Thailand visa for South Koreans 2026: 90 days by treaty
South Korean passport holders do not need a visa to visit Thailand: under a long-standing bilateral agreement, you can enter visa-free and stay for up to 90 days. The 15 September 2026 regulation update left this arrangement for South Koreans untouched, so the same 90-day allowance still applies.
Checked 30 September 2026. Run the visa check for a different purpose or length of stay.
- Stay on arrival
- 90 days, visa-free, 90 days (bilateral treaty)
- Extension
- Extensions for treaty entries are granted case by case at an immigration office, 1,900 THB; most travellers do not need one.
- Land borders
- Two visa-exempt land entries per calendar year; air arrivals are not capped.
- Arrival auto gates
- South Koreans are among the 33 nationalities accepted, with a filed arrival card, a previous visit and visa-free entry.
- Arrival card
- Mandatory, filed inside the 72 hours before landing, free on the Immigration Bureau's portal.
- Legal basis
- Bilateral visa-exemption agreement between Thailand and this country for ordinary passports (Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs list). Not part of the 2026 regulation.
Full rule and every passport in this group: Visa-free, 90 days (bilateral treaty) · Extension · 2026 changes
What changed for South Koreans on 15 September 2026
On 15 September 2026, Thailand introduced a wider regulation covering visa-on-arrival and other entry categories, but this update did not touch the bilateral agreement that lets South Koreans travel visa-free. Your 90-day visa-free allowance rests on a separate treaty between Thailand and South Korea, not on the rules that changed for other nationalities. In practice, this means South Koreans planning a trip after that date can still turn up with an ordinary passport, get stamped in for 90 days, and travel without applying for a visa in advance. The only paperwork now required of every traveller, regardless of nationality, is the Digital Arrival Card, which has nothing to do with the September changes and simply needs filing before you land.
Before you fly
- Check that your South Korean passport has at least six months of validity left on your arrival date and at least one blank page for the entry stamp, since immigration officers can refuse boarding or entry otherwise.
- Carry proof of onward travel and be ready to show that you hold at least 20,000 THB per person, or 40,000 THB for a family, since Thai immigration can ask South Koreans for a funds check on arrival.
- File your Digital Arrival Card in the 72 hours before landing through the Immigration Bureau's portal; it is free, applies to every South Korean traveller, and produces the QR code checked at the airport.
- If your itinerary includes crossing into Thailand overland, remember that South Koreans can only use the visa-free land-border allowance twice per calendar year, so plan any additional overland trips with that limit in mind.
Staying longer than 90 days
South Koreans who want more than the 90-day stamp have a few legitimate routes. Once inside Thailand, you can apply at an immigration office for a case-by-case extension costing 1,900 THB, though it is not granted routinely. If you already know you need a working stay or a long course of study, the Destination Thailand Visa offers five years of validity with up to 180 days per entry, provided you can show 500,000 THB in funds and apply from outside Thailand before travelling. An e-Visa is also available, though its 60-day single-entry term is shorter than the treaty stay South Koreans already get. Repeated border runs to reset the clock are not a recognised substitute for these routes.
At the airport
At Suvarnabhumi, South Koreans are among the nationalities eligible to use the automated arrival gates, provided you have already filed your Digital Arrival Card, entered visa-free, and are not on your first trip to Thailand. The gate scans your passport and the QR code from your arrival card instead of a manual stamp. First-time visitors, or anyone without the card ready, should use the staffed immigration counters instead, where officers check the same passport and QR code before waving you through.
Useful for South Koreans
- Thai embassy responsible for South Korea: Seoul (seoul.thaiembassy.org).
- Direct routes: Seoul Incheon (ICN) → Bangkok; Seoul Incheon (ICN) → Phuket; Busan (PUS) → Bangkok.
Facts checked on 30 September 2026. Sources: Royal Gazette notifications of 31 August 2026, the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs bilateral list, the Immigration Bureau. Rules change; your embassy has the final word.
Questions South Koreans ask
Do South Koreans need a visa for Thailand?
No. Under a bilateral agreement between Thailand and South Korea, South Korean passport holders can enter visa-free and stay for up to 90 days for tourism or short business visits. This arrangement is separate from the 2026 regulation and was not affected by it.
How long can South Koreans stay in Thailand without a visa?
South Koreans can stay for up to 90 days per visa-free entry. Air arrivals have no cap on the number of visits, but land-border crossings on this exemption are limited to two per calendar year.
Can South Koreans extend their stay in Thailand?
Yes, but only case by case at an immigration office, for a 1,900 THB fee, and most South Koreans travelling on the visa-free entry do not end up needing one. It is not an automatic or routine renewal of the 90 days.
Do South Koreans still need to file the Digital Arrival Card?
Yes. Every South Korean visitor must file the Digital Arrival Card within 72 hours of landing, whatever their visa status. It is free to submit through the Immigration Bureau's portal, and the QR code it generates is scanned when you go through passport control.
Check another purpose or length of stay
South Koreans · Visa-free, 90 days (bilateral treaty)
90 days visa-free on arrival
Bilateral visa-exemption agreement between Thailand and this country for ordinary passports (Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs list). Not part of the 2026 regulation. Visa-exempt entries over a land border are limited to two per calendar year. Air arrivals are not capped. Citizens of Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Singapore are exempt from the cap.
- Since 15 September 2026: Nothing changed on 15 September 2026. The treaty was not touched by the new regulation.
- Arrival card: mandatory for every foreign passport, filed inside the 72 hours before landing.
Same rule: Argentines Brazilians Chileans Peruvians
Flying within three days? Apply for your TDAC
Every foreign passport holder files the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) inside the 72 hours before landing, whatever the visa status. It is free on the Immigration Bureau's portal. Assisted filing checks your details against your passport and emails the QR code, US$29 per traveller.