Before you come to Thailand, you should know that the Royal Thai Government does not have an asylum system for the protection of refugees. Anyone without a valid visa is at risk of detention.
In Thailand, UNHCR is the only organization responsible for receiving and processing asylum applications.
To apply for asylum in Thailand, you have to:
Be physically present in Thailand and cannot return to your home country because you fear persecution and need international protection, you may request registration with UNHCR. During registration, UNHCR records, verifies and updates information about you and your family, including the reasons for your application for international protection.
Please note that decreased funding for UNHCR has significantly reduced the number of individuals that UNHCR can register each month. Due to these limitations and the large volume of requests received, most individuals will have to wait for up to two years before being registered.
Upon registration, UNHCR considers you in need of international protection, but if you do not have a valid Thai visa, the Royal Thai Government may still arrest or detain you.
After your registration interview, UNHCR will assess the details of your claim to determine whether a Refugee Status Determination (RSD) interview is necessary. This process may take months or even years, and not all registered asylum-seekers will be invited for an RSD interview. If your case requires an interview, you will be informed directly. There is no need to contact UNHCR to request or follow up about the interview.
For more information on the RSD process, please visit this page. Please note that not all registered asylum-seekers who are interviewed will be recognized as refugees, and globally, very few recognized refugees—less than 0.1%—are resettled to third countries.
ATTENTION! Asylum-seeker and refugee status documents are NOT VISAS! If you can, make sure to have a valid visa with the Government of Thailand during your entire stay in Thailand.
Who is a refugee?
A refugee is someone who has a well-founded fear of persecution based on their race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion. They must be outside of their country of origin and unable or unwilling to receive protection from their country of origin because of their fear of persecution.
Who is an asylum-seeker?
An asylum-seeker is someone who has applied for refugee status but who has not yet received a decision as to whether he/she has been recognized as a refugee.
How do I claim asylum in Thailand?
If you wish to ask for asylum in Thailand, you will first have to register with UNHCR. To seek protection from deportation by the Thai authorities, you may apply to the National Screening Mechanism.
