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Leaving? Get a re-entry permit or lose your Thai extension
Leave Thailand on an extension without a re-entry permit and the extension is gone. Single or multiple, what each costs, and where to buy one.
Key things to know
- An extension of stay, such as a retirement or marriage year, is cancelled the moment you leave Thailand without a re-entry permit.
- A single permit costs 1,000 baht and covers one trip; a multiple permit costs 3,800 baht and lasts until your extension expires.
- Buy one at your immigration office on form TM.8, or at the counter before passport control at Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket and Chiang Mai airports.
- A permit doesn't add time. Come back after your extension expires and the permit is worthless.
- DTV and Privilege visas are multiple entry and LTR holders are exempt; retirement extensions and single-entry visas need one.
If you live in Thailand on a one-year extension of stay, buy a re-entry permit before every trip abroad. Without one, your extension ends at passport control, and with it the year you’ve built up, the bank deposit you seasoned and the 1,900 baht you paid. If you leave four or more times a year, the 3,800-baht multiple permit pays for itself.
Who this is for: anyone holding an extension of stay (retirement, marriage, work, education) or a single-entry visa who plans to leave Thailand and come back.
Who can skip it: holders of a DTV, a Thailand Privilege visa or the LTR. Visitors on a visa-free stamp don’t need one either; they get a fresh stamp when they return.
An extension isn’t a visa
Thai permission to stay ends when you leave the country, unless you hold a visa or permit that says otherwise. A one-year extension isn’t a visa: it’s permission to stay, granted inside Thailand, and it doesn’t survive a departure on its own.
A re-entry permit preserves it. You come back and the officer stamps you in until the same date your extension already ran to. It adds no days.
Single or multiple?
| Single | Multiple | |
|---|---|---|
| Fee | 1,000 baht | 3,800 baht |
| Trips covered | One exit and return | As many as you like |
| Valid until | You return, or your extension ends | Your extension ends |
| Best for | One trip home a year | Two or more trips a year |
The verdict: four trips on single permits cost 4,000 baht and four separate visits to a counter. The multiple permit costs 3,800 and you never queue again until your next extension.
Where to get one
At your immigration office. The cheapest in time if you’re already there for an extension: apply for the permit the same day. You’ll need:
- Form TM.8, completed and signed (the counter has copies).
- Your passport, with copies of the photo page, your visa or extension stamp and your latest entry stamp.
- One 4 x 6 cm photo.
- The fee, in baht.
Bangkok’s main office is at the Government Complex on Chaeng Watthana Road, open Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 4.30pm.
At the airport. Counters at Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket and Chiang Mai issue permits for international departures. They sit before passport control, so you must find them before you hand over your passport. Bring cash in baht and a spare photo; fees can differ from your local office’s, and a queue is likely, so allow an extra hour.
The catch: an airport counter is a fallback, not a plan. If it’s closed, unstaffed or the queue threatens your flight, you’ll be choosing between the trip and your extension. Buy the permit at your office in the weeks before you go.
Land borders: some checkpoints issue permits, but not all. If you’re leaving by road, get it in advance.
If you forget
The extension is cancelled at passport control, and nobody can restore it at the border or afterwards. When you return:
- On a visa-exempt passport: you’re stamped in as a visitor, usually for 30 days.
- Then: you start again. For retirees, that means a new Non-O visa, a fresh 90-day stay and a new deposit history before you can apply for the next one-year extension. The retirement guide has the steps.
If you realise at the airport, stop before passport control and find the re-entry counter.
How it works with each visa
| What you hold | Need a permit? |
|---|---|
| Retirement extension on a Non-O | Yes, for every trip |
| Non-O-A, inside its first year | No, the visa is multiple entry; you get a new stamp each time |
| Non-O-A, after you’ve extended it | Yes |
| Marriage, work or education extension | Yes |
| DTV, including a 180-day extension | No. The extension is lost when you leave, but the DTV is multiple entry and gives you a fresh 180 days on return |
| LTR | No, holders are exempt |
| Thailand Privilege | No, multiple entry |
| Visa-exempt stay or tourist visa | No; you get a new entry when you return |
Applying for a new DTV? Since 31 August 2026, applications need proof of permanent residence in the country you apply from and a police clearance certificate, so you can no longer pick up a fresh one on a quick trip to a neighbouring country.
Coming back
Use a staffed booth. Arrival e-gates at Suvarnabhumi are for visa-exempt entries only. Walk through one on a re-entry permit and you can be logged as a 30-day visitor, which ends your extension in all but name.
Check your stamp before you leave the desk. The date should match your extension’s expiry. If it says 30 days, point to the permit there and then; fixing it later means a trip to your immigration office with no guarantee.
Your 90-day count restarts. The 90-day report clock begins again from your return date. A new TM30 shouldn’t be needed for the same address, though some offices still ask.
What to do
- Buy a multiple permit when you collect your yearly extension, if there’s any chance you’ll travel twice.
- Keep a photo of the permit page on your phone.
- Plan trips so you’re back before your extension expires.
A permit can’t outlast your extension.
Rules this guide relies on
Changed recently Suvarnabhumi e-gates: 33 nationalities changed 22 Sept 2026
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What's changed
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| 25 Oct 2026 | First published |
Guidance, not legal, tax or immigration advice. Rules in Thailand can change with little notice; confirm with the official source before you travel.