The Foreign Office has warned Brits can be held in detention centres if they overstay their welcome in Thailand. You can stay in the Asian holiday hotspot for up to 60 days without a visa, with the option to extend your stay for no more than 30 days. But if you linger beyond the limit, you risk being held in detention.
Travel advice from the Foreign Office warns Brits will be fined 500 Thai baht (£11.25 at the current exchange rate) per day up to a maximum of 20,000 baht (£449.83). The advice says you also risk being held in a detention centre where conditions “can be harsh”. Brits can be deported at their own expense, too, and could be banned from returning to Thailand for up to 10 years.
In order to enter Thailand, you also must ensure your passport has at least six months left on it from the date you arrive and has at least one blank page. The Thai border authorities will deny you entry if your travel document isn’t valid.
You can apply in advance for a multiple-entry visa for up to 60 days. You need a visa before you travel to Thailand for work or study. For the full details, check the Foreign Office’s travel advice pages for Thailand.
The Foreign Office updated its guidance on Tuesday (June 24) to reflect the suspension of land borders and crossings between Thailand and neighbouring Cambodia.
A dispute between the two countries prompted the Foreign Office to advise travellers to take extra care and stay alert in border areas, particularly around tourist spots, including the Preah Vihear, TA Kwai and Ta Muen Thom temples.
It added: “There are also unexploded landmines in the border area. Stay on marked paths, especially around Ta Krabey.”
The Foreign Office also advises against travel to Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat provinces, as well as southern Songkhla province. “Regular” attacks on the Hat Yai to Padang Besar train through those areas also prompt the Government department to advise Brits against “all but essential travel.”
Brits are also being warned not to carry cannabis out of Thailand after UK nationals were caught with the drug while transiting through airports in other countries.
In 2022, Thailand became the first country in Asia to decriminalise cannabis in a move which boosted tourism and farming as well as spawning thousands of shops.
However, Thai authorities said on Wednesday (June 25) the country is taking further steps to tighten control of cannabis sales after Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin signed an order banning sales of the plant to people without prescriptions.
The UK Foreign Office advice reads: “British nationals have been caught carrying cannabis out of Thailand. There have been arrests of British nationals caught transiting through airports in other countries.
“Many international airports have excellent technology and security for detecting illegal items, which may be used to scan the baggage of transiting passengers.”