Extension of Stay & Change of Visa Type

A visa is issued by a Thai embassy or consulate before you travel and only allows you to request entry. The number of days you may actually stay comes from the entry stamp given by the immigration officer at the border. Staying longer requires a separate application for extension of stay filed with the Immigration Bureau inside Thailand.

Thailand does not renew the visa sticker itself. What you file domestically is an application for extension of stay on form TM.7, assessed against your reason for staying such as employment, marriage, or retirement. If approved you receive a new permitted-until stamp; the original visa issued abroad is not amended.

Visitors who entered on visa exemption or a tourist visa can generally file form TM.7 at an immigration office to request a further period for tourism, paying the published application fee. The length granted and the approval itself are at the officer's discretion. File before your permitted-until date to avoid overstaying.

File before your permitted-until date; many offices suggest roughly 15 to 30 days ahead to allow for queues and requests for further documents. Filing on the final day is risky if anything is missing. The application fee follows the rate published by the Immigration Bureau at the time of filing.

The application fee for extension of stay follows the ministerial rate published by the Immigration Bureau and is currently THB 1,900 per application (as at August 2026). Re-entry permits and other applications carry separate fees. Check the current schedule at immigration.go.th before you file, as rates can change.

The core set is form TM.7, photographs in the required size, copies of every stamped passport page, accommodation evidence plus the landlord's TM30 notification, and supporting documents for your reason to stay such as employer papers, marriage documents, or financial evidence. Individual offices may request more based on your circumstances.

You need one whenever you hold an extension of stay and intend to leave Thailand and return while keeping that same permission. Leaving without a re-entry permit ends your extension immediately and the process must start again. Single and multiple versions are available at immigration offices and airport counters.

You need a Non-Immigrant O visa based on marriage, then file TM.7 with the marriage certificate, the Thai spouse's house registration and ID card, photographs showing cohabitation, a map to the residence, and financial evidence meeting the threshold. Officers may inspect the residence before approving the application.

In practice you can file about 30-45 days before your current permitted stay ends, and you must always file before the expiry date — filing one day late already counts as overstay. Bring form TM.7, photos, copies of every stamped passport page, the TM30 residence notification receipt, and the supporting documents for your extension category. The fee is THB 1,900. We pre-check the whole bundle so you are not sent away to re-do paperwork.

TM30 is the duty of the house owner, condo owner or possessor of the residence to notify immigration within 24 hours of a foreigner taking up residence. The 90-day report (TM.47) is the foreigner's own duty to report their current address after 90 continuous days in Thailand, filed in person, by post or online from 15 days before until 7 days after the due date. They are separate obligations, and an up-to-date TM30 is regularly requested when you file TM.7.

If you entered visa-exempt or on a tourist visa you can usually convert to a Non-Immigrant category in Thailand, provided you have at least 15 days of permitted stay remaining (some offices require 21) and the supporting documents for the target category. The conversion fee is THB 2,000 and gives 90 days, after which you file TM.7 for a one-year extension. When employer documents are not ready, applying at an embassy abroad is sometimes faster — we compare both routes before you commit.