A Thai ordinary passport normally requires a UK visa. ETA eligibility depends on the passport and existing immigration status.
Rules and sources checked: 5 November 2026. General information; confirm the rules for your application date.
Thailand is not on the current ETA-eligible nationality list. A person travelling on an ordinary Thai passport normally needs the appropriate visa; for an ordinary short tourist trip that is usually Standard Visitor. An ETA is not a cheaper substitute for that visa.
Someone who also holds another nationality must check the passport they will actually use. British and Irish citizens, people with relevant existing UK permission and some other groups do not need an ETA. An ETA for an eligible traveller currently costs £20; it is travel authorisation, not guaranteed admission or permission to live or work in the UK. Use the official visa checker for transit and unusual circumstances.
Official sources: Eta · Eta Nationalities · Check Visa
A Thai ordinary-passport holder normally needs a visa for a UK visit. A Standard Visitor visa can cover tourism, visiting relatives and friends, and specified business, study or other permitted activities. It normally permits a stay of up to 6 months per visit. A 2-, 5- or 10-year visitor visa does not allow continuous residence for that whole period.
You must be a genuine visitor, leave at the end of your visit and have enough funds for the trip without working unlawfully or accessing public funds. You cannot use successive visits to make the UK your main home. Work, including unpaid work for a UK business, is generally prohibited except for activities expressly permitted by the rules.
Do not use a Standard Visitor visa to marry, enter a civil partnership or give notice, apart from the specific conversion exception. A Marriage Visitor visa is normally for a ceremony followed by departure; the family fiancé(e) route is for eligible people intending to marry and remain. Your passport must be valid throughout your stay, rather than meet a blanket extra 6-month UK validity rule.
Official sources: Visitor · Visitor Rules · Marriage Visitor
An eVisa is the digital record of your immigration permission and its conditions. Access it through a free UKVI account and follow the instructions in your decision email. Check your name, dates, conditions and linked passport before travelling. A valid existing vignette remains valid until it expires.
Keep the passport or travel document in your UKVI account up to date. Use the appropriate GOV.UK service when asked to prove your status. Having an eVisa does not itself give permission to work: your particular visa conditions decide that.
Official sources: Evisa
Checked against the fee schedule effective 8 October 2026: Standard Visitor up to 6 months £135; 2 years £506; 5 years £903; 10 years £1,128. Partner/fiancé(e) entry clearance is £2,064; an in-UK family application is £1,407. Student is £558. Standard Skilled Worker entry clearance is £819 for sponsorship up to 3 years or £1,618 over 3 years. Immigration Salary List and Health and Care cases have different fees.
The IHS is normally £1,035 per year for adults, or £776 for students, their dependants and applicants under 18. It is based on permission length, not simply course or employment length, with part-years charged under the official half-year rules. Visitors do not pay it; an application from outside the UK for permission of 6 months or less is also exempt. Other exemptions exist.
A usual 33-month adult partner entry grant therefore costs £2,064 + £3,105 IHS = £5,169 before other costs. A usual 30-month adult partner extension or switch costs £1,407 + £2,587.50 IHS = £3,994.50 at today’s rates. Fees may change before a later application. Tests, translations, travel and optional VFS services are separate.
Our published service prices are in Thai baht and payment to us is by bank transfer only. Pound-to-baht conversions are estimates; the government and other providers determine their own payment amounts and exchange rates. Confirm your written service quote before transferring.
This guide summarises the linked official sources and cannot determine an individual application. For eligibility, exceptions, refusals or appeals, consult a suitably authorised adviser. UKVI makes the decision. Our administrative service fees are separate from government and third-party charges.
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