SMART Visa

The Royal Thai Embassy in Colombo wishes to announce that on 1 February 2018, the Royal Thai Government launched a SMART Visa – a new type of Thai visa specially designed to encourage highly-skilled professionals and talents to work or invest in the 10 targeted S-Curve industries in Thailand, namely

Categories of SMART Visa

The SMART Visa consists of 4 categories, each of which suits 4 different potential groups, namely

1) Talent (T);

2) Investor (I);

3) Executive (E);

4) Startup (S); and

5) Others (O) (i.e. legal dependents, including spouse and children of a SMART Visa holder).

Benefits and Privileges of SMART Visa

The SMART Visa provides more benefits and privileges than any other types of Thai visa. These benefits include:

1) Visa validity up to 4 years (instead of the usual 1 year)

2) No work permit required

3) Reporting to the Immigration Bureau every 90-day extended to every year

4) No re-entry permit required

5) The right of legal dependents (spouse and children) of the SMART Visa holder to live and work in Thailand equivalent to the SMART Visa holder.

For more information, please see the attachments below. 

How to apply for a SMART Visa

1. Visit https://smart-visa.boi.go.th and registers for an account, and download an application form for a qualification endorsement appeared in the website.

2. Fill in an application form for a qualification endorsement in print, and print and sign the form.

3. Scan and upload the original application form for a qualification endorsement together with required documents as indicated in the form to the website in No. 1.

4. Send the original application form for a qualification endorsement, and the required documents

    4.1 by post to

                SMART Visa Unit

                 One Stop Service Center for Visa and Work Permit (OSS)

18^th Floor, Chamchuri Square Building,

Chamchuri Square Building, Phayathai road,

Pathumwan, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand

                      OR

     4.2 by post to the Royal Thai Embassy in Colombo

5. The OSS will notify the applicant if the application for a qualification endorsement is approved, and send a letter of qualification endorsement to the applicant directly.

6. After receiving a letter of qualification endorsement, the applicant may apply for a SMART Visa at the OSS OR the Royal Thai Embassy in Colombo.

7. If the applicant wishes to apply for the SMART Visa at the Royal Thai Embassy in Colombo, please follow steps below:

    7.1 Make an appointment online on the Embassy’s website: http://www.thaiembassy.org/colombo/en/services/6124/68060-Online-Visa-Appointment.html

    7.2 Come to the Embassy on the appointment date and time, and submit all required documents as indicated in the SMART Visa Document Checklist Form (including the said checklist form with signature), which is also available for download below.

    7.3 Pay a visa fee:

    7.4 The visa processing time takes 5 working days. For example, if an applicant submits a visa application on Friday, 9 February 2018, his/her passport could be collected on Friday, 16 February 2018. However, if Tuesday, 13 February 2018 is an Embassy’s holiday, his/her passport could be collected on Monday, 19 February 2018.

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updated on 9 February 2018