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Thailand plans a ฿1,000 departure tax for air travellers: what is proposed, and what it means for your trip
Thailand’s Revenue Department is consulting on a ฿1,000 tax on every departure by air, for travellers of every nationality. It is a proposal, not a rule: trips you book now are not affected.
What has been proposed
Thailand’s Revenue Department, part of the Ministry of Finance, has opened a public consultation on the principles of a draft Departure Tax Act. Under the draft:
Everyone leaving Thailand would be liable, whether Thai or foreign, each time they leave.
In the first phase, only departures by air would be taxed, at ฿1,000 per departure. Departures by land and sea would be exempt at first. The law would allow the rate to rise to as much as ฿5,000.
The airline or its ticketing agent would collect the tax with the fare.
Exemptions for air passengers would follow those of the existing airport passenger service charge. News reports say this covers children under two and transit passengers; the consultation document refers to that list without spelling it out.
The Act would come into force 180 days after it is published in Thailand’s Government Gazette.
A ticket bought before the Act comes into force would not be taxed, even if you fly out after that date.
The consultation runs from 30 September to 29 October 2026.
Where it stands
This is not law. On 13 October the Finance Ministry’s permanent secretary, Lavaron Sangsnit, said the ministry considers ฿1,000 an appropriate starting rate, and that the ฿5,000 ceiling is not the proposed rate. That is the ministry’s position. No Cabinet decision has been reported, and the draft still has to become law and be published in the Gazette before the 180-day wait begins. Thai hotel and travel associations have publicly opposed the tax, so the amount, the timing, and whether it goes ahead at all may change.
The other Thai charges you may have read about
The airport passenger service charge. This charge is already in force. It rose from ฿730 to ฿1,120 per international departure on 20 June 2026 at Thailand’s six main airports (Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Hat Yai), and it is already included in your ticket price.
A proposed ฿450 fee for foreign tourists. Thailand’s tourism ministry has proposed this fee, aimed at early 2027. It is also only a proposal and still needs Cabinet approval.
The Finance Ministry says it is looking at how the departure tax and the tourist fee would work together so that travellers are not charged twice for the same thing. One option it mentioned is charging only on departure. Some reports add the existing airport charge and both proposals together to reach a total of about ฿2,570. That total mixes one charge already in force with two that are only proposed.
What it means for Indian travellers
Trips booked now are not affected. Even if the tax is approved, it cannot start until 180 days after Gazette publication, and tickets bought before then are exempt.
If it goes ahead, budget about ₹2,800 per person per trip. That is ฿1,000 at mid-October 2026 exchange rates, and the rupee figure will move. For a family of four it comes to roughly ₹11,000, collected in the airfare rather than at the airport.
It would apply per departure. An itinerary that flies out of Thailand twice, for example Bangkok to Siem Reap and back and then home, would pay twice.
Leaving by land would be exempt in the first phase, for example crossing into Malaysia or Laos.
Visa-free entry rules for Indians are unchanged. See our Thailand visa checklist.
What to do
Nothing yet. If you are planning Thailand for this winter or early 2027, book as normal. We will update this article when the consultation closes and if Cabinet approves the draft.
Sources
This report is based on the following published sources. Rules and schedules change — confirm with the issuing authority before you travel.
- Public consultation on the principles of the draft Departure Tax Act — Revenue Department, Thailand, 30 September 2026
- Thai finance ministry backs 1,000-baht departure tax plan — The Nation, 13 October 2026
- Foreign visitors could face 2,570 baht in travel fees — The Nation, 08 October 2026
- Airports of Thailand to raise international passenger service charge from 20 June 2026 — TAT Newsroom, 18 May 2026
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