A re-entry permit is a stamp you get before leaving Thailand that keeps your current permission to stay alive while you are away. Without it, your extension or visa stay ends the moment you pass outbound passport control. It costs 1,000 baht for one trip or 3,800 baht for unlimited trips (as of October 2026).
The permit matters to anyone who lives in Thailand on a one-year extension or another long permission to stay: retirees, people married to Thai citizens, workers, students. It does not give you any new days. It only freezes what you already have, so that you come back to the same stay with the same end date.
This page covers the permit on its own: who needs one, single or multiple, the form, the fee and where to apply. The visa pages on this site link here rather than repeat it.
The re-entry permit at a glance (October 2026)
- What it does
- Keeps your existing permission to stay valid while you travel abroad
- Form
- TM.8, with one 4 × 6 cm photo taken within the last 6 months
- Single re-entry
- 1,000 baht, one trip out and back
- Multiple re-entry
- 3,800 baht, any number of trips while your stay lasts
- Where
- Your local immigration office, or passport control at the airport on the day you leave
- Refunds
- None, according to Bangkok Immigration's fee list
- Source
- Immigration Division 1, Bangkok (archived August 2024 copy; the live site blocks automated access)
What happens to your extension if you leave without one
Bangkok's Immigration Division 1 states the rule plainly. A foreigner with temporary permission to stay who travels out of Thailand without a re-entry permit is treated as having had that permission terminated. With a permit granted before departure, the same person returns and keeps staying "for the remaining period" of the permission they already held.
In practice, the difference is large. Say you hold a retirement extension valid until next August and fly to Singapore for a week in March. With a permit, you land back in Bangkok and the immigration officer stamps you in until August, as before. Without one, the extension is gone. You enter like any other visitor, under whatever visa exemption or visa your passport qualifies for, and you would have to start the long-stay process again, often from a new visa abroad.
The extension dies at the outbound counter, not when you return. If you realize at the airport that you have no permit, get one at passport control before you go through. Once your passport is stamped out without it, the official rule treats the old stay as ended.
Who needs a re-entry permit, and who does not
You need one if your permission to stay was granted or extended inside Thailand and you plan to leave and come back during it. That covers the yearly extensions most long-stay residents live on. Our guide to retirement visas and the yearly extension lists the permit among the routines of a retiree's year; the same applies to the extensions described in our pages on marriage to a Thai citizen and the Non-B visa and work permit.
Holders of the Long-Term Resident visa get a multiple re-entry permit as one of the published benefits, according to the Board of Investment; see our page on the LTR visa for what else it includes.
If your stay comes from a multiple-entry visa issued abroad (such as an O-A or a Destination Thailand Visa) and you have not extended it in Thailand, the visa itself may cover your trips while it is valid. The rules differ by visa type and by what is stamped in your passport, so show your passport at your immigration office and ask before you book. Short-stay visitors on a visa exemption normally have nothing to protect: they leave, and the next entry gives them a new stamp under the rules of the day.
Single or multiple: which permit to buy
The single permit covers one departure and one return. The multiple permit covers any number of trips while your current permission lasts. It cannot outlive that permission: once your extension ends, the permit ends with it, and a new extension needs a new permit.
| Trips abroad before your stay ends | Single permits | One multiple permit | Cheaper option |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ฿1,000 | ฿3,800 | Single |
| 2 | ฿2,000 | ฿3,800 | Single |
| 3 | ฿3,000 | ฿3,800 | Single, but close |
| 4 or more | ฿4,000+ | ฿3,800 | Multiple |
Money is not the only factor. Each single permit means another visit to immigration, or a stop at the airport counter on a travel day. If you live near the Malaysian or Lao border and cross often, or if your plans change at short notice, the multiple permit saves queues as well as baht. Fees are not refunded, so a multiple permit you end up using once is 2,800 baht you will not see again.
Form TM.8 and the documents to bring
Bangkok Immigration lists the following for an application in person:
- your passport;
- form TM.8, printed on one sheet, with one 4 × 6 cm photo no older than six months;
- copies of the passport photo page, the page showing the expiry date, and any page with amended personal details;
- a copy of your last entry stamp and of your extension stamp, if you have one;
- if you are subject to a travel ban, the original documents from the authority concerned, plus a copy.
The archived list also asks for the TM.6 departure card. Paper cards have been replaced by the Thailand Digital Arrival Card, so ask the office what it wants instead. Bring the fee and a spare photo; offices differ on small details such as how they want copies signed.
Where to apply: the immigration office or the airport
The usual place is the immigration office for the province where you live, the same office that handles your extension. In Bangkok that is Immigration Division 1 at the Government Complex; our guide to the Chaeng Watthana office covers getting there and the queue system. Residents of the north and the Andaman coast can read our pages on the Chiang Mai immigration office and the Phuket immigration office.
Bangkok Immigration also names a second option: the permit can be issued at passport control in the international departures area of the airport on the day you leave. That is useful for a sudden trip, but you are relying on a counter you cannot check in advance, on a day with a flight to catch. If you choose this route, arrive at the airport earlier than usual. The official page speaks of the airport; whether land border checkpoints offer the same service is not stated, so ask your office before a trip by road.
Apply at the office when the trip is planned, not at the airport when it is close. A permit from your local office takes one ordinary visit. The airport counter is a fallback for emergencies, and you do not want to learn about a missing copy or photo twenty minutes before boarding.
Coming back: the 90-day count and the TM30
A trip abroad resets two other routines. Your 90-day address report starts counting again from the day you re-enter; our guide to 90-day reporting explains the window. And your landlord or hotel should file a fresh residence notification after your return, which our article on the TM30 covers from the tenant's side.
The permit is stamped or attached in your passport, so it travels with that document. If the passport is lost or replaced during your stay, your stamps must be transferred to the new one at immigration; see our page on a lost or stolen passport. And if you miss the end date of your stay while abroad and return late, the permit does not help: our guide to overstaying explains what follows.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Thai re-entry permit cost?
Bangkok Immigration's fee list gives 1,000 baht for a single re-entry permit and 3,800 baht for a multiple one (archived 2024 copy, the latest official version we could read in October 2026). Fees are not refunded, so confirm the amount at your office before paying.
Can I get a re-entry permit at the airport?
Yes. Bangkok Immigration says it can be issued at passport control in international departures on the day you leave Thailand. Bring a completed TM.8, a photo, copies and the fee, and allow extra time, because you cannot predict the queue at that counter.
Does a re-entry permit extend my stay in Thailand?
No. It only keeps your existing permission to stay valid while you are abroad. When you return you get the remaining period of that permission, with the same end date as before. To stay longer, you still need a new extension.
Do I need a re-entry permit for a short trip to Malaysia or Laos?
Yes, if you are living in Thailand on an extension of stay. The length of the trip does not matter: leaving without a permit ends the extension, even for a day trip across a land border. Holders of some multiple-entry visas may be covered by the visa itself, so ask your office.
Is a multiple re-entry permit worth it?
It pays off from the fourth trip, since four single permits cost 4,000 baht against 3,800 baht for one multiple permit. It also saves repeat visits to immigration, which matters if you travel at short notice.
Sources
- Immigration Division 1, Bangkok – Re-entry Permit (archived copy of 8 August 2024) (checked October 2026)
- Immigration Division 1, Bangkok – Contact Us, Government Complex (archived copy of 8 August 2024) (checked October 2026)
- Board of Investment – Long-Term Resident (LTR) Visa (checked October 2026)