The U.S. Embassy in Bangkok and the U.S. Consulate in Chiang Mai wish to inform our customers that effective January 1, 2008, the application fee for U.S. non-immigrant visas will increase from $100.00 (3,600.00 baht) to $131.00 (4,454.00 baht). This worldwide increase will allow the U.S. Department of State to recover the costs of security and other enhancements to the non-immigrant visa application process. The application fee can continue to be paid at any one of 246 designated Thai Post locations nationwide.

Beginning January 1, 2008, all visa applicants will be required to pay the new $131.00 (4,454.00 baht) application fee. Visa applicants who paid the $100.00 (3,600.00 baht) application fee before the January 1, 2008 fee increase may be processed for a visa if they are scheduled and appear for an interview on or before January 31, 2008. Applicants who paid the $100.00 (3,600.00 baht) application fee and are scheduled to appear for a visa interview after January 31, 2008 will be required to pay the $31.00 or 1,054.00 baht fee difference before they can be interviewed. This additional payment must be made at the U.S. Embassy Consular Cashier prior to the visa interview.

The U.S. Department of State is required by law to recover the cost of processing non-immigrant visas though the collection of the Machine-Readable Visa (MRV) application fee. Due to new security-related costs, new information technology systems, and inflation, the present $100.00 MRV fee is lower than the actual cost of processing non-immigrant visas. The Department has been absorbing the additional cost for some time, but is no longer able to do so and, therefore, is forced to institute this fee increase.

The U.S. Embassy in Bangkok and the U.S. Consulate in Chiang Mai look forward to continuing to serve our customers in Thailand and wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year.