If you've been planning a long winter escape around the old 60-day rule, it needs a rethink. The 60-day visa exemption ended for anyone entering on or after 15 September 2026. Two months or more in Thailand is still doable; you just need an extension or a tourist visa to get there. This page covers the Canadian details, and our Thailand entry requirements guide has the rules for other passports.

Do Canadians need a visa for Thailand?

No. Canada is on Thailand's list of 60 countries and territories whose citizens can enter visa-free for 30 days. There's nothing to apply for in advance. You get stamped in when you arrive.

The conditions are:

  • It's for tourism only. Business visitors need a Non-Immigrant "B" visa.
  • Visa-exempt entries by land are limited to 2 per calendar year, so if you're popping over to Laos or Malaysia and back overland, keep count. The Tourism Authority of Thailand applies the cap to land borders and some official sources add sea arrivals. It doesn't cover flights, although the UK government's wording is broader.
  • If you entered before 15 September 2026, you keep the stay you were given.

Don't count the days yourself. Your entry stamp shows the last date you can stay, so check it before you leave the immigration desk.

A Thai immigration entry stamp in a passport with the admitted until date
Photo: Slleong, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Government of Canada's Thailand advice matches this. It lists a 30-day exemption on arrival, extendable once by up to 30 days at the officer's discretion, and a passport valid for 6 months, and warns you may be asked for an onward ticket and proof of funds.

Staying longer: the two options

You can extend in Thailand. You get one extension of up to 30 days at a Thai immigration office, on form TM.7, for 1,900 THB. It's at the officer's discretion, and the Government of Canada's advice confirms it's still available. That gives you roughly 60 days in total.

Or you can get a Tourist Visa before you go. It gives 60 days on arrival, and you can extend it by 30 days in Thailand, so up to about 90 days. A multiple-entry version is valid for 6 months with 60 days per entry, which suits a long winter with side trips. All Thai visa applications are online at thaievisa.go.th, and you must be outside Thailand while you apply.

  1. Register with an email and password.
  2. Choose the Thai mission that covers where you live, then the visa type. The Consulate-General in Vancouver covers British Columbia, Alberta and Yukon. The Embassy in Ottawa covers everywhere else.
  3. Enter your details. Your passport photo page is read automatically.
  4. Upload a passport scan, a recent photo (taken in the last 6 months, plain background), bank statements, flights and accommodation. The portal lists exactly what each mission wants, so follow it.
  5. Sign the online declaration and pay by card.
  6. The approved visa arrives by email as a PDF. Print it for check-in and immigration.

Processing times aren't guaranteed, and the Ottawa embassy's website doesn't give one. Apply at least a month ahead, and no earlier than 3 months before you fly. For a tourist visa, the portal asks for proof of at least 20,000 THB, such as three months of bank statements. The Thai missions in Canada list C$65 for a single-entry Tourist Visa and C$325 for multiple entry, so check the fee table on the Ottawa or Vancouver mission page before you pay.

Don't overstay. It costs 500 THB a day up to 20,000 THB and can lead to detention, deportation and a ban of up to 10 years.

Entry checklist

  • Passport valid for 6 months from the day you arrive, with a blank page
  • Return or onward ticket
  • TDAC filed at tdac.immigration.go.th within 3 days before arrival (the official site is free)
  • Proof of funds: the UK Foreign Office says 10,000 THB per person, and the Thai embassies in London and Washington say 20,000 THB per person. Carry about 20,000 THB, or be ready to show a card or bank balance
  • Address of your first night's accommodation
  • Travel insurance
  • No vape, no amphetamine-based ADHD medication, and a Thai FDA permit for any codeine
  • Tourist Visa PDF, if you're staying longer than 30 days without extending

There's no tourist entry fee in 2026. A 450 THB fee is proposed from early 2027 at the earliest.

Flights from Canada to Thailand

From Vancouver, Air Canada flies nonstop to Bangkok (BKK). Air Canada announced the route as year-round from summer 2026 and says it is the only airline with nonstop service to Thailand from North America. Days and times change with the season, so check the schedule on aircanada.com before you book.

From everywhere else you'll connect. Common one-stop hubs for North America include Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, Hong Kong, Singapore, the Gulf and Istanbul. There's no nonstop from Toronto or Montreal.

An Air Canada Boeing 787 Dreamliner on the apron at Vancouver airport
Photo: Eric Salard, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

When to fly

Thailand's high season (November to February, plus Songkran in mid-April) is usually the most expensive time to fly, and the wet season (roughly May to October) the cheapest. Prices move daily, so compare dates on a fare calendar. Our best time to visit Thailand guide covers the weather in each month.

Once you're in Thailand, domestic flights on low-cost airlines are usually cheaper booked a few weeks ahead. Check which Bangkok airport you're using: Thai AirAsia, Thai Lion Air and Nok Air fly from Don Mueang (DMK), not Suvarnabhumi (BKK).

A Nok Air plane at a gate at Don Mueang Airport, seen through a terminal window
Photo: gridkr from Maha Sarakham, Thailand, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

What to bring from Canada

Plugs and power. Thai sockets take types A, B, C and O, so Canadian plugs (types A and B) fit. Voltage is the catch. Thailand runs at 220 V, 50 Hz, so check the label on each charger and appliance. Anything rated only for 110 V needs a converter.

Money and cards. Thai ATMs charge foreign cards a flat 220-250 THB per withdrawal, and up to 350 THB at some machines. AEON ATMs charge about 150 THB. Make fewer, bigger withdrawals, and always choose to be charged in baht rather than Canadian dollars when a machine or card terminal asks.

Insurance. You don't need it to enter Thailand, but private hospitals ask for a payment guarantee before treating you. Buy travel medical insurance for the whole trip. The Government of Canada warns that your provincial or territorial plan may cover none, or only a small part, of medical costs abroad, including evacuation, and will never pay your bills up front.

Medicines. Amphetamine-based ADHD medicines, including dexamfetamine and lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse), are banned in Thailand, and no permit can be issued. Methylphenidate (Ritalin) is allowed up to 30 days' supply with a doctor's letter or prescription. Codeine and other opioids need a permit from the Thai FDA at permitfortraveler.fda.moph.go.th. Thai embassy guidance says to apply at least 14 days before you arrive, and it gives 30 days' supply as the limit, so don't leave it late and check the quantity with the FDA. Keep medicines in their original packaging and declare permit medicines at the red channel.

Cannabis. Being legal at home doesn't make it legal in Thailand. Since 25 June 2025 cannabis is medical-only with a Thai prescription, and taking it out of Thailand is illegal. Don't pack any.

Vape. Vapes are illegal to bring in, own or use in Thailand, with fines typically 5,000-30,000 THB.

Everything else. Pack reef-safe sunscreen, DEET or picaridin repellent, and clothes that cover shoulders and knees for temples. Our Southeast Asia packing list has the rest.

Arrival day, step by step

  1. Before you leave: file your TDAC in the 3-day window and save the confirmation. Set up a travel eSIM if you want data on landing.
  2. At your connection: on a single ticket your bag is normally tagged through to Bangkok, so check the tag says BKK. On separate tickets you'll have to clear immigration at the hub, collect your bag and check in again.
  3. Immigration at Suvarnabhumi (BKK): show your passport. You may be asked about your onward ticket or funds. You'll get 30 days.
  4. Customs: red channel for permit medicines, more than 200 cigarettes or 1 litre of alcohol, or cash over US$15,000. Green channel for everyone else.
  5. SIM and cash: AIS, TrueMove H and dtac have counters in arrivals, and you'll need your passport for a SIM. Look for an AEON ATM.
  6. Into the city: the Airport Rail Link runs from the basement (level B1) to Phaya Thai, from 05:30 to midnight, for about 45 THB. Public metered taxis leave from Level 1: you pay the meter plus a 50 THB airport charge plus expressway tolls. Grab picks up from Level 1, Gate 4. Allow at least an hour to get between BKK and DMK by road. There's a free shuttle bus for passengers with an onward boarding pass.
Travellers lined up at passport control counters at Suvarnabhumi Airport
Photo: Mattes, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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