Thailand Immigration control procedure for foreign passport holders at the airport in Thailand is pretty simple if only you have all the required documents in place. What to expect during your arrival at the airport?
Thailand Immigration Counters
Once at the airport, just proceed to the immigration counters by following the signs “Immigration”.
If you are from one of the eligible countries and have a plan to use Thailand Visa on Arrival, you must go to “Visa on Arrival” counters first. Detailed information about applying for Visa on Arrival at different airports in Thailand can be found here:
- Visa on Arrival at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK)
- Visa on Arrival at Bangkok Don Mueang Airport (DMK)
- Visa on Arrival at Phuket International Airport (HKT)
- Visa on Arrival at Krabi International Airport (KBV)
- Visa on Arrival at Chiang Mai International Airport (CNX)
Thailand Immigration at the airports usually has separate counters not only for Foreign passports and Thai passports but also ASEAN passports and even Chinese passports.
Thailand Immigration Procedure
The steps of Thailand Immigration control procedure for foreign passport holders are listed below.
Step 1
Present your passport, Immigration card (TM.6) and boarding pass.
In most cases, your passport must be valid for at least 6 months from the day of your arrival. Tourists who are planning to use Visa on Arrival must possess passport with at least 1 month validity.
Thailand Immigration cards are usually given out during the flight so you can save time at the airport. If you won’t get one, don’t worry, you can find plenty of them just before the Immigration. More information about Thai immigration card can be found here: Thailand Arrival / Departure Card.
Step 2
Immigration officer will compare your personal appearance to your passport photo.
Step 3
Your Thailand visa / visa exemption will be checked.
Step 4
All the passengers from 45 countries in health control list must show the immigration card with stamp from health control counter that they have been tested for diseases specifically prohibited and prescribed in the regulations. In case if there is no stamp to show at passport control, the passenger will be taken to health control first.
List of countries which require International Health Certificate for Yellow Fever Vaccination is as follows:
- Angola
- Benin
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cameroon
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Colombia
- Congo
- Congo Republic
- Cote d’ Ivore
- Ecuador
- Equatorial Guinea
- Ethiopia
- French-Guiana
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea-Bissau
- Guinea
- Guyana
- Kenya
- Liberia
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Panama
- Peru
- Rwanda
- Sao Tome & Principe
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- Sudan
- Suriname
- Tanzania
- Togo
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Uganda
- Venezuela
- Argentina
- Paraguay
Step 5
The blacklist status of travellers will be checked on computer system.
If you haven’t overstayed your Thailand visa before and have no criminal record, you shouldn’t have any troubles at this step.
Step 6
All information of passport, Immigration card (TM.6) number, flight number and all arrival information will be recorded.
Step 7
Passport and arrival card will be stamped.
Holders of Single-Entry or Multiple-Entry Tourist Visa will be given an entry stamp for 60 days, tourists using visa exemption – entry stamp for 30 days, travellers with Visa on Arrival – entry stamp for 15 days.
Your stay in the country can later be extended at one of Thailand Immigration offices. Detailed information about the extension can be found here: Thai Visa Extension: How to Extend Your Stay in Thailand.
Step 8
Your passport will be returned to you.
Step 9
Afterward, you can collect your baggage from the belt.