban, rising to 10 years for overstays beyond 5 years. Being arrested while on overstay, rather than leaving voluntarily, means detention, deportation at your cost, and a ban starting at 5 years even for shorter periods.
If you realize you have overstayed, go to the airport or an immigration office and resolve it voluntarily. Every day you wait adds 500 THB and, past the thresholds, years to the ban. An extension filed one day late is an overstay; the system has no grace period.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does a Thailand visa extension cost?
The government fee is 1,900 THB, about 55 USD, paid in cash at the immigration office, and it is the same whether the extension adds 30 days to a tourist entry or a full year to a retirement stay. Agents who queue and file for you charge on top of that, typically several thousand baht. The fee is not refunded if the extension is refused.
How long does the extension take at immigration?
The stamp is usually issued the same day; the variable is queue time, which ranges from under an hour at quiet provincial offices to most of a day at Bangkok Chaengwattana in high season. Arrive when the office opens with completed forms and signed copies. Some one-year extension categories, such as marriage, involve a longer review before final approval.
Can I extend my stay in Thailand twice?
Generally no. Tourist and visa-exempt entries get one 30-day extension per entry, and second requests are approved only for documented reasons such as medical treatment. When the extension runs out, you either leave Thailand or move to a category that fits a longer stay, such as an education visa or the DTV. Repeated back-to-back tourist entries draw scrutiny at the border.
What happens if I overstay my visa in Thailand?
You pay 500 THB per day of overstay, capped at 20,000 THB, when you depart. Overstays of 90 days or more trigger re-entry bans, starting at 1 year and rising to 10 years for the longest cases, and being arrested while on overstay means detention and a ban even for shorter periods. Leave voluntarily and settle the fine at the airport; waiting only makes it worse.
Is the 90-day report the same as a visa extension?
No. The 90-day report is a free address notification required of long-stay residents every 90 days of continuous stay; it adds no time to your visa. The extension is the paid TM.7 process that actually moves your permitted-until date. Long-stay holders do both, on separate schedules. Confusing them, and skipping one, is one of the most common expat mistakes.
Can I extend a visa on arrival?
Only in genuine emergencies, such as hospitalization or a documented flight cancellation, and approval is at the office’s discretion. Routine requests for more holiday time on a VOA are refused. If you think 15 days may not be enough, apply for the 60-day tourist e-visa before travel instead; it costs half the VOA fee and can be extended by a further 30 days.
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From our news desk
Last verified 2026-07-05. Immigration rules change — we update these pages as official announcements land, and our Thailand visa news tracks changes daily. This page is general information, not legal advice.