OPINION

We reported this week that The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is set to propose extending the length of stay for tourist visas and visa on arrival (VOA) to a maximum of 45 days.

According to TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn, a proposal will be presented to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) at a meeting due to be held on August 19.

The proposal will call for the period of stay for tourist visas to be extended from the current 30 days to a maximum of 45 days, while the period of stay for visa on arrival extended from 15 days to a maximum of 45 days.

The extension would be effective from the date of approval and run through to December 31, 2022.

Of course, the idea is that the longer they stay the more money they will spend.

But surely if they really want to encourage tourism, why not increase tourist visas to longer periods and why limit it to December when the supposed high season still has 4 months to run.

 

Tourist visas or visas on arrival .....it is still confusing at the moment, so hopefully they will make it all clear soon.

 

Vietnam is proposing expanded visas

 

Over in Vietnam, their tourism minister was reported on Monday to have proposed expanding visa exemption for tourists from the U.S., Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and India to boost sector recovery.
 
He also suggested the government consider simplifying immigration procedures to attract foreign tourists as Vietnam reopened after over two years of border closure, he said in a report submitted to the National Assembly Standing Committee on Tuesday.
 
Tax Cuts too
 
The minister is also proposed extending tax cuts to tourism businesses until the end of 2023 to help them recover after the pandemic crisis.
 
Though Vietnam reopened tourism and lifted most Covid restrictions, Hung said travel firms and those working in the tourism industry are grappling with difficulties and have not really benefited directly from current policies.
 
The country welcomed 954,000 foreign arrivals in the first seven months this year, up nine times year-on-year.

 

Singapore

 

According to online information, the period of stay permitted is at the discretion of the Immigration Officer upon arrival at the Singapore Changi Airport. It is normally between 14 to 30 days.

 

There is strictly no extension of visa validity or change of visa type. 

 

However, you can submit a fresh application upon the expiry or upon utilisation of your current visa. But please note that each visa application is assessed on its own merits.

 

 

SE Asia is competitive

 

Bottom line is Thailand is competing with Vietnam, Singapore and Cambodia and other countries in the region, so they need to make it easy for tourists to come here.

 

Make the entry simple for passport holders and they should be able to decide whether they want a 30, 60 or even a 90-tourist visa on arrival.

 

Even with flexible return tickets there should not be an issue.

 

The idea of tax cuts for the tourist industry could potentially be a life safer for many small Thai businesses, especially those attractions that still have daily running costs whether one tourist or 50 arrive to say go on an elephant trek or safari. 

 

Bottom line is the TAT and government should have offered these longer visas long ago, but better late than never.

 

People need to plan holidays in advance so the sooner the Government confirms any new regulations the better, then travel agents around the world can start confirming their clients’ bookings.

 

 

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They could make it simple and just issue 90 day stamps for everyone

 

Having just gone through the absurd online app for a tourist visa this would be a major help...the current application process and required downloads along with mostly worthless instructions/faq  was obviously done/approved by some who want to make it as frustrating/difficult as possible to get an online visa..the only thing that happened quickly and easily was charging the credit card for the $40 fee. (non refundable).

Until I can fly in under the same situation that there was 10 years ago I will not make any plans to visit.

I kinda think that will never be the case.  So be it . . . . .

With Cha Cha moving the nation backwards, we seem to be moving in the opposite direction of progressive and innovative. Regressive, is more like it. As much as the  sabateurs talk about wanting the tourists back, they are not offering much in the way of concessions or sacrifices to get them.

 

Tourism will never be the same again here. My heart goes out to those dependent on the industry. 

18 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

With Cha Cha moving the nation backwards, we seem to be moving in the opposite direction of progressive and innovative. Regressive, is more like it. As much as the  sabateurs talk about wanting the tourists back, they are not offering much in the way of concessions or sacrifices to get them.

 

Tourism will never be the same again here. My heart goes out to those dependent on the industry. 

Everything is regressing...English proficiency, driving habits and more.

https://www.thailand-business-news.com/news/76941-thailands-english-proficiency-falls-to-very-low#:~:text=The report shows that Thailand,a “very low” competence.

 

2 hours ago, Upnotover said:

Bizarrely whoever is writing this stuff still can't quite get the terminology right.  

Journalism and bureaucracy ain't what it use to be.

2 minutes ago, madmitch said:

If the writer did proper research he might have found out that a tourist visa allows a sixty day stay. 

 

No wonder the site changed its name from thaivisa if the writers can't get basic visa information correct!

Probably referring to the "Visa on Arrival". Certain nationalities have to apply for it at the airport and it's good for just 15 days.

If I recall, there's a booth a few meters short of the first entry to the Immigration queues. (I think there is one booth on the other side, just before the other entryway to Immigration as well.)

Won't bother copying which countries can apply for this (Australians, Russians, Indians and Chinese amongst others) but the details are here:
https://extranet.immigration.go.th/voaonline/voaonline/VoaonlineAction.do

Note - Visa on Arrival is NOT the same as "Visa Exemption Stamp" - which is good for 30 days of course.

2 hours ago, pomchop said:

Having just gone through the absurd online app for a tourist visa this would be a major help...the current application process and required downloads along with mostly worthless instructions/faq  was obviously done/approved by some who want to make it as frustrating/difficult as possible to get an online visa..the only thing that happened quickly and easily was charging the credit card for the $40 fee. (non refundable).

Spot on..

They are real mafia.

Used the online application 2 days ago.

Unfortunately wrote my passport issued 23 dec not 9 dec.

Mismatch, so approval "automatically declined".

No refund of thb ca 2.500

Government thieves...

They're are reasons Thailand doesn't want to allow tourist to come on long visas, take a walk down Soi bukao and you'll see why. 

If the US and UK extend visas for Thais then we can extend for Brit/yank tourists. 

The author of the article is confusing the 30-day visa exemption with the 60-day tourist visa. There is no 30-day tourist visa.

 

So I’m guessing the Thai government is considering lengthening the visa exempt entry to 45 days. I wish there were an article written by someone who knows what he or she is talking about.

3 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

They're are reasons Thailand doesn't want to allow tourist to come on long visas, take a walk down Soi bukao and you'll see why. 

If the US and UK extend visas for Thais then we can extend for Brit/yank tourists. 

not quite the same is it, ones a tourist location so should be easy,as they want the tourists and long stayers,  the other two are a place where immigrants want to enter illegally 

17 minutes ago, steve187 said:

not quite the same is it, ones a tourist location so should be easy,as they want the tourists and long stayers,  the other two are a place where immigrants want to enter illegally 

There is a big problem here with illegal immigrants. There are even agents in Pattaya that help them bypass immigration requirements for £500. As a result, we get undesirables, who have fake year visas. 

 

 

"Of course, the idea is that the longer they stay the more money they will spend"... wow such insight... I never knew such insight existed in people in high places in Thailand.. I am astounded...

Mai phen rai.

Let's just cancel tourist altogether.

 

 

Paradise.

Just now, milesinnz said:

"Of course, the idea is that the longer they stay the more money they will spend"... wow such insight... I never knew such insight existed in people in high places in Thailand.. I am astounded...

I would expect there is more money to be made getting more of them in....  do many working people really have the opportunity to have so long off work? Anyhow, if 45 days, not needing to get a tourist Visa is to attract more the proposed arrival charge will be the deterrent to cancel that out. 

Just now, zzaa09 said:

Mai phen rai.

Let's just cancel tourist altogether.

 

 

Paradise.

Covid  weren't so bad? The after effects are killing us though.

I noticed that Singapore is the only country that doesn’t care what you want, in terms of visa length, but gives what they think you deserve. Clearly they are not dependent on tourists as one of the region’s most boring destinations (never understand why people go there except for business). They have developed their business without much heavy manufacturing.

If Thailand could get its act together, investing in education and business, perhaps this would not make the length of stay such an issue.

3 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

I would expect there is more money to be made getting more of them in....  do many working people really have the opportunity to have so long off work? Anyhow, if 45 days, not needing to get a tourist Visa is to attract more the proposed arrival charge will be the deterrent to cancel that out. 

I think there are a good number of older people who have the time to travel around the world at leisure.. you don't have to be that wealthy... I get a one month extension when I am in Thailand... better if I did not have to apply for this...

1 minute ago, milesinnz said:

I think there are a good number of older people who have the time to travel around the world at leisure.. you don't have to be that wealthy... I get a one month extension when I am in Thailand... better if I did not have to apply for this...

Would 45 days cover it then or would you still be looking to extend? I think the mass market of big numbers from China/India are more in their sights. 

Malaysia offer 90 stamp exempt. However the point should be even applying for a 60 day tourist evisa from the UK is far more complicated than it used to be. I remember getting a 6 month tourist visa from the UK in Liverpool and it was a very simple process. Now all those little offices are closed and it has to be done by the embassy in London and application process and what is asked for is absolutely insane. Meanwhile over the years they made the process for Chinese tourists very much easier hence the explosion of tourism from China. That has come back to bite them.

I wish Thailand would be like Mexico. No visa needed for 90 days.

  It would be nice to have this in Thailand as my Spanish is terrible.

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Vietnam is proposing expanded visas

 

Over in Vietnam, their tourism minister was reported on Monday to have proposed expanding visa exemption for tourists from the U.S., Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and India to boost sector recovery.
 
He also suggested the government consider simplifying immigration procedures to attract foreign tourists as Vietnam

Vietnam is the place to holiday.   imo

1 hour ago, Neeranam said:

They're are reasons Thailand doesn't want to allow tourist to come on long visas, take a walk down Soi bukao and you'll see why. 

Yes, horrific to watch western retirees spending their retirement savings in Thailand. More needs to be done to encourage them to move on and spend their money elsewhere. 

Only good thru December of 2022 if approved? What's the sense of even proposing and offering it if it is only good for such a limited time? Idiocy at its finest!

...and no medical insurance cover verification announced, which would be very easy to put in place.... when they continuously claim foreigners contract debts in Thai hospitals, preferring to pressurize long term expats who are however easier to trace and mainly have a private medical insurance covering the costs which Thai rules don t accept if not Thai insurance..

Have a nice day

This is sure to be an unpopular opinion, but with the new, enlightened legalization of herbs, I would prefer they don't also start handing out 90-day tickets to everyone who shows up.  If you're too high to organize your extension of stay then hey, sorry, but NorCal always needs trimmigrants so better luck next time?

 

Here in Europe people are slowly starting to hear about the legalize-it happenings and it will surely be a factor in travel plans soon.  Hopefully nobody gets strung up in the city-state as a result.

 

Why they need different Visa?

90 days for everybody.

As a visitor it's up to me then, when I leave the country within these 3 months.????

2 minutes ago, sawadee1947 said:

Why they need different Visa?

90 days for everybody.

As a visitor it's up to me then, when I leave the country within these 3 months.????

Does your country offer 90 days of Visa free entry to Thai citizens? 

4 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

Does your country offer 90 days of Visa free entry to Thai citizens? 

Jacko, sadly the answer is no.

Great comment/question.????????