Thailand Drafts New Air Departure Tax, Could Reach 1,000 Baht Per Flight

Thailand’s Revenue Department has opened public consultation, running until October 29, 2026, on a draft Departure Tax Act that would introduce a new charge on air travel out of the country. As drafted, every departing air passenger would pay 1,000 baht regardless of nationality, with the exact rate to be fixed later by ministerial regulation up to a legal ceiling of 5,000 baht. Land and sea departures would be exempt at first. Airlines and ticket agents would typically collect the fee at the time of booking, and children aged two or under and transit passengers who stay within the transit area would be exempt. Unpaid tax would carry a penalty of twice the amount owed plus a surcharge of 1.5% a month. A ticket bought before the law takes effect would not be charged, even for a flight after that date.

Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas has defended the proposal as a way to keep tourism-linked spending circulating inside Thailand, while the Association of Thai Travel Agents has objected that it would stack on top of other charges travellers already face, including the separate 450-baht tourist entry fee that is moving through its own approval process. Nothing has been enacted: this is still a draft open for comment, and if it is eventually passed into law it would only take effect 180 days after publication in the Royal Gazette. Anyone budgeting a flight out of Thailand well into 2027 should watch for whether this becomes law, but there is no live charge today.