No. As of October 2026 Thailand does not charge foreign tourists an entry fee. A 450-baht "travel fee" that would include insurance is in draft form, and the government expects air arrivals to start paying it in 2027 at the earliest; no start date has been set.
The idea has been around for years, which is why so many websites describe it as if it already exists. They are wrong. Nobody collects a tourism fee at the airport or at land borders today, and you do not need to pay anything online before you travel apart from any visa you may need.
This page explains what is actually in the draft, how far it has got and what it would mean for your trip if it goes ahead. Because the status can change with one Cabinet decision, every statement below is dated.
Thailand tourist entry fee, as of 2 October 2026
- Collected now?
- No
- Amount in the draft
- 450 baht per foreign visitor
- What it covers
- Entries and exits for 30 days, with insurance for that period
- Who pays first
- Air arrivals; land and sea later
- Earliest start
- 2027, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports; 180 days after publication in the Royal Gazette
- Public hearing
- Monday 24 August to Monday 28 September 2026 (closed)
- Next step
- Committee and Cabinet approval, then the Royal Gazette
What you pay to enter Thailand today
On a visa-exempt trip, entry itself costs nothing. You need a valid passport, and you submit the online arrival card (TDAC), also free of charge. If your nationality needs a visa, you pay that visa's fee: online for a tourist visa, or in cash at the checkpoint for the few nationalities still on visa on arrival. The visa exemption guide explains who needs one.
The money you will actually spend at the start of a trip goes on other things: airport transport, a SIM card, and later national park and temple tickets. Our breakdown of what a day in Thailand costs puts those in context.
Any website charging a Thai "tourist fee" today is not official. There is nothing to pay yet. The Immigration Bureau has already warned about fake sites charging for the free arrival card, and the same tactic is easy to apply to a fee that has been in the news. Other tricks aimed at visitors are in our scams guide.
The 450-baht draft: how it would work
The Nation reported the details of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports' draft announcement on Sunday 30 August 2026. Under the draft:
- each foreign visitor would pay 450 baht;
- one payment would cover 30 days, so you could leave and re-enter during that period without paying again;
- insurance cover for visitors would run for the same 30 days;
- collection would begin with air arrivals, with land and sea crossings added after a preparation period of about 360 days;
- the rule would take effect 180 days after publication in the Royal Gazette.
The Permanent Secretary for Tourism and Sports said the government expected air collection to start in 2027. Land borders come later because of congestion at busy checkpoints; she named Sadao, on the Malaysian border, as an example. For Malaysian and Singaporean visitors who drive in through the southern border crossings, that means the fee would reach them well after air travelers.
Who would not pay
The draft lists these exemptions, as reported by The Nation:
- royal guests and guests of the government;
- holders of diplomatic and official passports;
- people with Thai work permits;
- travelers entering on border passes;
- transit passengers making a temporary stop without changing airline or flight;
- aircraft and ship crew;
- children under two.
Holders of long-stay visas who do not have a work permit, such as people on retirement visas, are not on that list. Whether they would pay on every 30-day cycle or only on arrival is not explained in the published reporting, so treat any claim either way as unconfirmed until the final text appears.
How you would pay
The draft allows several channels: built into the airline ticket price, on a website, through a mobile app, at a payment kiosk or mobile payment device, or by another method set by the fund's management committee. For most air travelers, the likely result is a line in the ticket price that you never pay separately. Nothing in the draft names an official website yet, so there is no correct site to bookmark.
Where the money would go
Revenue would go to the Tourism Promotion Fund. According to the ministry, as reported, priorities are insurance and health protection for foreign visitors, followed by attractions and infrastructure, environmental restoration and support for local communities. The ministry says the state currently absorbs an average of 300 to 400 million baht a year in hospital bills that foreign patients do not pay in full.
That last point explains why insurance is now part of the plan. It does not mean the fee would replace your own travel insurance. Cover bundled into a 450-baht fee is unlikely to match a full policy, and the draft's insurance terms have not been published. Our guide to what travel insurance for Thailand must cover and the page on hospital costs in Thailand explain what is at stake.
Why you keep reading "300 baht"
The fee has changed shape several times. Earlier versions set 300 baht for air arrivals and 150 baht by land or sea, and implementation was delayed again and again; as recently as Friday 3 April 2026, The Nation still described a 300-baht plan. On Thursday 21 May 2026, Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul said the fee could exceed 300 baht in order to fund better insurance for foreign tourists. The 450-baht figure followed in August.
So any page quoting 300 baht, or saying the fee started in 2025 or 2026, is out of date. Plans were also put on hold during the Covid-19 pandemic, which is why some articles from 2019 and 2020 describe a start date that never arrived.
What happens next
The public hearing on the draft ran from Monday 24 August to Monday 28 September 2026 on the government's central law portal and the website of the Office of the Permanent Secretary for Tourism and Sports. The remaining steps, in order:
- Hearing results go back to the National Tourism Policy Committee.
- The committee approves the framework.
- The Cabinet approves it.
- The announcement is published in the Royal Gazette.
- Air collection starts 180 days after publication.
Even if every step went quickly, the 180-day gap means a fee could not apply to flights in the next few months. If you are traveling in late 2026, you will not pay it. Insurance rules for ordinary tourists are also unchanged: no general rule requires tourists to show travel insurance at immigration as of October 2026, and the UK government's entry requirements for Thailand, updated on 28 September 2026, mention no entry fee.
Frequently asked questions
Does Thailand charge a tourist entry fee in 2026?
No. As of October 2026 no tourism fee is collected from foreign visitors at airports or land borders. A 450-baht fee is in draft, with air collection expected to begin in 2027 at the earliest, 180 days after publication in the Royal Gazette.
How much will the Thailand travel fee be?
The current draft proposes 450 baht per foreign visitor, covering entries and exits over 30 days and including insurance for that period. Older proposals of 300 baht by air and 150 baht by land are out of date.
Do children have to pay the Thai tourist fee?
Under the draft, children under two would be exempt, as would transit passengers who do not change flight, crew, diplomatic passport holders, work-permit holders and travelers on border passes. Older children would pay unless the final text changes this.
Is travel insurance mandatory for tourists in Thailand?
Not as of October 2026. No general rule requires ordinary tourists to hold travel insurance to enter. The proposed fee would bundle basic cover, but some long-stay visas already require health insurance, and a full policy remains strongly advisable.
Sources
- The Nation – Thailand proposes 450-baht fee to fund tourism upgrade (30 August 2026) (checked October 2026)
- The Nation – Thailand tourist arrival fee could top 300 baht, minister says (21 May 2026) (checked October 2026)
- The Nation – Why Thailand is reviving its 300-baht tourist fee plan (3 April 2026) (checked October 2026)
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office – Thailand entry requirements (checked October 2026)
- Immigration Bureau – Official Thailand Digital Arrival Card (checked October 2026)
- Khaosod English – Immigration warns about fake TDAC sites (checked October 2026)