PM to look into extending tourist visas to 90 days

[webfact]

 

The new government will consider extending tourist visa validities from 30 days to 90 days and the easing of immigration procedures, to make them more convenient for foreign tourists, said Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, responding to call from tourism business operators for the government to boost the tourism industry.

 

He also said, however, that the proposal from some tourism business operators for the government to exempt entry visas for tourists from China, India and Russia is a different issue, which has security implications and has to be considered carefully.

 

The prime minister met Saturday with tourism businesses in Phang-nga province, to listen to their problems and their recommendations for tourism promotion and views on the potential of wellness and health tourism along the Andaman coast.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/pm-to-look-into-extending-tourist-visas-to-90-days/

 

-- Thai PBS 2023-08-28

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

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[webfact]

New PM says he will extend tourist visas for “targeted countries”

By Peter Roche

 

PHOTO: PM Srettha Thavisin visits Phuket - Instagram

 

Thailand’s new prime minister Srettha Thavisin says his new government will extend tourist visas for up to 90 days.

 

During a visit to Phuket and Phang Nga on Friday and Saturday, the newly installed PM spoke to tourism stakeholders in the region and commented that the government will extend the length of tourist visas to up to 90 days for “targeted countries”. His comments were quoted in the Bangkok Post.

 

Currently arrivals from many western countries get a visa waiver which means they can arrive without any visa or paperwork and proceed straight to immigration where they get an entry stamp, usually for 30 days, extendable for another 30 days. Other countries, including China for example, only receive 15 days with either a pre-approved visa or a visa-on-arrival.

 

Full story: https://phuket-go.com/phuket-news/phuket-news/new-pm-says-he-will-extend-tourist-visas-for-targeted-countries/

 

-- PhuketGO 2023-08-28

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

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[ukrules]

About time they did this, 30 days is nowhere near enough, that with just a single extension limits peoples trips to 60 days unless they want to battle a bureaucratic nightmare to get visas in advance - which many people simply don't want to do - and even then it's not enough.

 

So a massive amount of people limit their trips to 60 days for no reason other than that's what they can get with the route of least resistance, I know this because I know and have met many people over the last decade, they come here, get visa exemption for 30 days, extend it once then go home. They would stay longer but will never fly to another country and come back just for the sake of a new entry stamp.

 

I've been saying this for years.

 

A simple change like this will make a huge difference to tourism, especially winter tourism.

[retarius]

Good idea. But I have read on here that visas are very difficult to get in some jurisdictions. There was a case on here very recently where a British man was asked for proof of $10000 (?) in his bank account. He gave up in the end. They need to sort out rules which I/Os need to follow. Get rid of this nonsense where every immigration office interprets the rules in different ways. The only decent way of getting a 90 day tourist visa is to come into the country on a visa waiver then extend it at the immigration local office near to where you stay.

[ukrules]

9 minutes ago, retarius said:

Good idea. But I have read on here that visas are very difficult to get in some jurisdictions. There was a case on here very recently where a British man was asked for proof of $10000 (?) in his bank account. He gave up in the end. They need to sort out rules which I/Os need to follow. Get rid of this nonsense where every immigration office interprets the rules in different ways. The only decent way of getting a 90 day tourist visa is to come into the country on a visa waiver then extend it at the immigration local office near to where you stay.

The thing is - there's no 30 day stamps issued on entry while on a tourist visa - you get 60 days if you have an embassy issued visa - this leads me to believe they're not talking about tourist visas - they're talking about 90 day visa exempt stamps on arrival.

 

A very big change indeed.

[morning glory]

Speaking of 90 days, could he please also get rid of the silly 90-day reporting for one year visa holders???

[chrischronic]

Will this be met with reluctance or pushback from immigration? The visa extension service is lucrative, and I'm concerned that this might not be well-received. Additionally, it's a significant amount of money for the government to lose in terms of visa extension fees.

[alex8912]

15 minutes ago, ukrules said:

The thing is - there's no 30 day stamps issued on entry while on a tourist visa - you get 60 days if you have an embassy issued visa - this leads me to believe they're not talking about tourist visas - they're talking about 90 day visa exempt stamps on arrival.

 

A very big change indeed.

I think you are exactly right. This in NOT a visa. Now my only thought is could we leave a for a day or week or two and come back after the 90 days with one more 90 day visa exempt? Or would it be 30 + 30 ( for 5/6 month snowbirds like myself)

[alex8912]

1 minute ago, chrischronic said:

Will this be met with reluctance or pushback from immigration? The visa extension service is lucrative, and I'm concerned that this might not be well-received. Additionally, it's a significant amount of money for the government to lose in terms of visa extension fees.

In the past they offered free  60 day tourist visas and even free double and triple entry tourist visas. This is better because it seems to be visa exempt. People will certainly come longer and spend a lot more so hopefully this outweighs the extension fee. 

[Bim Smith]

When I go to Penang it's 90 days on arrival no fuss for a UK passport. 

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

and commented that the government will extend the length of tourist visas to up to 90 days for “targeted countries”.

TAT targets every country.. he might have to whittle that down a bit.

[Homburg]

If they extend the validity of visas then there will be less need for visa runs and they'll lose out on millions of B300 entry fees (albeit assuming the B300 plan ever gets off the ground).

[milesinnz]

I am in shock... the Thai government has managed to work out that being accommodating to overseas tourists is good for business.....

[kwilco]

would bru=ing them into line with places like Malaysia.

People would like to use Thailand as a hub (they're favourite concept!) so perhaps make it easier to come in and out?

 

[pomchop]

So the tourist visa that i just got online for 60 days would be replaced by a stay of 90 days on arrival without going through online toursits visa mess?

 

So if this actually gets approved after my arrival on the 60 day tourist visa does that mean that i get less of a stay than sombody who arrives a month or so after me with no tourist visa?

 

Is that what they are saying?  As usual clear as mud.  Why is it always so difficult to make it clear what they are saying even if they have to hire a native english translator to make sure it makes sense?

[alex8912]

"Any final decision on extending visa arrival times will need to be endorsed by the incoming tourism and sports minister and be gazetted, which can take up to 90 days."

 

Quoted from article. So around Dec 1 it could be done!!  High season has started and people don't buy / plan a trip to Thailand a couple weeks before going. They make plans NOW for high season. I hope this isn't typical stupid backwards thinking. 

[pomchop]

8 minutes ago, alex8912 said:

"Any final decision on extending visa arrival times will need to be endorsed by the incoming tourism and sports minister and be gazetted, which can take up to 90 days."

 

Quoted from article. So around Dec 1 it could be done!!  High season has started and people don't buy / plan a trip to Thailand a couple weeks before going. They make plans NOW for high season. I hope this isn't typical stupid backwards thinking. 

i sometimes wonder if they even know what the current visa policies in force are....hopefully they will indeed sort it out soon as i suspect that there are many people trying to figure out how this would impact their trip.  And as u said most people prefer to have it all sorted well in advance and not on a whim a couple of weeks out as there are flights to be booked and decisions to be made.  Just do it.

[Dan O]

53 minutes ago, retarius said:

Good idea. But I have read on here that visas are very difficult to get in some jurisdictions. There was a case on here very recently where a British man was asked for proof of $10000 (?) in his bank account. He gave up in the end. They need to sort out rules which I/Os need to follow. Get rid of this nonsense where every immigration office interprets the rules in different ways. The only decent way of getting a 90 day tourist visa is to come into the country on a visa waiver then extend it at the immigration local office near to where you stay.

The UK man you referenced was being scammed from a phishing email for the 10k and not from the embassy. 

 

Tourist visas are fairly easy to obtain  as long as you have the appropriate info required. I've never understood the few that post how difficult it is to get a tourist visa

[KayDeeDee]

Sounds Like a Great Idea to me  

 

[Robbkk]

1 hour ago, Homburg said:

there will be less need for visa runs and they'll lose out on millions

Laos will lose out millions. Their 1800 baht entry fee is ridiculous.

 

Many would gladly pay more to the Thai government to avoid the hassle of doing visa runs. 

 

They should extend Non b visas from 1 year to 5 years also. 

 

 

[ezzra]

If anything else, it would lesser the workload on immigration department from the many, many people who goes there to extend the 30 days, the rest is a bonus.

[Kerryd]

Gawd - even when they announce they are considering 90 Day Visa EXEMPTION stamps to replace the 30 days stamps currently given - people are still complaining !
Waaa - I already bought a Tourist Visa.
Waaa - it won't go into effect until after I've already arrived.
Waaa - the gov't will lose money.

All the "permanent" tourists will be rolling on the floor in glee, along with the digital nomads who'll be cancelling their "Ed" visas in droves. You can bet a lot of people on marriage/retirement extensions will cancel as well if they can get away with doing a border run once every 3 months.

It certainly would cut down - immensely - on the Immigration lines around the country. And put a crimp in the Visa Agent's business, though as we already know there are a lot of people who are too lazy to do a 90 day report and certainly won't do a border run every 90 days either so the Agents will still get some business.

The hilarious part will be when all those people cancel their Visa/extensions and empty their bank accounts - and then 6 months later find out the 90 day exemption stamps are reverting back to 30 days (after high season).

Only takes them a couple weeks to make the decision and a few more to have it "gazetted" and it becomes fact.
 

[steve187]

1 hour ago, chrischronic said:

Will this be met with reluctance or pushback from immigration? The visa extension service is lucrative, and I'm concerned that this might not be well-received. Additionally, it's a significant amount of money for the government to lose in terms of visa extension fees.

just increase the cost of all extensions, lots of people are paying 12,000thb+ for their extensions anyway, so 3-5,000thb would not be out of line

a 90days visa exempt entry would put Thailand in the same ball game as others in Asia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan

[hydraides]

If this gets done - which I highly doubt- Its gonna take a long time to come through I would have thought

 

What thailand really needs is a 1 or 2 year Digital Nomad Visa available (Show you have legitimate online monthly earning enough to support yourself)........at the same price as an education visa (45-60k for 1-2 years would be reasonable)

[observer90210]

A very sensible move and it should start for this high season from say october this year.

 

Enabling a 90 day stay on the visa waiver scheme (to replace the current 30 days), will encourage more of the quality visitors and retirees to sojourn in the kingdom, to purchase property and spend. Good money-money to come in easy !!

 

Opening bank accounts must also be made easier. Banks could be told to stop asking for the Residence certificate for each and every formality. Why would anybody give a fake address after all on one's own bank accounts ??

 

Same for the driving licence conversion from international to Thai that should be delivered on presenting any document like a lease, rental, phone bill or similar. The Residence Certificate requirement is one of the big bureaucratic dinosaurs that need to be amended, ????

[Skeptic7]

Land of lotsa talk and little action here, especially when it's positive talk. Talk is cheap and nothing is done until it actually is...and even then things are often not as they stated or started out. 

[Bangkok Barry]

3 hours ago, ukrules said:

About time they did this, 30 days is nowhere near enough,

How many people do you know that take more than a 30 day vacation at a time? I'd say that 30 days is more than enough for all but a tiny, tiny percentage of people. Those who are wealthy and have more time on their hands choose far better places than Thailand with its many shortcomings to spend their time and money. I doubt that Thailand is on many rich people's list of places to spend months at a time.

[ukrules]

18 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

How many people do you know that take more than a 30 day vacation at a time? I'd say that 30 days is more than enough for all but a tiny, tiny percentage of people. Those who are wealthy and have more time on their hands choose far better places than Thailand with its many shortcomings to spend their time and money. I doubt that Thailand is on many rich people's list of places to spend months at a time.

I live in Hua Hin, where the retirees from the cold parts of the world flock to every winter. They don't retire to Thailand, they come for an extended period of time - it's not a vacation really - they live here during the cold winters, then return home.

 

They come in their thousands without fail every year, most get visas and do nonsense trips to surrounding countries to extend their stays, many of them own a holiday homes here, likely on some 30 year lease type deal - but they do not live in Thailand full time.

 

It's not a tiny percentage around these parts, the demographic may be very different where you live - but it's not the same everywhere.

 

I have neighbours on both sides of the house where I live who do this, they're in Europe right now and won't come back until October or November and they will stay for whatever they get out of the visas, they don't like unnecessary travel to other countries and I know a few who used to do that but now just stay for a month or two less each year.

 

 

 

[Kerryd]

1 hour ago, Dan O said:

Tourist visas are fairly easy to obtain  as long as you have the appropriate info required. I've never understood the few that post how difficult it is to get a tourist visa

They used to be easy.
It seems the new "online visa" program can be annoying to say the least. (For some people it seems.)

Last year my buddy finally gave up on trying and just got the 45 day stamp when he arrived, extended it (by 30 days), did a border run to get another 45 days, another extension (for a total of 150 days) and flew home.

So he ended up actually staying as long as he had planned to anyways (about 5 months during the dead of winter) and only had to do one border run, just like he would have had to do if he'd gotten his normal tourist visa.

I'm waiting to hear if he's had more success with the online program this year. I even set myself up on it so I could review the process and guide him through it (up to a certain point). There's only so much you can do before it gets tricky (as in, applying for a Visa when you are already on an Extension of a different Visa type).

Obviously a 90 Day Exemption Stamp would be awesome, even if you could only extend it by 30 days before having to do a border run. That would be literally 8 months of stay for the cost of one border run and two extensions. 

Although the idea of having to do 3 border runs and 3 extensions in order to stay for 1 year would be too much for a lot of people who would still complain about it and use agents to do it for them anyways.

Makes you wonder how people survived back in the days when they used to have to do a border run each month to get another 30 day stamp. I knew a guy (from the UK) that was living off of money he'd borrow from one guy, then the next month he'd borrow even more from someone else so he could pay the first guy back and still have enough to live on for a month before trying to borrow even more from someone else.

And he would pay an agent 6,000 baht to do a border run for him once a month ! I couldn't believe it. I was between contracts and paying 2,500 to do a border run once a month (with 2 free meals even). He was living off of money he was borrowing from friends and couldn't be bothered to spend half a day, once a month, to do a border run that would have saved him 3,500 baht.

I swear, if Thailand came along and offered 1 year, no hassle, Visa Exemption stamps with no 90 Day report requirement, people would STILL whine. 
And still hire agents to do a "once a year border run" because it's "too much hassle" to do it themselves.

 

[thailand49]

Once the immigration czar points out to him how much less his brown envelope is going to be he will come around like every other Selected PM.