Qualifications of foreigners who wish to apply for changing the type of visa in Thailand

          Foreigners entering Thailand have different purposes of travel. Therefore, qualifications, supporting documents, fees, the duration of permission, and other factors are also different with regard to working, traveling, or getting married to a Thai person. However, their entries must be legal. Most foreigners with legal entries are granted a tourist visa and later they apply for a change in the type of visa, such as a visa for working or other types of visa.  

          The application for changing the type of visa can be done, depending on foreigners’ reasons. The important thing is that foreigners who wish to change the type of visa must hold a tourist visa or transit visa, or they may be foreigners who entered Thailand without a visa but are allowed to stay in the Kingdom up to 90 days from the date of arrival in Thailand. Documents for changing the type of visa must be submitted more than 15 days before visa expiration. In cases when they overstay their current visa, foreigners are not allowed to submit an application for a change.

          The applicant must appear in person every time. The applicant must sign every page of their application documents to certify that the documents are genuine. For convenience and speedy service, the applicant for visa or visa status alteration must arrange and submit a complete set of documents in proper order and must prepare the originals as proof. It can be seen that applying for a change in the type of visa is not difficult; one only has to follow the conditions and criteria required by the Immigration Bureau.

Source: Immigration Division 1
Tel: +66 2141 9889