Forgot to apply for Re-Entry Permit?

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If you’re a foreigner living in Thailand on a long-term visa (like a Non-Immigrant visa or Extension of Stay) and you leave the country without a re-entry permit, you may accidentally invalidate your visa. This can lead to unexpected problems when trying to re-enter Thailand. Here’s what you should know and do.

What Is a Re-Entry Permit?

A Re-Entry Permit allows you to leave Thailand without canceling your current visa or stay extension. If you leave the country without it, your visa is considered void, meaning you’ll need to apply for a new one.

There are two types:

• Single Re-Entry Permit – Valid for one trip only.
• Multiple Re-Entry Permit – Valid for unlimited trips within your visa period.

What Happens If You Forget to Get One?

If you leave Thailand without a re-entry permit, your visa will be automatically canceled upon departure. When you return, you will only be granted a 30-day or 60-day stamp (depending on your nationality), which is considered a Tourist Visa or visa exemption.

This means:

• Your work permit (if you had one) becomes invalid.
• Your Non-Immigrant visa extension is no longer valid.
• You’ll need to start the visa process all over again in Thailand or at a Thai embassy abroad.

What Should You Do If You Forgot?

1. Don’t Panic, But Act Quickly
   • Once you realize you left Thailand without a re-entry permit, your current visa is canceled. Unfortunately, there’s no way to reverse this. But you can still recover.
2. Return to Thailand as a Tourist
   • You can re-enter Thailand with:
     • A Tourist Visa (apply at a Thai embassy/consulate abroad), or
     • A Visa Exemption (if your nationality qualifies – many countries get 30 or 45 days)
3. Start a New Visa Application
   • After entering Thailand again, you will need to:
     • Gather all documents again (depending on your visa type: retirement, marriage, education, business, etc.)
     • Visit Immigration or apply through a visa agent
     • If needed, leave the country again to apply for a new visa from a Thai embassy/consulate
4. Inform Your Employer or School
   • If you were working or studying, let your employer or school know, as your visa and work permit are no longer valid. You’ll need their help to reapply.

Can You Apply for a Re-Entry Permit After Leaving?

No. Re-entry permits must be applied for before leaving Thailand. Once you are outside the country, it is too late to apply for one.

Tips to Avoid This in the Future

• Always check your visa status before booking travel.
• Set a reminder on your phone to get a re-entry permit.
• Apply at any Thai Immigration office or at Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports before departure (allow enough time).
• Get a Multiple Re-Entry Permit if you plan to travel often.

Can I apply for a Re-Entry permit at the airport?

Yes, you can apply for a Re-Entry Permit at Passport Control (International Departures) in the airport on your date of departure from Thailand. The immigration officer suggests arriving at the airport 2 hours earlier than your airline recommends. This is to avoid long queues, as the immigration officers may be serving many people. The normal processing time for a Re-Entry Permit application is around 1 to 1.5 hours per person.

Re-Entry Permit Fee and Documents

• Passport
• Application Form (TM.8)
  • attached photograph (4*6 cm.) that is not less than 6 months old
• A copy of the passport page is as follows
  • Biodata page
  • Passport expiration date page
  • Edit personal information page (if any)
  • Last entry permit stamp
  • Extension Stamp to stay on the Kingdom page (if any)
• Departure card (TM.6) and 1 copy (if any)
• Original documents from relevant authorities and 1 copy (in case of prohibited travel outside the Kingdom) (if any)
• Application fee
  • 1,000 baht for one-time use
  • 3,800 baht for multiple uses

source for a Re-Entry permit fee

Can I apply for a NON-O visa in Thailand after entering Thailand without a Re-Entry permit?

Yes. If you hold a long-stay visa ( Retirement or Marriage visa ) and come back to Thailand without the Re-Entry permit, you will get the visa-exempt entry (ผ.30) in your passport. Then you have a very short time to apply for a Non-O visa within Thailand.

In my case, we came back on 10 May. On 11 May, I went to immigration for a TM30 for my husband. There was a long queue on that day. Then we asked the immigration officer how to apply for the NON-O visa in Chiang Mai. The immigration officer was very helpful. They said that 16 May was our deadline for applying for the NON-O visa within Thailand. Then they tell me what documents I need. If we can not apply for the visa within the deadline, my husband needs to leave Thailand and apply for a NON-O visa from another country at the Thai embassy.

In my experience, the immigration officers in Chiang Mai are very helpful. They’re always helpful and answer the questions we have. I often call the Chiang Mai officer when needed. The line is often busy, so you need patience. What I normally do is to list all questions before calling them. Once they are on the call, they will answer every question you have. They never rush you.

What documents and fees do I need?

Below are the documents and fees that the officer told me about. I need to provide two sets of these documents.

Download all immigration documents from this link.

• TM87 (APPLICATION FOR VISA) – (2 sets)
• The Acknowledgement of Penalties for a Visa Overstay. You can get this document at the document checkpoint – (2 sets)
• Copy of the first page of your passport, the page that has your photo – (2 copies)
• Copy of your visa-exempt entry (2 copies)
• TM30 (NOTIFICATION FORM FOR HOUSE MASTER, OWNER, OR THE POSSESSOR OF THE RESIDENCE WHERE ALIEN HAS STAYED) – (2 copies)
• You must have 400,000 baht in your Thai bank account at least for applying for the Thai marriage visa.
  • Application for Financial Certificate from your Thai bank (หนังสือรับรองยอดเงินฝากธนาคาร). You can ask for this certificate from the banks in Robinson Chiang Mai since the bank officers in this store will know exactly what certificate you need for Thai immigration, and the store is near the immigration office. We use the Bangkok Bank, and the fee is 100 baht per 1 certificate. – (2 sets)
  • Deposit some money into your Thai book bank ON THE DAY YOU ARE GOING TO APPLY FOR THE NON-O VISA, then update your Thai book bank. This way, the Thai book bank will show the same date as your visa application. The Application for Financial Certificate date can be the day before your visa application date. For example, my husband got the Application for Financial Certificate on 11 May. Then he put 50 baht into his bank and updated the book bank on 12 May, which is the same day we went to apply for a NON-O visa. This step is very important and the officer specifically warns me to make sure I don’t miss this step.
  • Copy of your Thai bank book on every page after depositing some money on the day you are going to apply for the visa – only the latest Thai bank book (2 copies)
• The photos of your front house with including your house number, your bedroom with closet opening, your living room, your kitchen, and the back of your house. Every photo must have you and your Thai partner in them and no selfies. You must let someone else take all the photos. Then print all photos in color on A4 paper. Two photos per page. If you print the photos in color, they must be clear pictures. You can also develop the photos and glue them onto the A4 paper. The photos will prove your relationship with your Thai partner. – (2 sets)
• Marriage certificate – in my case, we have had a Thai marriage certificate (Khor.Ror. 3 – คร.3) since we registered our marriage in Thailand. For other marriage certificates abroad, please ask the immigration officers. – (2 copies)
• Registration of Marriage (Khor.Ror. 2 – คร.2) – You can get the Khor.Ror.2 at the district office of your city, which is the same place where you can register a Thai marriage in your city. – (It requires each original and a copy of one). You MUST get three Khor.Ror.2 original documents. This Khor.Ror.2 original document will be used in the next steps after your visa application is approved. I paid 40 baht for three Khor.Ror.2 original documents at the Chiang Mai district office.
• Your Thai partner ID card – (2 copies)
• Your Thai house register – (2 copies)
• Google Map that pins your house. It needs to be in detail since the police will come to visit your house. You can draw your own map at the immigration office as well. But I recommend preparing the Google Map and printing it out. – (2 copies and need to print in color)
• Fee 2,000 baht (cash only)

How to get the queue and documents checked at the Chiang Mai immigration

• Get in the queue at the COVID-19 checking point, which is near the exit gate.
• Once you have the queue, go to check all your documents at the tent in front of the building. If in front of you is the building, the tent is located on the left-hand side of you.
• Once all documents are checked to be correct at the checking point, you will go to the information counter inside the building.
• Note that if you need to copy more documents, the copy shop is behind the building next to the TM30 office.

Double-checking the documents again at the Information counter

The officer at the information counter will check your documents and ask you the reason why you want the NON-O visa again. Then they will explain the timeline and what you can expect. After that, you will get another queue for counter 5, which is the changing visa service, and you will come back in the afternoon if you came in the morning.

Final checking the documents at counter 5

I had the first queue at counter 5. You should be on time. The officer rechecks our documents. Remember, all documents require two sets. Finally, we will sign our names on each copy. We don’t need to sign the original documents. The officer will mark which document you and your Thai partner need to sign. So don’t forget to take the blue pen with you.

Timeline

• Since we applied for the visa on 12 May (Friday). It will take one month for approval. During this period, the police will visit us at our house.
• On 6 June, we need to come back to the immigration office at counter 3 to get the approved result. No queue and no documents again on that day. We just show up at counter 3 between 1-4 pm. If the result is approved, we will get the extended stamp for staying 90 days.
  Update: our visa was approved. Now, we have the NON-O visa. The visa will be good for 90 days. We can either change to a marriage visa or renew the 90-day visa within 45 days before the visa expires. If you want to just renew the 90-day visa, you need to go to immigration for the renewal.

Important Note:

• You and your Thai partner (wife or husband) must go with you to the immigration office every time.
• You must ask the immigration officers to check all the documents I mentioned above. Each city may require different documents.
• I recommend you go to the immigration office to review the documents and get in the queue in the morning. If you miss some documents, you may have time to find them and come back again in the afternoon.
• Prepare some paper glue and a blue pen.
• Prepare enough cash (Thai baht) for your fee.
• All officers understand English, but it would be clearer and easier for your Thai partner to communicate with the officers.
• The officer told us there will be police visiting us to check in at our home.
• For the money in your bank, you can use your money while you are waiting for the approval (1 month) as long as the money is not going under the 400,000 baht for the marriage visa. Just call immigration on 25 May for this info.

Final Thoughts

Forgetting your re-entry permit is a frustrating and costly mistake. It can cancel your visa and require you to start the process from scratch. Thai immigration rules remain strict, and there are no exceptions for this error. To avoid this in the future, always double-check your travel documents before flying out.

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