Thailand is weighing whether to bring back a departure tax that hasn’t existed since 1991, and the country’s Finance Ministry has now put its weight behind a specific number — but the measure is still a proposal working through public consultation, not a law travellers need to plan around yet.
The Revenue Department opened a public hearing on a draft Departure Tax Act that would charge every traveller, Thai or foreign, 1,000 baht each time they leave Thailand by air. Land and water departures would be exempt, and the law would cap the charge at 5,000 baht per trip, though that ceiling is meant to give the government flexibility for the future rather than signal the actual starting rate. The proposed 1,000 baht would come on top of the 1,120-baht airport passenger service charge already built into the price of international air tickets, and airlines or ticket agents would collect it directly through the fare, similar to how VAT is charged, rather than through the paper-slip kiosks Thailand used for its previous departure tax decades ago. Anyone who evaded the charge would face a penalty of up to twice the amount owed plus a 1.5% monthly surcharge, according to Bangkok Post, which first reported the draft law on October 8.
Finance Ministry permanent secretary Lavaron Sangsnit confirmed the ministry’s position days later, telling Nation Thailand that 1,000 baht would be an appropriate rate “in current economic conditions” and that the tax should apply to both Thai and foreign travellers alike, since everyone uses the country’s resources — a position he said is in line with international practice. Extending the charge to foreign travellers specifically would require new legislation to provide the legal basis, since it isn’t covered automatically under existing law. Lavaron said the government intends the revenue to support domestic tourism and to demonstrate the kind of fiscal discipline that credit-rating agencies watch for, while also giving Thailand more flexibility to respond to emergencies. The ministry is also working out how the departure tax would interact with a separate tourist entry fee proposed by the Tourism and Sports Ministry, to avoid charging travellers twice for similar purposes, and is considering whether part of the departure-tax revenue could fund travel insurance for foreign visitors.
On how firm the plan actually is: both Bangkok Post and Nation Thailand are explicit that this remains a proposal. The Revenue Department’s public hearing runs only until October 29, 2026, with comments submitted through law.go.th, and Lavaron himself told Nation Thailand “the measure remains a proposal, with legislation required before the new charge can be introduced.” No effective date has been set, because the enabling law hasn’t been passed. The plan also isn’t without pushback: Nation Thailand’s own reporting notes that the Thai Hotels Association and the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) have separately objected to the proposal in the same public-consultation window. Thailand last had a departure tax — on Thai nationals and resident foreigners alike — from 1983 until it was rescinded in July 1991, which is the basis for describing this as a possible revival after roughly 35 years.
References
Bangkok Post – Thailand floats idea of B1,000 air departure tax / Nation Thailand – Thai finance ministry backs 1,000-baht departure tax plan
