Do you need a visa for volunteering in Thailand? Surely this question has crossed your mind. We’ll answer it for you.
To travel to Thailand, you need to have a valid passport or ID card, meaning it must be valid for at least six months from the date you enter the country. This means that for tourist or volunteer stays, such as this one, no visa is required. Since no visa is required, the maximum stay is 30 days, which can be extended for another 30 days if you apply at the immigration office.
If the stay exceeds 30 days, a visa is required. You can obtain it at an embassy or consulate of Thailand. There is one exception: if entry is made by land border, you can only stay in the country for 15 days without a visa.
In addition, Thai authorities do not allow continuous entry and exit from the country every 30/15 days, and they can deny entry to the country whenever they deem it necessary.
Considerations for Volunteering in Thailand
In addition to the visa, when volunteering in Thailand, it is essential to obtain information about vaccines. If you travel to Thailand, you are required to get the yellow fever vaccine, as long as the country you are traveling from is affected by this disease. Additionally, in that case, Thailand requires the presentation of the document certifying that you are vaccinated against yellow fever upon arrival.
Although this vaccine is the only mandatory one, there are others highly recommended for traveling to this country. Here’s a list of vaccines you should consider, always consulting with your regular doctor beforehand. Nobody knows better than them which vaccines you should get based on your medical history. The specific city you visit also affects vaccination requirements, as not all cities have the same risks. For Volunteering in Thailand with Cooperating Volunteers, programs are conducted in three cities: Hua Hin, SingBuri, and Trat.
When we talk about non-mandatory but recommended vaccines, we mean:
- Hepatitis A and B
- Rabies
- Japanese Encephalitis
- Tetanus
- BCG (tuberculosis)
If you want more information, you can access the Spanish Association of Vaccinology.