A tourist visa extension in Koh Samui adds 30 days to a tourist visa or visa-exempt entry. It is filed at the Samui Immigration Office in Maenam using form TM7, costs 1,900 THB in official government fees, and is normally applied for during the final week of your permitted stay.
Who can extend, and by how much
Citizens of the 93 countries on Thailand's visa-exemption list currently receive 60 days on arrival, extendable once by 30 days at any local immigration office. Tourist visa (TR) holders can also extend by 30 days. That single extension is the rule — anything beyond it is exceptional and decided case by case by immigration officers.
For Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao, the only office is Samui Immigration in Maenam, on the island's north coast. Neither Phangan nor Tao has an immigration office, so plan the ferry accordingly.
The exact document checklist (2026)
Bring all of the following — a missing item means coming back another day:
- Passport, valid at least 6 months
- Completed and signed TM7 application form
- One 4×6 cm photo taken within the last 6 months
- Signed photocopies: passport photo page, current visa or entry stamp, departure card if any
- 1,900 THB in cash (official government fee — card payments are not accepted)
- Proof of address: TM30 receipt filed by your hotel or landlord
When to go and how long it takes
Apply during the last 7 days of your permitted stay — earlier applications can be refused, later ones mean overstay. Arrive at 8:30 when the office opens: morning applicants with complete files are usually done the same morning. The office closes 12:00–13:00 for lunch and observes Thai public holidays.
According to Thai immigration law, overstaying costs 500 THB per day, capped at 20,000 THB, and overstays beyond 90 days trigger re-entry bans of 1 year or more. If your stamp expires tomorrow, go tomorrow morning — the fine starts the day after expiry.
The 3 mistakes that cost travellers a second trip
- No TM30: private landlords often forget to register foreign guests. Ask your landlord for the receipt before queueing — hotels file it automatically.
- Wrong photo size: the office wants 4×6 cm, not passport-size 3.5×4.5. A photo booth operates near the office, but queues form.
- Applying too early: more than a week before expiry, officers can turn you away and your ferry ticket is wasted.
Extension refused or not eligible?
If you have already used your extension, the honest options are a proper long-stay visa — DTV for remote workers, Non-O for retirees and families, Non-ED for students — rather than repeated border runs, which Thai immigration increasingly flags. Our team in Koh Samui reviews passports daily and answers on WhatsApp the same day.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a 30-day extension cost in Koh Samui?
1,900 THB, the official Thai government fee, paid in cash at the Samui Immigration Office in Maenam. Assistance services charge separately for file preparation.
Can I extend my visa twice in Thailand?
Normally no. Tourist entries get one 30-day extension. Further extensions exist only in exceptional cases (medical, force majeure) at the officer's discretion.
Can Koh Phangan residents extend on their island?
No — Koh Phangan and Koh Tao have no immigration office. All extensions for the three islands are processed at Samui Immigration in Maenam.
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