Last Updated on October 8, 2026 by Jeff Tomas
BANGKOK – Thailand’s Finance Ministry is currently exploring a brand new way to raise state revenue. Officials want to charge a mandatory departure tax every time a traveler leaves the country by air. The initial fee is set at 1,000 Thai baht, which equals roughly 28 US dollars.
This proposed charge, applying to every person flying out of a Thai airport, is part of a newly drafted law now officially open for public review.
The Revenue Department recently published the core principles of this financial plan. The new Departure Tax Act would completely replace Thailand’s older, outdated tax laws from 1983.
While the initial fee is firmly set at 1,000 baht, the law includes a strict legal maximum of 5,000 baht per departure. This ceiling gives the government room to increase the fee in the future without writing an entirely new law. The new charge makes no exceptions for your citizenship, your residency, or your visa status.
Key Takeaways:
- Air Travelers Only: The initial 1,000 baht tax applies strictly to those leaving Thailand on commercial flights.
- Everyone Pays: The proposed fee affects all departing passengers, regardless of their nationality or current visa status.
- Public Input Open: The draft law is currently open for a public consultation period that ends on October 29, 2026.
Details of the Proposed Departure Tax Act
The current proposal brings significant changes to how Thailand handles outbound travel. Under the old 1983 legislation, departure taxes only targeted Thai citizens and foreign permanent residents. However, the government suspended the collection of those older taxes decades ago. The new plan revives the concept but expands its reach entirely across the board. The updated law ensures that ordinary foreign tourists and digital nomads will also automatically pay the fee.
According to the Revenue Department, the government desperately needs a modern tax framework. This is a major reason why the Finance Ministry strongly backs the current proposal. Officials believe that treating all nationalities equally makes the new tax much easier to manage. If lawmakers pass the measure, airlines will likely collect the fee directly when you buy your ticket.
Who Will Pay the Proposed Departure Fee?
One of the biggest questions surrounding this draft law is who exactly must pay. The simple answer is that anyone boarding an international flight out of Thailand is liable. This broad category includes short-term holidaymakers, long-term expats, and local Thai citizens.
The ultimate goal is to create a highly fair system that does not discriminate based on your passport. Tourism groups are closely watching how this might impact the overall cost of visiting the beautiful country.
However, the draft law does offer a few very specific exemptions. Children who are two years old or younger will not have to pay the new fee. International transit passengers who stay safely inside designated airport zones are also fully exempt.
Additionally, active airline crew members traveling on official duty will completely avoid the charge. Aside from these limited groups, almost everyone else heading to the departure gates will see this extra cost added to their travel budget.
Why Land and Sea Travel Remains Exempt
For the time being, the government is focusing entirely on international air travel. The draft legislation clearly states that departures by land and sea are initially exempt from the tax. This means that tourists crossing the border by bus or train will not pay the 1,000 baht fee. The Revenue Department has not yet provided a strict timeline for when, or if, border checkpoints will start collecting the tax.
This specific exemption is excellent news for travelers who frequently cross land borders. Many long-term visitors rely on short bus trips to neighboring countries to easily renew their visas. Because the initial rollout only targets airports, these overland border runs will remain a much cheaper travel option. The Finance Ministry could eventually choose to expand the tax to land and sea routes in later phases, but that requires further official regulations.
The final fate of the proposed departure tax is still far from finalized. The government has opened a formal public consultation window to actively gather citizen feedback. This important period started on September 30, 2026, and it will run until October 29, 2026. Citizens, local tourism boards, and airline operators can all submit their honest opinions on the new draft law during this crucial timeframe.
Once the public consultation officially ends, government officials will carefully review the collected feedback. The draft legislation will then need formal approval from the Cabinet and the Thai Parliament before it becomes a real law.
Even if passed, the law would absolutely not take effect immediately upon approval. It generally takes 180 days after official publication in the Government Gazette for such rules to start. Therefore, travelers planning trips to Thailand in the near future will not face this specific tax just yet.
