- Thailand is considering a 1,000-baht departure tax on air passengers of every nationality.
- The public consultation runs through October twenty-ninth, twenty twenty-six; no tax is currently in force.
- If enacted, the law would begin one hundred eighty days after publication in the Royal Gazette.
Thailand’s Finance Ministry is weighing a 1,000-baht departure tax on passengers flying out of the country, a proposed new source of state revenue that has not taken effect.
The draft would cover departing air travelers of all nationalities, including foreign tourists, foreign residents and Thai nationals. Land and sea departures would initially remain outside the proposal.
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As of October 8, 2026, no such tax is in force. A public consultation opened September 30 and is scheduled to run through October 29, 2026.
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas defended the plan on October 7. He said the charge could encourage Thai residents to travel domestically and keep more tourism spending in Thailand.
The draft sets a 5,000-baht ceiling but starts at 1,000 baht
The proposed initial charge is 1,000 baht for each covered air departure. The draft would allow the rate to rise as high as 5,000 baht per departure.
Collection would happen before departure, bundled with the fare. Airlines, transport operators or ticketing agents would handle it.
The proposal lists several exemptions:
- Children younger than two years old
- International transit passengers who remain in designated transit areas
- Aircraft crew and other transport personnel
- Members of Thailand’s royal family and accompanying personnel
- The Supreme Patriarch of Thailand’s Buddhist Sangha
- Heads of state and official government guests
Travel agents warn the charges could add up for foreign visitors
The Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) opposes the proposal, warning that travelers could face overlapping charges.
One estimate puts a possible combined amount for foreign visitors at 2,570 baht per person. That calculation combines the proposed departure tax with a 1,120-baht airport charge and a separate 450-baht entry fee.
Those figures relate to separate charges or proposals, not a single package already enacted. The estimate is conditional on the departure tax being introduced alongside the other amounts.
Any enacted law would wait 180 days after publication
No commencement date has been set. If enacted, the law would take effect 180 days after publication in Thailand’s Royal Gazette.
The proposal also reportedly would not charge tickets bought before the law’s effective date retroactively. That provision concerns earlier purchases; the draft gives no start date yet.
