Moving to the UK from Thailand: Guide

Visiting: a Visitor Visa, Not an Electronic Travel Authorisation

Thailand is on the Home Office visa national list, so Thai citizens need a Standard Visitor visa for a short trip. The £20 electronic travel authorisation is for people who are not visa nationals, and it is not an option on a Thai passport. A 6-month Standard Visitor visa costs £135, and longer-validity visitor visas cost £506 for 2 years, £903 for 5 years and £1,128 for 10 years. A decision usually takes 3 weeks. A visitor visa does not let you work, study long term, or move to the UK.

Visa Routes for Thai Citizens

• Family visa. For joining a partner who is a British citizen or has settlement. The UK-based partner normally needs an income of at least £29,000 a year, met through income, savings, or a combination. The English requirement is A1 in speaking and listening at the first application, A2 at the extension after 2 years 6 months, and B1 at settlement. The fee is £2,064 from outside the UK and a decision usually takes 12 weeks. See the spouse visa guide.
• Skilled Worker visa. Requires a licensed sponsor, a job at degree level (level 6 of the regulated qualifications framework) for a new application, and a salary of at least £41,700 a year or the going rate for the job, whichever is higher. Some applicants qualify at the lower £33,400 threshold. A job on the Immigration Salary List uses that lower threshold and a lower fee, but the full going rate for the job still applies. See the salary threshold guide.
• Student visa. £558, and a decision usually takes 3 weeks from outside the UK. You must show course fees plus £1,529 a month in London or £1,171 a month outside London, for up to 9 months, held for 28 days in a row. See the student visa guide.
• Graduate route. 2 years after a UK degree, or 3 years after a PhD. For applications made on or after 1 January 2027 the standard length falls to 18 months. See the Graduate route guide.

Thailand is not a Commonwealth country and is not on the Youth Mobility Scheme list, so neither the UK Ancestry route nor the Youth Mobility Scheme is open on a Thai passport.

Document Requirements

• Valid Thai passport.
• Tuberculosis test. Needed if you are coming to the UK for 6 months or more and have lived in Thailand, or another listed country, for 6 months or more. It also applies to a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner on a family visa even for a shorter stay. Thailand has clinics approved by the Home Office; a test at any other clinic will not be accepted. The certificate is valid for 6 months from the date of the x-ray. GOV.UK publishes no price, because each clinic sets its own fee. Find your clinic on the GOV.UK tuberculosis test page.
• English language test. Needed for most work, study and family routes. Thailand is not on the majority English-speaking list. A degree taught in English can be used instead of a test if UK ENIC confirms it is equivalent to a UK degree. See our English language test guide.
• Police certificate. Not needed for every route. The Home Office asks for one for Skilled Worker and Temporary Worker applications in certain jobs, mostly in healthcare, education, therapy and social services, and for some other routes. Where it is needed, apply to the Royal Thai Police Criminal Records Division in Bangkok, or through a Thai embassy if you are abroad. Check the GOV.UK criminal records checks guidance for how to apply from Thailand.
• Certified translation. Thai documents must be provided with a full translation into English.

Where You Apply in Thailand

You complete the application on GOV.UK, then book an appointment to give your fingerprints and photograph at a visa application centre. GOV.UK's find a visa application centre service lists Thailand under VFS Global, which publishes the centres, their addresses and their opening times. GOV.UK says you must apply for the visa before you can make an appointment.

What It Costs

UK visa fees are set in pounds sterling and are the same wherever you apply from. Money held in baht is converted using the exchange rate published by OANDA for the date of the application.

• Standard Visitor visa: £135 for 6 months
• Family visa as a partner: £2,064 from outside the UK, £1,407 inside
• Skilled Worker visa from outside the UK: £819 for up to 3 years, £1,618 for more than 3 years
• Student visa: £558
• Healthcare surcharge: £1,035 a year, or £776 a year for students, their dependants and under-18s
• Settlement: £3,226 for each person
• British citizenship: £1,709 to apply plus a £130 ceremony fee, £1,839 in total
• English test and tuberculosis test: GOV.UK publishes no price for either. Test providers and approved clinics set their own fees.

See our UK visa fees guide.

What the Healthcare Surcharge Buys

Paying the immigration health surcharge does not make the National Health Service free. It puts you on the same footing as a UK resident, so you then pay what a resident pays. In England that means £9.90 for each prescription item and dental charges of £27.90, £76.60 or £332.10 depending on the treatment. Prescriptions are free in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

After Arrival

• Set up or sign in to your UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account and check your online immigration status. There is no card to collect: biometric residence permits stopped being issued at the end of 2024. To prove your status to an employer or a landlord you generate a share code, which lasts 90 days
• Apply for a National Insurance number
• Register with a GP
• Open a UK bank account
• Register for council tax with your local council in England, Scotland or Wales. Northern Ireland has domestic rates instead, collected by Land and Property Services

Path to Settlement

Most work and family routes lead to settlement, also called indefinite leave to remain, after 5 years. It costs £3,226 for each person and a decision usually takes up to 6 months. You need the Life in the UK test and English at B1. After 12 months with settlement you can apply for British citizenship for £1,709 plus a £130 ceremony fee.

Thai nationality law does not expressly provide for dual nationality, and in practice Thai citizens who acquire another nationality often keep both. That is a question for the Thai authorities, not the Home Office, and nothing in UK law stops you applying. Check your position with the Royal Thai Embassy in London before you apply.

Next Steps

For official information, visit the British Embassy Bangkok and the GOV.UK Skilled Worker visa page.

Questions and answers