Visa matters seem to be a complicated issue for many people.
When you search on the internet, many people say that it’s better to hire an agent or a lawyer to process your visa.
Is it necessary? Is it possible to do it on your own? And how?
In this article, we are going to guide you through what you need to do to apply for a visa on your own based on our decade of experience making visas for our employees and their families in Thailand.
What to Remember
Applying for a Thai visa is actually a very straightforward process. As long as you have the correct paperwork, then you should be able to get a visa stamped in your passport without any problems.
However, there are a few important points you should always remember:
First, visa regulations in Thailand are always subject to change. Even if you apply for the same visa at the same immigration office, the paperwork you need might be different this time than last.
In addition, each immigration office, Thai consulate, or Thai embassy can have their own requirements for documents.
Sometimes, even different immigration officers in the same immigration office might even require different documents.
This is why it’s important not to purely rely on information from the internet alone. Instead, it’s best to contact the place you plan to go for the visa and ask them yourself.
If you can get in touch with a certain immigration officer, ask for his/her phone number, and try to apply for the visa with that person.
Ask Expat Communities
However, this doesn’t mean that the online information is useless. They can still give you an idea on what you need to prepare.
Facebook community groups are a very useful online resource. You can ask if someone in the group has a recent experience applying for the visa at the same place you are planning to go.
You can ask our ExpatDen Thailand Community Facebook group or the Thailand Visa Advice group.
Document Preparation
There are two important rules you should follow when preparing visa documents:
First Rule: Bring More Than What is Required
The first rule is to bring more than what is required. For example, when making a copy of your passport, make a copy of all pages that are required, including your Thai visa stamp page. Sometimes the immigration officer asks for it although it isn’t listed as a requirement.
Second Rule: Get the Form Offline
The second rule is to get immigration forms at the immigration offices instead of downloading online. Online forms might not be up-to-date. The best way to fill in the form is to follow examples found at the immigration office that you visit.
As long as you have all the required documents, you should have no problem getting the visa.
Why Do People Use an Agent?
Based on what we gather, there are two main reasons why people hire a visa agent or a lawyer to process their visas.
The first one being convenience. They check all of your required documents on your behalf and tell you all the documents that you need.
On the day you need to go to the immigration office, you don’t need to go there early in the morning and wait for hours. Instead, the visa agent will tell you the time you need to be there to have your visa stamped.
The second reason is that some visa agents may have a personal connection with some immigration officers. This might allow you to have a chance to get a certain visa even though you are not fully eligible for it.
Normally, a visa agent charges around 15,000 to 30,000 baht per visa stamp.
Do I Need to Make an Appointment?
It all depends on which Thai Embassy you visit. As mentioned earlier, each embassy and consulate have their own rules.
However, in most cases, making a prior appointment is necessary. If it’s an embassy around Thailand, you can walk in and submit your document.
Please note that many Thai embassies in the USA and European countries have switched to the new e-visa system. If this is the case, you NEED TO APPLY online.
You can use https://www.thaievisa.go.th/ to find out whether you need to apply for the Thailand visa online.
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