Information reviewed on November 3, 2026.
Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Peru can enter Thailand without a visa for up to 90 days. Almost all other Latin American passports need the visa approved before flying. There is a proposal for Mexico and Colombia, but it changes nothing yet.
What applies to your passport
- No visa, up to 90 days: Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Peru.
- Lost the 60-day exemption and need a visa: Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama and Uruguay.
- Lost visa on arrival and need a visa: Costa Rica, El Salvador and Paraguay.
- Bolivia and Venezuela: also removed from the visa on arrival list, but we did not find a specific notice from the embassy in Lima. Confirm before buying tickets.
- Honduras, Nicaragua and Belize: still need a visa. Haiti does not appear on any exemption list.
Where to apply
All applications go through thaievisa.go.th. You must stay in a country under the embassy's jurisdiction throughout the process.
- Mexico City: Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Cuba, Haiti and Belize. It asks applicants to apply at least one month before entering.
- Lima: Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Bolivia. It mentions up to 15 business days and recommends applying about a month ahead.
- Santiago: Chile, Panama, Costa Rica and El Salvador. Confirm timing and documents before buying tickets.
- Buenos Aires: Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. It mentions 5 to 10 business days and asks applicants to apply one to three months ahead.
- Dominican Republic: we could not confirm the responsible mission. Check the portal.
What to do in each case
We use the embassy in Mexico City as an example because it publishes a lot of detail, and most of the cases we have heard come from the Mexican community. If another embassy handles your case, check its requirements, because they can differ. Lima and Buenos Aires also ask for proof of the equivalent of 20,000 baht. Community cases are anonymous, unverified accounts, and we would welcome hearing from other countries.
Your family is visiting and staying with you
Your relative must attach an invitation letter, a copy of your ID, and a copy of your tabian baan or lease. If you are paying for the trip, they also need your bank statements, a signed sponsorship letter, and a document proving the relationship.
In the community, we have heard of applications where other resident documents, such as an employment contract, were also requested. Have them on hand before your relative applies.
You are staying in a hotel or apartment
The documents must cover the entire stay, with no gaps. Reservations must come from the hotel, landlord, or a recognized platform. The embassy does not accept confirmations issued only by a travel agency.
You have two given names and two surnames
Enter your first name under Given name, your second under Middle name, and both surnames under Family name. The embassy cannot correct this data. If you apply through another embassy, confirm its format. In the community, we heard of one rejection after a surname was read as a given name; the person reapplied, paid again, and was approved.
You were asked for changes or your visa was rejected
Tell a correction apart from a rejection. If you are asked for changes, review everything before responding, because an application needing more than two modifications may be canceled. If it is rejected or canceled, you will need a new application and the fee is not refunded.
Before reapplying, compare your name, dates, reservations, and statements. Statements must be from debit or savings accounts and show the closing balances for the last three months. Documents that worked for another visa do not guarantee approval.
Your flight is close and your visa is still pending
Do not count on priority. The embassy in Mexico City announced that it has processed applications first come, first served since October 15. In the community, we have heard of approvals hours before a flight and of people who could not travel in time.
If your visa is not approved yet, check when you can change your flight without losing it. You cannot board with a pending application.
You are thinking of waiting for the November 9 decision
Waiting may make sense if you can change your bookings, but do not buy a trip counting on the exemption. There is no published rule or start date. Even if approved, a short exemption would not replace a visa for a longer stay.
You are a foreigner in another country under the jurisdiction
The embassy in Mexico City accepts other nationalities if you are physically in one of its countries and will travel from there. You must prove your location with a residence card or, in other cases, your passport, entry stamp, and proof of lodging.
You live in Thailand and plan to leave
Before leaving, confirm how you will get back in. If your passport needs a visa, you cannot return without a valid visa or re-entry permit. You also cannot apply from Thailand for your next entry visa.
The DTV must be requested outside the country. A recent notice from the embassy in Moscow asks for proof of permanent residence in the country where you apply and a criminal record certificate, so check your embassy's requirements before traveling.
You enter without a visa for 90 days
The embassies in Buenos Aires and Santiago say Argentina and Chile can enter for tourism or business, without paid work. We did not find an equivalent recent notice for Brazil or Peru. We also did not find official confirmation that these 90 days can be extended, so ask immigration before counting on it.
You travel for business or work on a passport that needs a visa
Apply for the visa that matches your activity. The embassies say Cuba, Guatemala, and Mexico, as well as Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Panama, need a visa for any purpose.
If you travel on your own or sell trips from Mexico
Travelers: apply at thaievisa.go.th once you have flights and lodging for the whole stay, and stay in Mexico until you receive the visa. If you can, choose bookings that can be changed.
Travel agencies: these points from the embassy in Mexico City directly affect your packages:
- Timing: ask clients to apply at least one month before entering, and do not promise an approval date. The embassy works first come, first served, so a close departure does not give priority.
- Documents: the embassy does not accept lodging confirmations or flight itineraries issued only by a travel agency. Your client needs documents from the hotel, airline or a recognized platform, in their name.
- Location: each traveler must stay in a country under the embassy's jurisdiction throughout the process.
- Names and corrections: check how each name is entered before submitting. Data cannot be corrected and the fee is not refunded.
- Sales terms: explain in writing what happens if the visa does not arrive in time, and do not sell trips counting on the possible exemption.
We did not find specific rules for applications handled by agencies, so confirm this with the embassy before offering that service.
Handling visas for many travelers? Invite Letter, our own platform, helps travel agencies and visa handlers bringing Latin Americans to Thailand in volume. The letter must come from the person hosting the traveler, and the final decision is the embassy's.
The proposal for Mexico and Colombia
Mexicans and Colombians still need a visa. This week, the Bangkok Post reported that the national tourism policy committee approved sending the Foreign Ministry a proposal for stays under 30 days. The Tourism Ministry also plans to take a proposal to the visa policy committee on November 9. The Thai Examiner notes that other approvals and regulations could follow. We will update this guide when there is a decision.
Where the sources disagree
- Review order: the embassy says first come, first served. Some community members say the travel date also matters. We follow the official notice.
- Processing time: the embassy mentions 5 to 10 business days with complete documents and asks applicants to apply a month ahead. Community members mention a 15-day minimum and longer waits. We did not find that minimum in its notices.
- Length of the possible exemption: The Nation reported 15 days. Later reports from The Nation and the Bangkok Post mention stays of up to or under 30 days. No figure is final.
Before boarding
- TDAC: complete the free card at tdac.immigration.go.th within three days before arrival.
- e-Visa: print the PDF and show it to the airline and immigration.
- Passport: the embassy in Mexico City asks for at least six months of validity on entry.
- Funds: immigration may ask for proof of at least 20,000 baht per person if you travel on a tourist visa.
- Yellow fever: if you travel from or through a listed country, you need a certificate at least 10 days old. The list includes Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela.
Sources: Ministry of Interior regulations published in the Royal Gazette on August 31, 2026; Thai embassies in Mexico City, Lima, Santiago, Buenos Aires, and Moscow; The Nation; Bangkok Post; and Thai Examiner. Community accounts are anonymous and unverified. This guide is informational and does not replace immigration advice. Always confirm with the embassy responsible for you before buying tickets. Illustration: Latinos en Tailandia.
Updated November 2026 · General information, not legal advice.