Re-Entry Permit (Form TM.8)ใบอนุญาตกลับเข้ามาในราชอาณาจักรอีก (ตม.8)

Preserves an existing single-entry permission-to-stay when you leave and re-enter Thailand. Without it, departing on a single-entry visa or extension cancels that permission the moment you leave — on return you are admitted only as a fresh arrival, losing your long-stay status, 90-day clock and extension. It comes in single and multiple forms, and does not change your “admitted until” date. Legal basis: Immigration Act B.E. 2522.

Duration

Single: valid for one departure and return. Multiple: unlimited trips during the remaining validity of the underlying permission-to-stay. It expires with, and never extends beyond, the underlying permission-to-stay.

Extensions

Not applicable — it cannot lengthen the “admitted until” date; it only protects it across a trip. Buy a new one (or a multiple) as needed.

Financial requirement

None beyond the fee (paid in cash, Thai Baht).

Fees

At an Immigration office: single 1,000 THB; multiple 3,800 THB. At an airport departure counter (same-day): a surcharge applies — budget roughly 1,200 THB single / 4,000 THB multiple due to on-site photo/service charges.

Processing time

Immigration office: typically same-day, often while you wait (allow for queues). Airport counter: issued on the spot — arrive at least 3 hours before an international flight.

Who it’s for

• Anyone on a single-entry Non-Immigrant visa or a one-year extension (retirement, marriage, business/work, education) planning to leave Thailand temporarily
• Not needed by holders of a multiple-entry visa (e.g. multiple-entry Non-Immigrant, LTR, or the Thailand Privilege PE visa)
• Thai citizens do not need one

Key documents

• Valid passport with the current visa/extension and the most recent entry stamp
• Signed photocopies of: passport bio page, visa/extension page, latest entry stamp, latest extension-of-stay stamp
• One passport-size photo (4×6 cm)
• Completed TM.8 form
• Cash in Thai Baht for the fee

Staying compliant

• Get the permit before departing — there is no retroactive option once you have left
• Re-entering does not remove the 90-day reporting obligation — a new entry stamp starts a fresh 90-day cycle
• A TM.30 address notification is required again on each return, even to the same address
• Filing at an Immigration office requires your current Thai address

Common pitfalls

• Leaving without a re-entry permit on a single-entry visa/extension — the single most damaging mistake; it cancels the permission and the long-stay status is lost on return
• Buying single when multiple is cheaper overall — multiple (3,800 THB) is cost-effective for ~4+ planned trips
• Applying at the airport with too little time before the flight
• Assuming the permit extends the stay — it does not; it only preserves the existing “admitted until” date
• Applying when the permission-to-stay has already expired (departure has already voided it)