Thailand Visa for German Citizens 2026: Entry Rules & TDAC
Do German citizens need a Thailand visa?
For a tourism visit within the 30-day exemption, German passport holders use the exemption route. Check nationality, travel purpose and intended stay together in the main visa-exemption guide. The former 60-day tourism exemption was revoked from 15 September 2026; an extension is a separate application, not an automatic 60-day admission.
The Royal Thai Embassy in Berlin (German-language site) is the country-specific contact for visa questions. The exemption status above comes from the site’s country table and its official scheme sources; follow the embassy’s guidance for your application circumstances.
Free TDAC for every traveller, including children
Submit the arrival card on the free official TDAC site within 3 days before arrival, including the arrival date. Every non-Thai traveller entering Thailand needs their own TDAC, including infants and children; a parent can submit for a child. Submit a new card for each entry.
TDAC is an arrival card, not a visa or permission to stay. Read the TDAC guide and official-source TDAC FAQ for submission and family questions.
Passport and proof of funds
Prepare a passport valid for at least 6 months after arrival with at least 1 blank page. The passport-validity guide cites GOV.UK and Thailand’s 2026 annual-meetings immigration guidance. Check each child’s own passport too.
Washington’s embassy specifies cash of 20,000 THB per person or 40,000 THB per family for visa exemption. These are funds to demonstrate, not a visa fee. Read the proof-of-funds guide for the separate Visa on Arrival figures.
Unverified: How often funds are checked, whether cards or bank statements can substitute, and whether foreign-currency equivalents count. Confirm those points with the embassy or Thai Immigration.
Extending the 30-day exemption
Plan for one extension of up to 30 days, at the immigration officer’s discretion. Washington’s embassy confirms the extension allowance; the Immigration Bureau lists a 1,900 THB fee. Apply in person before the permitted stay ends with TM.7, a passport copy and a recent 4 × 6 cm photo. Approval is not automatic. See how to extend a visa exemption.
Unverified: Whether a second extension is possible and the processing time are not verified here. Confirm with the office handling your application.
Overstay: act before your permission expires
Overstay is fined at 500 THB per day, up to 20,000 THB. Entry bans apply in caught/surrender circumstances; an overstay of more than 90 days leads to a 1-year ban under the rule covered here. Confirm how the circumstances apply with immigration.
The fine does not establish your immigration outcome. Read the border, overstay and reporting guide and apply for any extension before your permitted stay ends.
Unverified: Longer overstays carry longer bans, up to 10 years — unverified; confirm. Further tiers and the distinctions between being caught and surrendering are not fully verified in this guide.
DTV and e-Visa: guidance for German applicants
German applicants can consult the Royal Thai Embassy Berlin’s German-language site when choosing a visa and checking application requirements. For eligible workcation, soft-power activities or dependant routes, see the DTV guide. Its detailed checklist and £300 fee are London examples; fees vary by embassy.
Use the embassy responsible for where you apply and the category suited to your actual purpose. The e-Visa application route is separate from TDAC; obtaining a visa does not remove the arrival-card requirement.
Unverified: Berlin-specific DTV fees, processing times and document details are not verified here. Confirm them with the embassy.
Apply at thaievisa.go.th. The e-Visa application guide explains account creation, the form, document uploads, payment, processing and confirmation by email. Check the embassy handling your application for its own fees, documents and timing.
Frequently asked questions
Do German citizens need a visa for a 30-day holiday?
German citizens are in the 30-day tourism exemption from 15 September 2026, according to the site’s country table and its MFA, TAT and PRD sources. The exemption is for tourism only; check your purpose and intended stay.
Do German children need a TDAC?
Yes. Every non-Thai traveller entering Thailand, including infants and children, needs a TDAC. A parent can submit for a child. It is free on the official site and must be submitted within 3 days before arrival, including the arrival date.
What passport and funds should I prepare?
Prepare at least 6 months’ passport validity after arrival and at least 1 blank page. Visa-exemption funds are 20,000 THB per person or 40,000 THB per family in cash. Unverified: checking frequency, substitute cards or bank statements, and foreign-currency equivalents.
Can I extend the exemption once?
Plan for one extension of up to 30 days at the immigration officer’s discretion, with the listed 1,900 THB fee. Apply before your permitted stay ends. Unverified: whether a second extension is possible and the processing time; confirm with Immigration.
Where can German citizens check local visa guidance?
Use the Royal Thai Embassy Berlin’s German-language site and the official Thai e-Visa portal. Unverified: Berlin-specific DTV fees, processing times and document details; the site’s London examples are not a Berlin checklist.
Sources
Official publications referenced for this page.
- MFA Consular Affairs · exemption announcement
- MFA · visa exemption summary (PDF)
- TAT · tourism exemptions effective 15 September 2026
- Thailand PRD · exemption changes
- Royal Thai Embassy Berlin · German-language site
- Washington embassy · exemption, funds and extension
- Official TDAC FAQ · free form, timing and children
- GOV.UK · passport requirements
- Thailand 2026 annual meetings · immigration and customs
- Immigration Bureau · tourism extension documents and fee
- BOI · Thailand Immigration Regulations (PDF)
- London embassy · DTV guidance (London-specific checklist)
- Official Thai e-Visa application