Thailand's Schengen-Style Visa Proposal Faces Hurdles

[renaissanc]

The government is creating new tourist visas and improving some. What about the annual Marriage Visa? I've been here 40 years and I still have to renew my Marriage Visa annually. In 22 years I'll be 90. Will I still have to drive an hour to Immigration and back (twice) and spend an hour in front of an official who has to fill in the same forms as in the previous year? Then will the Immigration Police still visit me at home and fill in similar forms and take the same photos that I have already provided? Assuming that my wife is still alive then. The Marriage Visa needs revamping and putting online.

[Sydebolle]

As said before over and over again. Travel with your own car from Thailand to Laos and enjoy the bureaucratic paper avalanche of TM2, TM3 and TM4, apart from an international transport permit which is used only between these two countries. Some border points can be crossed with a visa-on-arrival, others with an eVisa and yet others need a visa by a Lao diplomatic post (Consulate in Khon Kaen or Embassy in Bangkok). Thais can enter with a border pass (based on their ID card) for three days at a time and only within the bordering province; a passport obsoletes this nonsense. 
Traveling (in the past) by your own car into Burma/Myanmar takes half a day to clear visa and the car - forget the insurance = non existing.
Cambodia offers a different aspect on the caleidoscope; insuring is not possible and you, technically, cannot leave the province you entered Cambodia. 

So Mr Srettha might want to drop this potato; unless you untangle these bureaucratic mess maze from scratch in all these countries without any country losing face -  you will not get anywhere. Result is heavy hinderance of travelling between countries. An EU system whereby you get off a plane in Stockholm, rent a car and drive unhindered by customs or immigration all the way to Lisbon ......... wishful thinking and not happening in our lifetime 😞

[Will B Good]

So a free pass for the Asian underworld (no names) to roam freely, creating havoc throughout SE Asia......pure genius.

[watchcat]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has recently proposed a novel approach to reinvigorate tourism in Southeast Asia — a Schengen-style visa scheme. Modelled after Europe’s Schengen Area, this unified visa system would allow travel to Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos.

 

Will this "novel idea" include no flip flops or u-turns?

[Scouse123]

You would then have all the complications of visa on arrival where you pay in certain countries, such as Laos and Cambodia, versus visa free entry in Thailand.

 

 

Also, one minute Thailand is moaning about over tourism, damage to the environment, and the next they are aiming for 80 million tourists by 2027/2028.

 

 

The flip-flopping is ridiculous.

[ujayujay]

The announcement minister Srettha once again in top form

[pookett]

"Thailand’s well-developed tourism infrastructure"

 

🤣 It can't cope now!

An Asean (Schengen) visa is a great idea but why does Thailand think they can control it as an obligatory conduit. I see the other members jumping at that idea....not.

 

[freeworld]

1 hour ago, renaissanc said:

The government is creating new tourist visas and improving some. What about the annual Marriage Visa? I've been here 40 years and I still have to renew my Marriage Visa annually. In 22 years I'll be 90. Will I still have to drive an hour to Immigration and back (twice) and spend an hour in front of an official who has to fill in the same forms as in the previous year? Then will the Immigration Police still visit me at home and fill in similar forms and take the same photos that I have already provided? Assuming that my wife is still alive then. The Marriage Visa needs revamping and putting online.

You could apply for citizenship or perm residence.

[Bobydog]

7 hours ago, expat_4_life said:

 

Don't see why any other countries would agree to this.
More fantasies of "hubs" 😁

It's high time the jerkoffs behind all these "on one day off the next schemes"  come clean and just confirm what we already know, they are only in it for self gratification and of course, the money.

[supersomchai]

Lets repeat that they want 80 million tourists (double the 2019 numbers).

Madness ,talk about dilute the tourist experience ,how about destroy it!

As the countries start to push back against mass tourism like Spain ,Thailand marches in the opposite direction.Hub of overtourism.

 

[mancub]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

 

In this proposed visa scheme, tourists must first pass through Thailand as a central hub

Ah....and that's when they'll introduce an extra arrival tax ! 

[nakhonandy]

4 hours ago, sandyf said:

No one ever does anything without taking the first step.

That's true, but it took the EU 50 years and European countries had less issues than Asean.

Laos and Cambodia are effectively vassal states of China and Myanmar is a total mess.

[NativeBob]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand has already experienced the negative impacts of overtourism in popular destinations such as Pattaya, Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai.

yes, farangs are crawling all over Rathcada just like a roaches. even at Somboon Curry Crab

[fleccer]

This habit of wanting to imitate Europe seems to be hard to die

[sandyf]

1 hour ago, nakhonandy said:

That's true, but it took the EU 50 years and European countries had less issues than Asean.

You are wrong, it was around 10 years to create the European Community, which then evolved into the European Union and continues to evolve.

If you want to use the EU example, it should be borne in mind not all agreements included all members. The UK never adopted Schengen or the Euro.

Issues have always been there to be resolved.

[sandyf]

1 hour ago, fleccer said:

This habit of wanting to imitate Europe seems to be hard to die

Not surprising. ASEAN is a fairly small economic community, much the same as the European Community was in 1957 when it had only 6 member states.

A comparison between the 2 blocs is inevitable.

[connda]

Until the World Health Organization declares another "pandemic," most likely The Chicken Plague.
Goodbye tourism.

[connda]

5 hours ago, renaissanc said:

I've been here 40 years and I still have to renew my Marriage Visa annually.

If you were a woman married to a Thai man you'd be a Thai citizen.  Isn't the real question, "When will Thailand dump their openly sexist visa policies?"

[Moti24]

Thailand's Schengen-Style Visa Proposal Faces Hurdles

 

There's only 1 hurdle they'll be worried about: how to stop the tourists from spending their money in the other countries.

 

 

[connda]

2 hours ago, supersomchai said:

Lets repeat that they want 80 million tourists (double the 2019 numbers).

Madness ,talk about dilute the tourist experience ,how about destroy it!

As the countries start to push back against mass tourism like Spain ,Thailand marches in the opposite direction.Hub of overtourism.

 

Like Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

[connda]

8 hours ago, Muhendis said:

The schengen system works in Europe because of free and borderless travel between countries.

That is highly unlikely to ever exist in Asia.

It will never happen in ASEAN because Thailand will be the country that stops it.  Thailand DOES NOT want free and open travel between countries.  As little as one experience with Thai immigration should prove that any anyone.

[nakhonandy]

4 hours ago, sandyf said:

You are wrong, it was around 10 years to create the European Community, which then evolved into the European Union and continues to evolve.

If you want to use the EU example, it should be borne in mind not all agreements included all members. The UK never adopted Schengen or the Euro.

Issues have always been there to be resolved.

True but there were very few Countries in the first EC or EEC back in the 50s, I can't remember. 

It wasn't until the 90s that freedom of movement happened. 

[still kicking]

13 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Only students will rise up if the need arises, but we've seen how they are treated bt the Lese Majeste law which MFP wanted to amend.

Older Thais are too lethargic to do anything.

 

New name for MFP, Peoples Party.

[watchcat]

18 hours ago, ujayujay said:

The announcement minister Srettha once again in top form

 

He's just a puppet for he's master.

[hotchilli]

9 hours ago, still kicking said:

New name for MFP, Peoples Party.

Third time lucky?

[sandyf]

13 hours ago, nakhonandy said:

True but there were very few Countries in the first EC or EEC back in the 50s, I can't remember. 

It wasn't until the 90s that freedom of movement happened. 

Freedom of movement is a distorted generalisation and not something that "happened".

The issue has little bearing on how ASEAN could look to the EU and benefit from their history.

[nakhonandy]

12 hours ago, sandyf said:

Freedom of movement is a distorted generalisation and not something that "happened".

The issue has little bearing on how ASEAN could look to the EU and benefit from their history.

Well ASEAN could certainly learn from the many mistakes made along the line by the EU.

[lamyai3]

On 8/9/2024 at 3:58 AM, webfact said:

In 2019, an ‘ASEAN Visa’ plan also failed to materialise. 

ASEAN Visa sounds like a good name for a forum... 

[sambum]

".....to boost tourism in Southeast Asia. Despite the economic benefits of increased tourist numbers, concerns about feasibility, overtourism ........."

 

Sorry, I don't understand - first they  want to boost  tourism (as always) and then they are complaining about overtourism!!!

[sambum]

On 8/9/2024 at 12:59 PM, supersomchai said:

Lets repeat that they want 80 million tourists (double the 2019 numbers).

Madness ,talk about dilute the tourist experience ,how about destroy it!

As the countries start to push back against mass tourism like Spain ,Thailand marches in the opposite direction.Hub of overtourism.

 

 

But it's all about the baht! They can't bear to be seen as ignoring The Golden Goose, but then whinge because the Goose overdelivers !