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Thailand

Nationality · visas, permits and migration

Moved to OECD countries, 2023
72,158
Top destination, 2023
South Korea
U.S. non-immigrant visas, FY2025
64,004
UK visas issued, 2025
55,025
Schengen visa refusal rate, 2024
6.2%
NationalityTHISO 3166
Year by year
Data as at 2025
NA<THTHAILAND<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
TH4<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<8

Visa requirements for a short visit

Whether citizens of Thailand need a visa for a short tourist or business visit, according to the legal lists. Rules change; check the official source before travelling.

DestinationShort visitLegal basis
Schengen areaVisa requiredRegulation (EU) 2018/1806 (consolidated 30.12.2025)
United KingdomVisa requiredImmigration Rules, Appendix Visitor / ETA National List
CanadaTemporary resident visa requiredIRPR s. 190, Schedule 1.1
Hong KongNo visa for visits of up to 30 daysImmigration Department (HKSAR), visit visa requirements, 31.12.2025
Source: Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 (consolidated 30 Dec 2025); UK Immigration Rules, Appendix Visitor and ETA National List; Canada IRPR s. 190 and Schedule 1.1; Immigration Department (HKSAR), visit visa requirements as at 31 Dec 2025Data as at Oct 2026

Where people from Thailand move

Inflows of foreign nationals by country of nationality, as recorded by each destination (OECD).

Inflows to OECD countries, 2023
  1. South Korea34,846
  2. Japan16,777
  3. United States4,790
  4. Germany3,345
  5. Australia2,325
  6. New Zealand2,043
  7. France954
  8. Sweden777
  9. Netherlands768
  10. Hungary740
  11. Finland702
  12. Switzerland654
  13. Denmark549
  14. Norway542
  15. Canada485

Inflows to all OECD countries by year

59k119k200020032006200920122015201820212023
59k119k2000200420082012201620202023
Data table
200029,665
200131,467
200233,159
200332,564
200437,020
200543,408
200651,642
200744,602
200842,454
200939,806
201041,429
201145,896
201253,879
201358,661
201484,836
201560,383
201665,081
2017108,644
2018118,626
201992,772
202030,470
202123,887
202266,869
202372,158
Share going to the top destination
48.3%
Destinations recording arrivals
15
Source: OECD, International Migration Database (OECD.ELS.IMD), accessed 24 Oct 2026Data as at 2023

Living abroad

People born in Thailand who live in another country: mid-year estimates of the international migrant stock (UN DESA). Where a destination records citizenship rather than country of birth, its foreign citizens are counted.

Largest destinations, 2024
  1. United States307,741
  2. South Korea199,861
  3. Australia109,845
  4. Taiwan80,032
  5. Malaysia70,718
  6. Japan61,263
  7. Sweden47,636
  8. Cambodia34,957
  9. Norway24,801
  10. Switzerland22,654
  11. Hong Kong20,710
  12. Canada19,110

Living abroad by year

589k1.18M19901995200020052010201520202024
589k1.18M19902000201020202024
Data table
1990298,071
1995479,776
2000607,699
2005648,137
2010724,614
2015907,298
20201,075,834
20241,178,757
Living abroad, 2024
1,178,757
Change since 2000
+94.0%
Share living in the largest destination, 2024
26.1%
Source: United Nations, DESA Population Division, International Migrant Stock 2024 (CC BY 3.0 IGO)Data as at 2024

United States

Visas issued to citizens of Thailand by U.S. consulates (fiscal years, October–September) and certified PERM labor certifications.

Non-immigrant visas by class, FY2025
  1. B1/B242,246
  2. J19,701
  3. F13,287
  4. C1/D3,155
  5. A21,884
  6. K1701
  7. E2443
  8. H1B411
  9. B1333
  10. B2264

Non-immigrant visas by fiscal year

33k67k201720182019202020212022202320242025
33k67k20172019202120232025
Data table
201741,746
201862,217
201962,035
202024,933
202118,700
202259,364
202364,275
202466,666
202564,004
Immigrant visas by class, FY2025
  1. IR1423
  2. CR1273
  3. IR2234
  4. IR5204
  5. DV149
  6. E3126
  7. F159
  8. F447
Immigrant visas, FY2025
1,821
Certified PERM labor certifications, FY2024 (latest year with citizenship)
456
Source: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs, monthly visa issuances (public domain); U.S. Department of Labor, OFLC PERM disclosure data (public domain)Data as at FY2025

Green cards and U.S. citizenship

People born in Thailand who became U.S. lawful permanent residents (green cards) or U.S. citizens, and admissions of citizens of Thailand with an I-94 record (DHS, fiscal years).

Green cards by fiscal year

3,7507,5002015201620172018201920202021202220232024
3,7507,500201520172019202120232024
Data table
20157,500
20167,040
20176,310
20185,560
20195,550
20204,180
20214,040
20224,630
20235,230
20245,390
Green cards by class of admission, FY2024
  1. Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens4,290
  2. Employment-based preferences490
  3. Refugees and asylees300
  4. Family-sponsored preferences160
  5. Diversity visa lottery150
  6. Other classes10
Temporary worker admissions (I-94), FY2024
  1. Specialty occupations (H-1B)890
  2. Intracompany transferees (L-1)460
  3. Spouses and children440
  4. Extraordinary ability (O-1, O-2)330
  5. Other temporary workers190
  6. Athletes, artists and entertainers (P)170
  7. Seasonal agricultural workers (H-2A)40
  8. Seasonal non-agricultural workers (H-2B)20
Green cards, FY2024 (born in Thailand)
5,390
Naturalizations, FY2024 (born in Thailand)
5,820
I-94 admissions, FY2024 (citizenship)
101,510
Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Homeland Security Statistics, Yearbook of Immigration Statistics 2024 (public domain)Data as at FY2024

United Kingdom

Entry clearance visas issued to nationals of Thailand (Home Office) and students with a permanent address in Thailand (HESA).

Visas issued by group, 2025
  1. Visitor50,149
  2. Study3,434
  3. Family676
  4. Work439
  5. Other327

Visas issued by year

44k89k201020122014201620182020202220242025
44k89k201020132016201920222025
Data table
201052,164
201158,117
201259,859
201369,849
201467,515
201566,837
201673,808
201781,694
201881,874
201988,816
202023,967
202110,915
202253,661
202363,947
202459,633
202555,025
Students at UK universities, 2024/25
5,870
Source: Home Office, Immigration system statistics (year ending June 2026), Open Government Licence v3.0Data as at 2025

Canada

Permits and invitations for citizens of Thailand, by year the permit took effect (IRCC).

YearTFWP workIMP workStudyPermanent residentsExpress Entry invitations
20251,3857701,41544025
20241,4308901,64555555
20231,6358152,43048050
20221,1404652,40038520
20211,1453051,33543565
20201,02022561029045
201987529099548530
201889028599554045
201775535090059530
20168404208654605
20156953658354850
Source: IRCC, monthly open data (rounded to the nearest 5). Open Government Licence – CanadaData as at 2025

Australia

Temporary skilled visas (subclass 457 to 2018, then 482) granted to primary applicants who are citizens of Thailand, by financial year ending 30 June (Home Affairs).

Primary visas granted by financial year

3436852005–062007–082009–102011–122013–142015–162017–182019–202021–222023–242025–26
3436852005–062009–102013–142017–182021–222025–26
Data table
2005–06310
2006–07412
2007–08413
2008–09273
2009–10179
2010–11164
2011–12255
2012–13533
2013–14388
2014–15348
2015–16342
2016–17322
2017–18299
2018–19263
2019–20194
2020–21203
2021–22277
2022–23439
2023–24399
2024–25664
2025–26685
By stream, 2025–26
  1. Core Skills527
  2. Medium-term54
  3. Short-term44
  4. Specialist Skills35
  5. Labour Agreement25
Granted, 2025–26
685
Share of all Australian grants, 2025–26
1.0%
Source: Department of Home Affairs (Australia), BP0014 Temporary Resident (skilled) visas granted, data locked at 30 Sep 2026 (data.gov.au, CC BY)Data as at 2025–26

Japan

Citizens of Thailand living in Japan at the end of each December, by status of residence (Immigration Services Agency of Japan). 2020 and 2021 were published only as database tables.

Foreign residents in Japan

34k67k2012201420162018202220242025
34k67k2012201420162018202220242025
Data table
201240,133
201341,208
201443,081
201545,379
201647,647
201750,179
201852,323
201954,809
202256,701
202361,771
202465,398
202567,097
By status of residence, December 2025
  1. Permanent Resident22,207
  2. Technical Intern Training11,672
  3. Spouse or Child of Japanese National7,630
  4. Specified Skilled Worker6,817
  5. Long-Term Resident4,492
  6. Student3,867
  7. Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services3,576
  8. Designated Activities1,461
  9. Skilled Labor1,358
  10. Intra-company Transferee1,175
Residents, December 2025
67,097
In work-related statuses
25,541
Share in work-related statuses
38.1%
Students
3,867
Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan, Statistics on Foreign Residents (在留外国人統計), Table 1, end of December (e-Stat; Government of Japan Standard Terms of Use 2.0)Data as at Dec 2025

Workers in Taiwan

Citizens of Thailand working in Taiwan in industry (factories, construction, agriculture and fishing) or social welfare (caregivers and domestic helpers), at the end of each year (Ministry of Labor, Taiwan).

Migrant workers in Taiwan at the end of each year

36k73k20152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
36k73k201520172019202120232025
Data table
201558,372
201658,869
201761,176
201860,764
201959,445
202058,135
202156,954
202266,976
202367,939
202472,981
202571,241
Workers in Taiwan, end of 2025
71,241
With a valid employment permit, end of 2025
69,060
Employment permit no longer valid, end of 2025
2,181
Women, end of 2025
15.6%
Source: Ministry of Labor, Taiwan (勞動部), data.gov.tw — Open Government Data License v1.0Data as at 2025

Schengen visas in Thailand

Short-stay (C) visa applications at Schengen consulates located in Thailand, 2024. Applicants are mostly, but not only, its citizens.

Schengen stateApplicationsIssuedNot issuedRefusal rate
Germany39,49737,2182,1255.4%
France39,21037,2531,8084.6%
Italy33,97132,6631,3083.9%
Switzerland31,72330,3341,3854.4%
Norway30,35927,9032,4568.1%
Sweden18,69916,0372,52013.5%
Austria14,42314,1772461.7%
Spain12,86312,1264903.8%
Denmark12,55611,3021,1669.3%
Netherlands11,28410,1659818.7%
Finland5,5054,8205249.5%
Belgium4,1583,63849311.9%
Portugal2,5332,369863.4%
Czechia2,2152,0621426.4%
Hungary2,0421,8451979.6%

Applications by year

169k338k2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
169k338k200920122015201820212024
Data table
2009144,446
2010169,269
2011191,021
2012208,316
2013233,218
2014219,015
2015255,319
2016278,832
2017304,054
2018332,269
2019337,607
202076,922
202132,575
2022208,356
2023270,504
2024265,243
Refusal rate, 2024
6.2%
Refusal rate, 2019
3.9%
Source: European Commission, DG Migration and Home Affairs, visa statistics for consulates (CC BY 4.0)Data as at 2024

Residence permits in Europe

First residence permits issued to citizens of Thailand in EU and EFTA countries, 2025 (Eurostat).

First permits by reason
  1. Work7,113
  2. Family5,917
  3. Education1,850
  4. Other reasons1,217
First permits by country
  1. Sweden2,864
  2. Germany2,438
  3. France1,539
  4. Portugal1,085
  5. Hungary1,065
  6. Norway869
  7. Netherlands804
  8. Finland785
  9. Switzerland647
  10. Denmark470
  11. Poland417
  12. Italy400
Work permits by type, 2025
  1. EU Blue Card49
  2. Highly skilled workers (national schemes)158
  3. Researchers97
  4. Other paid activities6,809
EU Blue Cards granted, 2024
176
Citizenships acquired in the EU, 2024
4,320
Students in EU/EFTA tertiary education, 2024
2,799
Refused entry at EU external borders, 2025
100
Valid residence permits, 31 Dec 2025
152,306
Long-term residence permits issued, 2025
8,044
Changed status into work, 2025
322
Intra-corporate transferee permits, 2025
55
Seasonal work authorisations, 2024
1,984
Source: Eurostat (migr_resfirst, migr_resbc11, migr_acq, educ_uoe_mobs02, migr_eirfs, migr_pop1ctz), CC BY 4.0Data as at 2024–2025

National statistics in Europe

Citizens of Thailand in the figures of national statistics offices: residence permits granted in Denmark, immigrations by grounds for settlement in Sweden and immigrants with a non-EU/EFTA nationality by migration motive in the Netherlands; Finland and Austria publish immigration and emigration by citizenship only.

CountryYearAllWorkStudyFamilyProtectionOther or unknown
Denmark2025493158133173029
Sweden20257162434631423
CountryYearImmigrationEmigrationNet migration
Finland2025523107416
Austria2025461310151
Work-related, latest year
  1. Denmark158
  2. Sweden24
Source: Danmarks Statistik, Statistikbanken VAN66 and VAN77M (CC BY 4.0); SCB (Statistics Sweden), Statistikdatabasen TAB1614 and TAB6670 (CC0); CBS (Statistics Netherlands), StatLine 84809NED (CC BY 4.0); Statistics Finland (Tilastokeskus), StatFin 11a8 (CC BY 4.0); Statistik Austria, OGD_bevwan020_AUSSENWAND_100 (CC BY 4.0)Data as at 2025

Germany

Citizens of Thailand living in Germany on 31 December 2025, by residence status in the Central Register of Foreigners (Destatis).

By residence status, 31 Dec 2025
  1. Permanent residence title37,685
  2. Family reasons10,305
  3. Application for a residence title pending3,345
  4. Neither tolerated nor permitted2,100
  5. Employment1,640
  6. Special residence rights and national visas1,640
  7. Education and training1,220
  8. EU free movement1,170
  9. International law, humanitarian or political reasons145
  10. Tolerated stay (Duldung)75
  11. Permission to reside during the asylum procedure35

Residents in Germany (31 Dec)

30k60k201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
30k60k2014201620182020202220242025
Data table
201458,827
201558,784
201658,765
201758,820
201859,130
201959,125
202059,070
202159,200
202259,880
202360,020
202459,705
202559,365
Residents in Germany, 31 Dec 2025
59,370
With a residence title for employment
1,640
Permanent residence title
37,685
Source: Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis), Central Register of Foreigners, 31 December 2025 (reproduction permitted with source)Data as at 31 Dec 2025

Foreign embassies and consulates in Thailand

Countries with an embassy or consulate in Thailand, as recorded in Wikidata.

CountryEmbassiesConsulates-generalConsulates
Argentina1——
Australia1——
Austria1——
Bahrain1——
Bangladesh1——
Belgium1——
Bhutan1——
Brazil1——
Canada1——
Chile1——
China13—
Colombia1——
Czechia1——
Finland1——
France1——
Germany1——
Greece1——
Hungary1——
India1——
Indonesia1—1
Iran1——
Ireland1——
Israel1——
Italy1——
Japan11—
Kosovo1——
Luxembourg1——
Malaysia11—
Maldives1——
Mexico1——
Mongolia1——
Morocco1——
Myanmar1——
Nepal1——
Netherlands1——
New Zealand1——
North Korea1——
Norway1——
Palestine1——
Panama1——
Peru1——
Poland1——
Portugal1——
Romania1——
Russia1——
Saudi Arabia1——
Singapore1——
Slovakia1——
Slovenia——1
South Africa1——
South Korea1——
Spain1——
Sweden1——
Switzerland1——
Türkiye1——
Ukraine1——
United Arab Emirates1——
United Kingdom1——
United States—1—
Yemen—1—
Countries
60
Missions
66
Source: Wikidata (CC0)Data as at Oct 2026

Remittances

Money that migrants send home: personal remittances received by Thailand, in current US dollars (World Bank).

Remittances received by year, US$ million

5,95012k2000200320062009201220152018202120242025
5,95012k200020052010201520202025
Data table
20001,697
20011,252
20021,380
20031,607
20041,622
20051,187
20061,333
20071,635
20081,898
20093,808
20104,433
20115,256
20125,657
20136,585
20146,524
20155,895
20166,270
20176,720
20187,466
20197,785
20207,873
20218,679
20228,949
20239,692
20249,456
202511,899
Remittances received, 2025
US$11,899 million
Share of GDP, 2025
2.1%
Average cost of sending US$200 to Thailand, 2023
2.0%
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)Data as at 2025

All corridors from Thailand

Destinations with a dedicated page for citizens of this country.

  • Thailand → South Korea
  • Thailand → Japan
  • Thailand → United States
  • Thailand → Germany
  • Thailand → France
  • Thailand → Italy
  • Thailand → Switzerland
  • Thailand → Norway
  • Thailand → Sweden
  • Thailand → Austria
  • Thailand → Spain
  • Thailand → Denmark
  • Thailand → Australia
  • Thailand → Netherlands
  • Thailand → New Zealand
  • Thailand → Finland
  • Thailand → Hungary
  • Thailand → Portugal
  • Thailand → Canada
  • Thailand → United Kingdom
Source: OECD, International Migration Database (OECD.ELS.IMD), accessed 24 Oct 2026Data as at 2023

Official data, not advice. Visa Atlas publishes figures from government registers and statistics. It does not assess eligibility or give immigration advice; for advice, consult a regulated adviser. Read more