If you live in Thailand on a work permit, the draft rules for Thailand’s 450-baht tourist fee leave you out. A spouse without a work permit of their own, your children aged two and over, and the colleagues who fly in to see you are not on the published list of exemptions.
The fee is not in force yet, and this week its likely start moved further out. Here is what changed, who would pay under the draft, and what an expat household should plan for before collection begins.
What changed this week
On 11 November, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports’ permanent secretary, Natthriya Thaweevong, said collection could start no earlier than June or July 2027. That is later than the first quarter of 2027 the ministry had aimed for.
The National Tourism Policy Committee was due to hold its final review of the draft on 12 November, and the ministry expected the draft to reach the Cabinet the following week. She said the exemptions, the collection method and the systems behind it are still being revised.
So everything below comes from the draft as published for public comment. Treat it as the plan, not the final rule.
What the draft says
- The amount: 450 baht per person for foreigners entering Thailand, whether by air, land or sea. An earlier plan was 300 baht by air and 150 baht by land or sea. In the consultation, about 62% of respondents said air, land and sea should not be charged at the same rate, so the land and sea rate may still change.
- One payment, 30 days: once paid, you can leave and re-enter Thailand within 30 days without paying again, as long as you stay covered by the insurance arranged with the fee.
- Air first: collection from air arrivals starts when the rules take effect. Land and sea crossings follow about a year later.
- The lead time: the rules take effect 180 days after they are published in the Royal Gazette.
- Where the money goes: into a tourism fund, not the general budget. It would pay for insurance for foreign tourists who fall ill or have an accident, for developing destinations, and for research and training.
- How you pay: not decided. The options include adding the fee to air tickets, which the government is reported to prefer, a website or app, and kiosks.
The public consultation ran from 24 August to 28 September 2026 and drew 5,954 responses; 80.5% supported the draft rules.
Who pays and who does not
The ministry’s summary gives the exemptions as examples: royal and government guests, holders of diplomatic and official passports, work-permit holders, Border Pass users, transit passengers, crew and children under two. Applied to a typical expat household, the draft looks like this:
| Traveller | Under the draft |
|---|---|
| You, with a Thai work permit | On the exemption list |
| Your spouse or partner, without a work permit | Not on the list |
| Your children aged two and over | Not on the list |
| Children under two | On the exemption list |
| Colleagues flying in from head office, without a Thai work permit | Not on the list |
| Remote workers and other long-stay visa holders without a work permit | Not on the list |
| Transit passengers and air crew | On the exemption list |
The list is still being revised, so the final rules may add or remove groups.
What it means for an expat household
If you hold the work permit, the draft exempts you. How you will show that has not been set out, because the payment method is still open. If the fee ends up inside the air ticket, exempt travellers will need a way to claim the exemption, and no process has been published yet.
If your family travels with you, under the draft as published they would pay. Suppose your spouse and your seven-year-old fly back into Bangkok four times a year, each trip in a different month. At 450 baht each per trip, that is 3,600 baht a year. Trips inside the same 30-day window count once. It is a small line next to the costs in our guide to the cost of living in Bangkok in 2026, but it is worth knowing which of you pays.
If you hold an LTR visa, read the final text. The draft summary does not mention the LTR visa, or the digital work permit LTR holders can apply for, so it is not yet clear where they fall.
If your company flies people in, visitors without a Thai work permit are not on the list. Add the fee to travel budgets for trips from mid-2027, once the rules are final.
On the insurance: the cover bought with the fee is meant for visitors who fall ill or have an accident, and its terms have not been published. Until they are, don’t count on it to replace your own health insurance.
The road to collection
The clock that matters is the 180 days, and it has not started. It runs from the day the rules appear in the Royal Gazette, and the Cabinet still has to approve them first. The route so far:
- Mid-August 2026: the National Tourism Policy Committee endorsed the principles and the draft.
- 24 August to 28 September: public consultation.
- 12 November: the committee’s scheduled final review.
- Next: Cabinet approval, which the ministry expected the following week, then publication in the Royal Gazette.
- Then 180 days, about six months: air collection begins when the rules take effect. Reports this week put that at June or July 2027 at the earliest.
- About a year after that: land and sea crossings.
Any delay in the Cabinet or the Gazette pushes the whole chain back.
Not the same as the departure tax
A separate plan, a 1,000-baht tax on each departure by air for travellers of every nationality, was still out for public consultation on 22 October, when Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas announced that the government had put it on hold. That was a Revenue Department plan; the 450-baht fee belongs to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, and the hold does not apply to it.
What to do now
- Sort your household into the table above. Note who holds a work permit and who does not.
- Budget for the people who are not exempt: 450 baht per person per entry, with re-entries inside 30 days counted once.
- Keep your own status in order. The exemption is for work-permit holders, so a permit that lapses or a renewal that slips matters more once the fee starts. If you are about to collect a new permit, our guide to collecting your Non-B visa and BOI eWork Permit walks through the day.
- Tell visiting colleagues and family that trips from mid-2027 may carry the fee.
- Pay nothing yet. Until the Royal Gazette notice appears and the collection channel is announced, there is no fee to pay.
- Watch for four things: the Cabinet decision, the Royal Gazette notice, the final exemption list and the payment method.
The Bottom Line
For most expat employees the fee itself is small. What matters is who in your household it covers. Under the draft, the exemption list names you as the work-permit holder; it does not name a partner without a permit, your older children or the colleagues who visit.
The plan is still moving. The start has slipped to mid-2027 at the earliest, and the exemptions are being revised. Plan with the draft now, and check the final list when it reaches the Royal Gazette.
Living in Thailand on a work permit, or bringing your family over?
UnionSPACE helps foreign professionals and their families get the right status in Thailand. We prepare and submit applications for the Non-B visa and the work permit, new or renewed, and help a spouse or child who lives with you apply for a Non-O visa as your dependant. If you may qualify for the 10-year LTR visa, we assess the category and prepare the application to the BOI. And if your employer has no company in Thailand, our EOR + visa package combines local employment, payroll and visa and work-permit support.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Thailand charging a 450-baht tourist fee now?
No. The 450-baht fee is a draft. It still needs Cabinet approval and publication in the Royal Gazette, and nothing is collected today.
When will the 450-baht tourist fee start?
Air collection begins when the rules take effect, 180 days after they are published in the Royal Gazette. Reports on 11 November put the earliest start at June or July 2027. Land and sea crossings would follow about a year later.
Do work permit holders have to pay the fee?
The draft lists work-permit holders among the exemptions, alongside transit passengers, crew and children under two. The ministry says the exemptions are still being revised.
Do I pay every time I enter Thailand?
Under the draft, one payment covers several entries within 30 days, as long as you stay covered by the insurance arranged with the fee.
Is this the same as the 1,000-baht departure tax?
No. The departure tax was a separate Revenue Department plan for air departures, put on hold by the Finance Minister on 22 October 2026. The 450-baht fee is a Ministry of Tourism and Sports plan for arrivals.
Sources
Official pages and reports checked on 12 and 13 November 2026:
- Ministry of Tourism and Sports, invitation to comment on the draft National Tourism Policy Committee announcement, 24 August 2026 (Thai)
- Matichon, the ministry on the 12 November meeting, the Cabinet timetable and a mid-2027 start, 11 November 2026 (Thai)
- Government Public Relations Department, “Thailand Proposes New THB450 (~US$13.50) Tourism Fee for All Foreign Visitors”, 17 August 2026
- Thaiger, “Thailand’s 450-baht tourist fee could be delayed until mid-2027”, 11 November 2026
- The Nation, “Thailand advances proposed 450-baht tourist fee towards early 2027 collection”, 15 August 2026
- The Nation, “Thailand weighs 450-baht tourist fee to build major tourism fund”, 12 September 2026
- Thansettakij, departure tax put on hold, 22 October 2026 (Thai)
Photos: Image by jcomp on Freepik; Image by prostooleh on Freepik.
