Thailand Re-Entry Permit

The Thailand re-entry permit allows you to leave the country on your current visa and return and continue it. This is very useful for those who live and work here and also for travelers who have a 2 or 3 month visa but want to leave and come back later. I have had mixed experiences when getting my re-entry visa and wanted to share with you some information.

The cost is 1,200 Baht for a single entry and 4,000 for multiple entry ( including photo taking fees) . It is worth noting that you can apply for multiple entry visas at your local embassy or local immigration if you live here. However, you will be asked for the dates of your intended leave if you are requesting a single entry permit.

Land Crossings

At all official land crossings you can get a re-entry permit. Both single and multiple entry are available and the time to get these should be less than 30 minutes. However, at popular crossing points it might take a bit longer during peak periods.

Suvarnabuhmi Airport & Dong Muang Airport

The main airports in Bangkok offer re-entry permits throughout the day. I picked mine up at Suvarnabhumi last week and had to wait 15 minutes for it. However in previous attempts it has taken closer to 45 minutes so I recommend being there in plenty of time. The re-entry permits can be found just after the security screenings but before passport control. If you are a bit lost just ask and don’t go through passport control without getting it as you cant go back through after.

Suvarnabhumi Airport Information

Phuket Airport & Chiang Mai Airport

These secondary airports in Thailand offer re-entry permits as they deal with a lot of international traffic. The process and pricing is the same as in Bangkok. Just go through screening and apply for your permit before going through passport control. I have not been on international flights from these airports but have heard it sometimes can take a bit longer as they have less staff at peak times.

Surat Thani Airport & Other Regional Airports

All exit points for Thailand are supposed to offer this service but for some places you need to be careful. I had a big problem when trying to get my Thailand re-entry permit from Surat Thani airport. I had gone through screening and arrived at the small desk only to find it empty. I asked at the immigration desk and was told in English that the official weren’t working that day. However listening to the officials talking in Thai it seemed the person there was in fact at lunch and wouldn’t come back until after my flight had boarded.  An airport like Surat Thani has very few international flights but it seems lunch is very important to its staff. This leads us on to the next point….

What if I forget / Can’t get a Thailand Re-Entry Permit?

If you forget or can’t get a permit then the friendly officials at immigration will tell you there is nothing they can do and you have to get a new visa when you arrive back on a 30 day tourist visa. For me this meant spending an extra 5,000 Baht when I came back to get a Non Imm B and then get it approved for my work permit. As such I recommend leaving Thailand by one of the big 4 airports or doing a land crossing as here you are guaranteed a re-entry permit. I’m sure my experience at Surat Thani is very rare but I wont be risking it again.