Foreign nationals need a visa to be able to stay in Thailand. This means that if you are a foreign national and staying in Thailand on a specific visa, you will need to maintain it if you ever want to apply within the country.
If your current visa is about to expire, you can still apply for the Thai Privilege Visa. However, you will need to leave the country the moment the expiry date approaches and apply for a Thai Privilege Visa outside of Thailand, or you will need to try and find a way to extend your visa.
What options do applicants have when on an expiring visa?
If your visa is about to expire, here are the alternatives you can consider:
- You can submit your Thai Privilege Visa application while you are in Thailand. Once your visa expires, you can leave the country and return on a 90-day tourist visa.
- You can apply for the Thai Privilege Visa inside Thailand, then leave the country the moment your visa expires and return once you receive your membership ID.
- You can submit your Thai Privilege Visa application while in Thailand, and if you receive approval before your current visa expires, you can remain in Thailand and let your visa’s validity period run out. This will allow you to acquire the Thai Privilege Visa at immigration centres in Thailand.
- You can choose to apply for the Thai Privilege Visa while overseas and fly over to Thailand to affix your visa at the airport.
What can applicants do if on a visa-exemption status?
If your temporary 30 days of available stay is up, you have the following options to pursue:
- You will need to apply for a visa (preferably a tourist visa as it is the easiest to acquire) in order to maintain your stay within the country.
- You will need to leave Thailand and apply for the Thai Privilege Visa while abroad.
If in need of any support, you can always contact Siam Legal to speak to their Tourist Visa team. Staff members from this department will be able to provide guidance on what you can do to continue staying in Thailand or assist you with applying or renewing your visa.