Thailand Re-Entry Permit: Who Needs One, TM.8 and Fees

A Thai re-entry permit is a stamp in your passport that keeps your current permission to stay alive while you travel abroad. Without one, section 39 of the Immigration Act ends that permission the moment you leave Thailand, and nothing restores it. You need one if your stamp came from an extension (retirement, marriage, work or study), if you live on a single-entry visa, and before any trip in the first year of an O-A. LTR holders and their dependants are exempt, and DTV and Privilege holders come back on their valid visa. It costs ฿1,000 for one trip or ฿3,800 for several, on form TM.8 at Chiang Mai Immigration, in person, before you go.

• Fees: ฿1,000 single, ฿3,800 multiple, per person, unchanged since 26 August 2003. A permit never runs past the end date already in your passport.
• Form TM.8 with one 4×6 cm photo, filed in person before you leave Thailand. The fee is not refunded.
• In Chiang Mai: Airport Road (queue card C, counter 1) or the Central Festival branch, 09:00 to 12:00. Bangkok's airports issue it at departures on the day you fly. There is no online route (checked 10 November 2026).
• On return the 90-day count starts again, and your landlord does not refile the TM30 if you come back to the same home.

What a re-entry permit does#

A re-entry permit gives back the time left on your current stamp when you return; it adds no time. Section 39 of the Immigration Act says that a foreigner permitted to stay temporarily who leaves Thailand loses that permission, unless an official allowed them to come back before they left. On their return they may stay "เท่าระยะเวลาที่ยังเหลืออยู่นั้น" (for as long as the time that remains).

• It cannot carry you past the end date already in your passport. A permit bought in the last week of your stay gives you that last week back, nothing more.
• It must be granted before you leave. No official text describes a way to get one after departure, and no Thai embassy page we read says an embassy abroad can issue one.
• It does not guarantee entry. The time is restored only if you are not barred under section 12 of the Act when you come back.
• There is no repair. A yearly extension lost by leaving without a permit is gone, and you start again with a new visa from abroad. Only permanent residents have a way back (section 51, below).

Section 39 has not changed since the Act was passed in 1979. The Immigration bill that passed the House of Representatives on 30 September 2026 changes other sections, the 90-day report and the TM30 among them, but not section 39, and it is not law (checked 10 November 2026).

Do you need one? Route by route#

Ask one question: will your next entry give you a new stay? If your stamp came from an extension, or from a single-entry visa you have already used, the answer is no, and you need a permit. If you hold a multiple-entry visa that is still valid and an official text says each entry gives a new stay, you come back on the visa. The table applies that test to every route as of 10 November 2026.

The O-A: buy one before any trip#

Two Thai embassies say the O-A's year runs from your first entry, not from each entry. Ottawa (updated 22 July 2024) and Moscow (updated 29 November 2022) say the holder may stay "1 year from the date of first entry", must apply "for re-entry permit (single or multiple) before departure" during that year, and that leaving without one means "the permit to stay for 1 year shall be considered void". No official text says a return on a valid O-A gives a new year. So buy a permit before any trip; a multiple permit covers every trip until your one-year stamp ends, and each yearly extension after that needs a new one.

The DTV, the O-X and Privilege: where no official text exists#

• DTV: the Foreign Ministry tells holders to "depart the country and re-enter Thailand with the same DTV visa within the visa validity date". Leaving during the 180-day extension ends that extension; while the DTV is valid you come back on it and the officer sets a new stay. No official text covers a permit during the extension (as of 10 November 2026). If your DTV ends before your stay does, ask Chiang Mai Immigration (053 201 755, press 20) before you travel.
• O-X: the visa is multiple entry for five years, and the holder may stay "5 years each time (total 10 years)". No page says what a trip does to that stay (as of 10 November 2026). Once your stay runs on the extension granted in Thailand after the visa's five years, the visa can no longer bring you back, so a permit is needed then. Because one multiple permit covers every trip until your stamp ends, buy one before your first trip.
• Thailand Privilege: the operator says each entry on a valid Privilege Entry visa gives up to a year and that members have "no re-entry permit hassles". Neither it nor any government text covers a stay or a yearly extension that runs past the end date on the visa sticker (as of 10 November 2026). If yours does, buy a permit before you leave.

The LTR is exempt, dependants included#

The LTR is the only route exempt by an official text. Clause 4 of the Interior Ministry's notification of 2022 stamps a first permission of up to five years "คนต่างด้าวและผู้ติดตาม" (for the foreigner and dependants), usable an unlimited number of times, without a re-entry endorsement; clause 5 does the same for the second five years. The LTR does not get a new stay at each entry: it keeps one five-year permission that survives every trip. Its yearly address report falls due one year after your latest arrival.

Permanent residents: a return stamp, not a permit#

A permanent resident does not file a TM.8. Section 48 of the Act makes a residence certificate invalid once its holder leaves Thailand, unless it was stamped for departure and return before they left (section 50). That stamp is filed on form TM.13, costs ฿1,900 and lasts one year from issue, for any number of trips; you must be back within that year. The Immigration Bureau's handbooks also describe a Non-Quota Immigrant Visa issued after the stamp (฿1,900 single, ฿3,800 multiple), so ask the office which you need. A resident who misses the year can apply under section 51 on form TM.14; if the Immigration Commission accepts the reason, a new certificate costs ฿95,700.

Visa-exempt and tourist stays#

A visa-exempt visitor may buy a permit: section 39 covers every temporary stay, and the TM.8 has an "Others" box. It is rarely worth it. Since 15 September 2026 nationals of 60 countries and territories get 30 days for tourism only, and a ฿1,000 permit keeps only the days left, while a new exempt entry gives 30 days at no cost. That new entry is screened: the Immigration Bureau may refuse anyone repeating runs "more than 2 times without an explainable reason", and land-border entries are capped at two a calendar year. No official text says whether a return on a permit counts towards either (as of 10 November 2026). A multiple-entry tourist visa within its six months needs no permit.

Families: one permit per person#

Every person holds a separate permission and needs a separate permit. The TM.8 is one person's application, filed in person, and the fee schedule prices it per person. A retiree whose spouse and child live on extensions behind them needs three permits for a family trip. Family members on a DTV or an LTR follow their own visa.

Thailand long-term visas compared

The nine long-stay routes side by side: who qualifies, the money, how long each lasts, work, insurance, the 90-day report, tax and family.

Read the long-term visa guide

Single or multiple, and what it costs#

A single permit costs ฿1,000 and a multiple permit ฿3,800, per person. Ministerial Regulation No. 27 set both fees, and they have been in force since 26 August 2003. The multiple permit is priced for use "ภายในระยะเวลาที่ยังเหลืออยู่" (within the time still remaining), so it ends with the stamp you bought it on: after your next yearly extension, buy a new one.

• Three single permits cost ฿3,000 and four cost ฿4,000, so the multiple is cheaper from the fourth trip before your stamp ends. It also saves a counter visit each time.
• The ฿2,000 and ฿5,000 printed in some copies of the Act are its ceilings, not the fees. The Act lets ministers set fees no higher than those, and Regulation No. 27 set ฿1,000 and ฿3,800.
• The form says the fee is "NON REFUNDABLE UNDER ALL CIRCUMSTANCES", whether the permit is granted or not.
• No official source shows an airport surcharge: Suvarnabhumi's own 2026 chart prices the permit at ฿1,000 and ฿3,800 with no other line. An extra amount asked at an airport can only be a private photo or form service.
• No official source says whether card or QR payment is accepted, in Chiang Mai or at the airports (as of 10 November 2026). Bring baht in cash.

The TM.8 form, field by field#

The TM.8 (ตม.8) is a single two-page bilingual form, "Application for Re-Entry Permit to Return into the Kingdom", on the Immigration Bureau's download page. You fill it in, attach one 4×6 cm photo and hand it in yourself with your passport. There are no separate Thai and English versions.

Page 1, in the order the form asks:

1. "Written at": the office where you file (for example Chiang Mai Immigration), and the date.
2. Your family name, first name and middle name; nationality, age, date and place of birth; occupation.
3. Your present address in Thailand: house number, road, tambon, amphoe and changwat (province).
4. A tick for "Single entry" or "Multiple entries".
5. Where you are going ("I intend to travel to"), the date you leave ("Shall leave Thailand on"), how ("By"), why ("For"), and when you expect to return ("And shall return into Thailand about").
6. Your passport: country, where issued, number, date of issue and "Valid until".

Page 2 asks for your previous visa ("My previous visa for Thailand is of the category of": Non-Immigrant, Tourist, Transit or Others), where and when it was issued, when you arrived, and "And have been permitted to stay up to": the end date in your latest entry or extension stamp. You sign or give your right thumb print, and the photo goes in its box.

• The year: the Thai lines ask for the Buddhist-era year (พ.ศ., so 2026 is 2569), the English lines just "Year". No official text says which the officer expects.
• There is no box for a visa exemption or an LTR. A visa-exempt visitor ticks "Others".
• The notice at the foot says "APPLICANT MUST SUBMIT THE APPLICATION IN PERSON". An employer or school cannot file it for you; only staff of BOI-promoted companies use the BOI's own One Stop Service.

What to bring. The current national handbook (8 November 2019) lists the TM.8 with one 4×6 cm photo, your passport, and a letter of permission if you are barred from leaving Thailand. Older lists, still printed by some offices, also ask for a photo taken within six months and copies of passport pages, so bring these too:

• The completed TM.8 with one 4×6 cm photo taken within the last six months.
• Your passport.
• Signed copies of the photo page, your visa or latest extension stamp, and your latest entry stamp.
• Baht in cash: ฿1,000 or ฿3,800.
• At an airport, your boarding pass.

You need no ticket at an office: the form asks only for your destination and dates. The paper TM.6 arrival card on older lists ended when the free digital arrival card (TDAC) replaced it on 1 May 2025. Once your papers are complete, the handbook sets 40 minutes for the permit; the wait for your queue number comes on top, and no official source publishes it.

Where to get it#

In Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai Immigration issues re-entry permits at both its counters, in person, on the day: the main office on Airport Road and the Central Festival branch in the mornings. Bangkok's airports issue them at departures passport control on the day you fly. Chiang Mai airport and the land borders are unconfirmed, so get yours in town before you go.

Chiang Mai Immigration, Airport Road#

At the main office, 71 Moo 3 Airport (Sanambin) Road, Suthep, the office's own chart starts at a screening point. Take queue card "C – Thai Family & Re-Entry", fill in the form at the document point, wait for your number on the ground floor of the office building, and you are served at "Counter 1: Re-Entry/ Visa Endorsement". You pay there and get your passport back with the receipt; check both before you leave. There are no appointments for re-entry permits: the office's booking calendar offers only retirement, business, education and volunteer slots. For questions, call 053 201 755 and press 20 (90-day reports and re-entry permits).

The Central Festival branch#

The branch at Central Chiangmai (Central Festival) is on the 2nd floor, by door 2/1, next to the lift on the SuperSports side, and is open 09:00 to 17:00. Its entry in the office's directory lists "Visa Re-entry (09:00am.–12:00pm.)", so go in the morning. Its phone is 065 765 7029.

Bangkok's airports#

Immigration Division 1 says the permit can be filed "at Passport Control (International Departures) in the Airport on the date of departure". Suvarnabhumi's departure immigration published its own chart in 2026: hand over the TM.8, your passport and your boarding pass; the officer records the permit, takes the fee, stamps passport and form, and hands everything back, in about nine minutes. Because a boarding pass is required, this works only after check-in on the day you fly. Don Mueang's airport guide lists a re-entry step at passport control but gives no place, hours or fee.

• Treat the airport as a fallback for a single permit. Suvarnabhumi's 2026 chart prices a multiple too, but the BOI's older FAQ (as of December 2014) says airports issue single permits only, and Don Mueang publishes nothing. If you want a multiple, buy it in Chiang Mai.
• Flying abroad through Bangkok on a domestic first leg, you leave Thailand at the Bangkok airport, so that is where an airport permit would be issued. Chiang Mai University's nursing faculty warns that an airport permit must be done on the day, at the airport you fly out of, and recommends the city office, because an early connection can make the airport impossible.

Chiang Mai airport and the land borders#

No official source says Chiang Mai International Airport issues re-entry permits, and none says it does not; its operator's arrival guide lists passport control without them (as of 10 November 2026). The land checkpoints are in the same position: no official source confirms or rules out issue at Mae Sai, Chiang Khong, Mae Sot or Nong Khai, and the Immigration Bureau's handbook sends applicants to the office where they live. Get the permit before you leave Chiang Mai: leaving without one ends your extension at the border. Border passes for residents of border districts are a different document and do not replace a re-entry permit.

Not online#

There is no online re-entry permit (as of 10 November 2026). The Immigration Bureau's THIM app has been available since 1 August 2026, and the next services it announced on 25 September 2026 are queue booking, a residence certificate, extensions of stay, the 90-day report and visa on arrival, with no dates and no re-entry permit. The e-Extension portal handles extensions only.

Chiang Mai Immigration Office

Both counters, what each handles, opening hours, phone numbers, the 90-day report, extensions and fees.

Read the immigration office guide

After your trip#

When you come back, the 90-day count starts again, and your landlord does not refile the TM30 if you return to the same home. The Immigration Bureau says the count restarts "ทุกกรณี" (in every case): your next 90-day report falls 90 days after your latest entry, so a frequent traveller may never file one.

• TM30: the police regulation in force since 30 June 2020 says the host need not notify again when a foreigner returns to the same place within a notified stay, and names foreigners returning on a re-entry permit. A new address, or a new visa-free entry, still needs a new TM30.
• LTR holders count their yearly address report from their latest arrival.
• Every non-Thai arrival files the free digital arrival card (TDAC) online before landing, permit or not.
• Check the arrival stamp before you leave the counter: it should carry your old end date, because the permit gives back only the time that remained.
• Do not travel on an "under consideration" stamp. Order 12/2568 lets you stay while an extension is decided, for at most 30 days past your old permission, and no official text says a permit can be issued in that state (as of 10 November 2026). Wait for the one-year stamp, then buy the permit.

The 90-day report, step by step

Who files the TM.47, the due date, filing online, by post or at the two Chiang Mai counters, and the fines.

Read the 90-day report guide

A new or lost passport#

Move your stamps to a new passport at Chiang Mai Immigration before you travel. The police rules require a passport that is "still fully valid" for a re-entry permit, and Chiang Mai Immigration's chart routes "Transfer passport" through queue card A to counter 2. No national handbook describes the transfer for ordinary visas (as of 10 November 2026).

• The LTR has its own procedure, at the BOI's centre in Bangkok, with both passports and an embassy certificate, before the stay becomes invalid; the stay is limited to the new passport's expiry date.
• The first 90-day report after a new passport cannot be filed online.
• A lost passport: no official text covers a re-entry permit or stamps lost with it. Call Chiang Mai Immigration (053 201 755, press 20) before any trip on a replacement passport.