Thailand has two new fees bearing down on summer travelers. One is confirmed and arrives in five weeks. The other is still working its way through Cabinet approval.

Airports of Thailand (AOT) announced that the international passenger departure tax rises from 730 baht to 1,120 baht effective June 20, 2026 — a 50% increase embedded directly in airline ticket pricing. Separately, a proposed 300-baht entry fee for all air arrivals is awaiting Cabinet sign-off, with the mechanism tied to the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) system and a built-in travel insurance component. No start date for the entry fee has been locked yet, but the Thai government has been clear it intends to implement it.

Thailand is the most searched travel destination globally right now. And most trip budgets written this year were assembled before either of these fees existed in their current form.

Quick Facts — Thailand’s New Fees 2026

Fee	Amount	Status	When
International departure tax	1,120 baht (~$32 USD)	Confirmed	June 20, 2026
Previous departure tax	730 baht (~$21 USD)	Replaced	Until June 19
Increase per person	390 baht (~$11 USD)	—	—
Entry fee (air arrivals)	300 baht (~$9 USD)	Pending Cabinet approval	2026 (no date yet)
Airports affected	All 6 AOT airports	—	—
Family of 4 departure tax total	4,480 baht (~$128 USD)	—	Post–June 20
Collection method	Embedded in airline ticket	—	—

In one sentence: Thailand’s international departure tax jumps 50% to 1,120 baht on June 20, 2026, embedded in airline tickets, and a separate 300-baht air arrival fee pending Cabinet approval would add a second charge on every inbound flight.

What Is Thailand’s New Departure Tax?

Thailand’s international departure tax — technically the “international passenger service charge” — is a per-person fee levied on every passenger departing Thailand on an international flight. It’s not a separate line item you pay at the airport. It’s bundled into your ticket price at the time of issuance, collected by the airline on behalf of Airports of Thailand.

The fee is rising from 730 baht to 1,120 baht. That’s a 390-baht increase per person (roughly $11 at current exchange rates), effective June 20, 2026. The domestic passenger service charge remains unchanged at 130 baht per flight.

The Nation Thailand confirmed that AOT reaffirmed the June 20 date in May 2026 after the announcement earlier this year. This isn’t a proposal being floated — it’s a finalized date, already priced into tickets being sold for travel from June 20 onward.

The Six Airports It Covers

The increase applies at every airport in the AOT network:

• Suvarnabhumi (Bangkok — the main international hub)
• Don Mueang (Bangkok — mostly budget carrier international flights)
• Phuket International
• Chiang Mai International
• Hat Yai International
• Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai International

If your international flight out of Thailand departs any of these airports after June 19, your ticket price will reflect 1,120 baht rather than 730 baht. Thai Rath confirmed the AOT announcement and the six-airport scope.

The Real Numbers

Per person, the jump is $11. That feels manageable. But it scales.

Solo traveler, Bangkok to London:

• Old departure tax: 730 baht (~$21)
• New departure tax: 1,120 baht (~$32)
• Difference: $11

Couple, same route:

• Old: ~$42
• New: ~$64
• Difference: ~$22

Family of four, same route:

• Old: 2,920 baht (~$83)
• New: 4,480 baht (~$128)
• Difference: ~$45

The family number — $128 in departure tax on a single outbound flight — is the one that starts to feel material. That’s before any consideration of the separate entry fee below. For families who priced their summer Thailand trip months ago using any budget reference from 2025 or earlier, that’s a gap of ~$45 that didn’t exist when they ran their numbers.

What the Money Funds

AOT hasn’t left the revenue purpose vague. The additional income from the increased charge goes toward airport development: expanded passenger terminals, automated Common Use Passenger Processing Systems (CUPPS), and upgraded safety technology across the network. Suvarnabhumi has been under pressure from volume growth for years. Don Mueang handles LCC international traffic that has grown significantly post-pandemic. The charge increase is partly a catch-up on deferred infrastructure spend.

This matters because it’s different from the tourist taxes in Norway (accommodation levy, restricted to local tourism infrastructure) or Amsterdam (city tax on accommodation). Thailand’s departure charge is an airport-operated service fee, not a city or national tourist tax. The policy logic is airport capacity rather than overtourism management.

The Second Fee: Thailand’s 300-Baht Entry Charge

The departure tax is confirmed. The entry fee is not — yet.

A separate proposal for a 300-baht per-person fee on all foreign visitors arriving by air in Thailand has been circulating since late 2025. As of May 2026, it’s still awaiting formal Cabinet approval — no confirmed start date, no finalized collection mechanism.

What’s been outlined: the 300-baht charge would apply to all international air arrivals, bundled into airline ticket pricing rather than collected at immigration. A portion of the fee — approximately 70 baht — would fund basic travel medical and accident insurance for visitors from the moment they enter Thailand.

The collection mechanism has been discussed in connection with the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) system, which replaced the paper TM.6 arrival card. The digital process already captures traveler data at the point of check-in — the entry fee, if approved, would likely be integrated into the ticketing or TDAC workflow rather than requiring a separate payment at the border.

Thailand’s government has been trying to implement some form of arrival fee for over a year. It was originally discussed for 2025, then pushed back. Euronews reported the delays in mid-2025 as the government weighed the proposal against tourism arrival numbers. The fee survived the deliberation. It’s a matter of when, not if — but right now, “when” doesn’t have a date.

For planning purposes: the entry fee should be treated as a probable additional charge for any trip to Thailand later in 2026, not a confirmed one. Budget 300 baht per person as a likely cost; revisit when a Cabinet decision is announced.

How Ticket Pricing Works With These Fees

The departure tax is embedded in the ticket at the time of issuance. That’s the critical point.

Tickets issued before June 20, 2026: The 730-baht departure tax is already locked into the fare. If you bought your Bangkok outbound ticket before June 20 and you travel after June 20, you still pay the old rate — no add-collect required.

Tickets issued on or after June 20, 2026: The 1,120-baht rate applies automatically. Airlines update their ticketing systems for the new charge as of the effective date.

So if you’re booking outbound Thailand flights right now — buying in May for a July or August departure — you will see the new rate in the ticket price even if you haven’t noticed it specifically. It’s already there.

The entry fee, when and if approved, is expected to follow the same model: embedded in ticket pricing, not collected separately at a border counter or immigration kiosk. The Travel and Tour World summary confirms this structure, with the airline or TDAC integration as the likely collection point.

What This Means If Both Fees Land

If the entry fee clears Cabinet and a start date falls before your trip, here’s the combined math per person:

• Departure tax (confirmed): 1,120 baht (~$32)
• Entry fee (pending): 300 baht (~$9)
• Total per person: 1,420 baht (~$41)
• Family of four, total: 5,680 baht (~$162)

Neither number is a trip-canceling shock on its own. Thailand’s overall cost structure — accommodation, food, transport, activities — is still dramatically cheaper than most Western Europe or Southeast Asia alternatives. But it’s a meaningful delta from what trip budgets built in 2025 would have included, especially for families.

For context, the departure tax increase alone adds about as much per family as a night of mid-range accommodation in Chiang Mai. The total with both fees is more than a Bangkok street food day for four.

Thailand in the Context of the 2026 Tourist Fee Wave

Thailand is the most searched travel destination globally for 2026. That’s a lot of travelers building budgets from older sources.

Japan implemented a range of new tourist fees and rules this year. France raised prices for non-EU visitors at major attractions. Greece introduced accommodation surcharges and cruise caps. Thailand’s approach is different — airport-based rather than destination-based — but the direction is consistent: popular destinations are adding fee layers in 2026, and itineraries built on pre-2026 research are missing them.

The departure tax increase is the less complicated one to plan for. It’s confirmed, it’s in the ticket, and it’s a one-time departure charge. The entry fee has more moving parts — pending approval, unclear collection timing, and a TDAC integration that hasn’t been fully specified publicly.

Planning Checklist

If you’re booking Thailand flights now (May 2026):

• Tickets issued today for post–June 20 travel already include the 1,120-baht departure tax. It’s in the fare breakdown — look for “taxes and fees” at checkout or in your confirmation.
• The 300-baht entry fee is not yet in effect. Budget for it as a likely future charge but don’t assume you’ll pay it on your trip unless a Cabinet announcement clears before your travel date.

If you booked Thailand flights months ago:

• Check your ticket purchase date. Tickets issued before June 20 lock in the 730-baht rate for your outbound departure, even if you travel after that date. You won’t be charged the difference at the airport.
• If your ticket was issued on or after June 20, you’re paying the new 1,120-baht rate — confirm by checking the “taxes” breakdown on your itinerary.

Family trips:

• Four people under the confirmed departure tax = 4,480 baht (~$128). If that number isn’t in your accommodation or transport budget already, it needs to be.
• If the entry fee clears before your trip, add another 1,200 baht (~$34) for a family of four on arrival.

Budget travelers on LCCs through Don Mueang:

• Don Mueang is in the AOT network and subject to the same 1,120-baht departure charge. The low-cost-carrier airfare advantage doesn’t offset the per-person tax on the outbound leg. Factor accordingly.

TDAC registration:

• Thailand’s digital arrival card (TDAC) is already required for all air arrivals. Register before departure at tdac.immigration.go.th — no fee currently, and the registration takes minutes. This is the system the entry fee would likely run through if approved.

The Bottom Line

Thailand’s departure tax increase is not a headline-grabbing number per person — 390 additional baht, about $11. But it’s confirmed, it’s five weeks away, and it hits every international outbound ticket issued from June 20 forward. The family-of-four math is where it starts to matter: roughly $128 in departure tax on a single outbound flight under the new rate, about $45 more than last year.

The entry fee is the bigger unknown. It’s been in the works for over a year, it has government support, and the infrastructure to collect it (TDAC integration) already exists. It’s pending, not dead.

Thailand is still one of the best-value destinations in the world for what you get. These fees don’t change that calculation. What they do is create a gap between trip budgets built on 2025 research and what 2026 travel actually costs — and for Thailand’s most popular summer itineraries, that gap deserves a line item.

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Departure tax increase confirmed by Airports of Thailand via LoyaltyLobby and The Nation Thailand. Entry fee status sourced from Wego Travel Blog and Travel and Tour World. TDAC at tdac.immigration.go.th. Figures current as of May 2026 — verify with your airline and Thai authorities before travel.