Thailand is consulting on a new tax of 1,000 baht each time anyone leaves the country by air, whatever their nationality. Thai citizens, foreign residents and tourists would all pay. The Revenue Department's draft lets the government raise the rate by ministerial regulation up to 5,000 baht per departure, and airlines would collect it with the fare. Public comments are open until 29 October 2026. It would come on top of a separate 450-baht fee on foreign arrivals that the Tourism Ministry is preparing.
Background
Thailand has had a departure tax before. A 1983 emergency decree charged Thai nationals and foreigners with permanent residence 1,000 baht to leave by air and 500 baht by land or sea, to limit outflows of foreign currency. Land and sea departures were exempted from 1986 and air departures from 1991, so nobody has paid it for 35 years. The new draft taxes everyone instead. The Revenue Department says the Finance Ministry asked for it to use state resources more effectively and to give the budget more room to respond to emergencies. Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas defended the plan on 7 October as a way to encourage Thais to holiday at home. The Association of Thai Travel Agents opposed it the same day and is preparing a formal objection to the Finance Ministry.
What the draft says
Every person leaving Thailand would pay each time they depart, apart from airline crew on duty. In the first phase only air departures would be taxed, at 1,000 baht. Exemptions follow those for the airport passenger service charge: children aged two or under, international transit passengers who stay in the transit area, and official categories such as state guests. The airline or ticket agent would collect the tax with the fare, and the Revenue Department would set rules for travellers without a ticket. The law would take effect 180 days after publication in the Royal Gazette, and tickets bought before that date would be exempt even for later travel. Unpaid tax would carry a penalty of twice the amount plus a surcharge of 1.5% a month.
What a foreign visitor flying in and out could pay
- Passenger service charge (already in fares): 1,120 baht per international departure since 20 June 2026, up from 730
- Proposed arrival fee for foreign visitors: 450 baht, not yet approved by the Cabinet
- Proposed departure tax: 1,000 baht per air departure, legal ceiling 5,000 baht
- New charges if both are adopted: 1,450 baht per round trip
- Exempt from the departure tax: land and sea departures (first phase), children two or under, airside transit passengers
Who it affects
Because the departure tax covers every nationality, it reaches people the arrival fee does not. A retiree in Chiang Mai on a long-stay visa who flies home twice a year would pay 2,000 baht a year; a Bangkok-based employee on a monthly regional business trip would pay 12,000. Families pay for each child over two. Travellers who leave overland to Malaysia, Laos or Cambodia would not pay in the first phase. The 450-baht arrival fee applies only to foreigners. Its public consultation closed on 28 September with 5,954 responses, and on 6 October Tourism Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul met airlines, hotels and other stakeholders on how to collect it. Air arrivals would be charged first, land and sea arrivals about a year later.
What to do now
Nothing is charged yet. Even if the Act passes quickly, the 180-day lead time and the exemption for tickets bought before commencement mean flights booked today are not affected. Residents and frequent travellers can comment on the Revenue Department's consultation page until 29 October. For the entry rules that apply now, including the 30-day visa exemption in force since 15 September, see our [Thailand guide](/country-guides/thailand) and our report on the [new 30-day exemption](/news/thailand-30-day-visa-exemption-royal-gazette-september-2026).
Key dates
Departure tax consultation: 30 September to 29 October 2026 (Revenue Department). If enacted, the tax applies 180 days after publication in the Royal Gazette. The 450-baht arrival fee still needs Cabinet approval; officials have aimed for collection to start in the first quarter of 2027.
What is not yet confirmed
Neither charge is law. The departure tax could be changed or dropped after the consultation, and the government can set a different rate by regulation up to 5,000 baht. For the arrival fee, the collection method, the full exemption list and the start date are still open, and the figures come from ministry statements reported in the press rather than a published notice.
Key Takeaway
Thailand is consulting until 29 October on a 1,000-baht tax on every air departure, residents included; with the planned 450-baht arrival fee, a foreign visitor's round trip would cost 1,450 baht more, but neither charge applies yet.