Immigration Thai PM Tackles Overstaying Tourists with Visa-Free Scheme Revamp

[Toby1947]

Here we go again, morons running the country. Just get the police and authorities of their a×ses.

[DonniePeverley]

6 hours ago, NorthernRyland said:

But it's easier than ever to say long term with the DTV so what impact will this have? You can stay for 5 years if you can get together 500k baht ONE time and apply for a cooking class or something and then open your illegal elephant pants themed yoga cafe on Ko Pha Ngan.

 

 

It's the DTV they need to address. 

[DonniePeverley]

6 hours ago, Joseph98765 said:

....and when they were talking to attract more europeans this morning, now they come with this....555555

 

European and Chinese tourists with money, families, don't want to go to places where there is crime galore, Bendirom Brits partying on drugs and full of violence, Russian draft dodgers looking for fights in Thailand but ironically not in Ukraine, Indians sleeping 12 to a room or on a beach, and viewing every woman as a prositute, scam artists everywhere, violence, drugs. 

 

The reputation of the country worldwide has been tarnished, and it's attracting cheap trash. 

[Cabradelmar]

Here is a controversial idea... make missed 90 reporting an offense on par with overstay, then make presenting the TM47 receipt AND passport mandatory (pdf and photos acceptable) for all sorts of mundane reasons (checking into a hotel, requesting bank services, obtaining a SIM card, booking tickets, boarding planes/trains/ferries, etc.) -- no more using Thai DL... watch the number of overstays decrease significantly.

[2long]

6 hours ago, sikishrory said:

60 days isn't the issue. This is in line with other countries.

It's when you can get 60 days + 60 days + 60 days + extensions through corrupt visa runs that this becomes an issue.

It's not a review thats needed but the simple enforcement of the law.

The most-pertinent reply to this thread yet!

[CLW]

7 hours ago, sikishrory said:

60 days isn't the issue. This is in line with other countries.

It's when you can get 60 days + 60 days + 60 days + extensions through corrupt visa runs that this becomes an issue.

It's not a review thats needed but the simple enforcement of the law.

There is no corruption in Thailand.

[CLW]

7 hours ago, sikishrory said:

60 days isn't the issue. This is in line with other countries.

It's when you can get 60 days + 60 days + 60 days + extensions through corrupt visa runs that this becomes an issue.

It's not a review thats needed but the simple enforcement of the law.

There is no corruption in Thailand.

[rough diamond]

11 minutes ago, CLW said:

There is no corruption in Thailand.

Should be in the joke section!

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

10 hours ago, ftpjtm said:

 

Ordered a review? Sounds like an indecisive move.

 

And very oddly, no mention whatsoever in the OP about the recent government ministry public pronouncements about already planning to (or considering, depending on what day's report one reads) reduce the now-standard 60-day visa-free entry back to the prior, longstanding 30-day period that had existed until last year.

 

Does the PM even remember / recall what visa-free entry policy this government had held for a long time prior to the change/extension last year?

 

[watchcat]

11 hours ago, ftpjtm said:

 

Ordered a review? Sounds like an indecisive move.

 

Daddy was busy on his phone didn't answere must have been important call so had to make the move by herself.

[Pompeygeezer]

Like to know the real reason on why they're going to put it back to 30 days? because the reasons they're using is complete utter nonsense.  never heard such tripe.  

[factual monk]

Meanwhile article in Bangkok Post @ 24 April - 11am....
With Thailand losing out to Vietnam as the most-visited nation in Southeast Asia among Chinese tourists in the first quarter, the Association of Thai Travel Agents (Atta) has urged the government to offer more competitive prices, noting that Vietnam's travel costs are now 30% lower and it boasts more fresh attractions.

In the first quarter, the Tourism and Sports Ministry reported that Thailand received 1.3 million Chinese arrivals, while Vietnam welcomed 1.5 million Chinese tourists, a 178% year-on-year increase according to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism.

[ThaiJohn01]

Good job, and about time. Start with those rude, obnoxious russians.

[riverhigh]

On 4/23/2025 at 4:58 PM, jts-khorat said:

 

Or, simply accept that there is a large number of long-time tourists simply spending money, and a very small percentage of "tour guides" and "bar owners" (who nonetheless bring financial turnaround).

 

I remember, as I came to Thailand in the late 90s, that I was working for months, as I heard for the first time that something like a work permit even exists. And I would never have gotten one for the job I did then (nobody on Phuket had even heard of the internet or web design, there were only 2000 fixed phone lines on the whole island).

 

What I am trying to say is: the jobs a longstay tourist is likely to engage in is the grey economy, where people don't pay taxes and proper business setups most likely will be prohibitive for the tiny returns. There is a good chance that just checking up on everything costs more than simply ignoring this small percentage. Better spend the money on improving tourist infrastructure.

 

But who am I to advise the Thai government?

Yeah, there are always two sides to the story.  Walking around Bangkok there are lots of storefronts that have been unrented for months or even years. An arguement can be made that all the Thai bureaucratic restrictions and regulations are cost prohibitive. Work illegal or go bust.

[CLW]

On 4/23/2025 at 9:42 PM, rough diamond said:

Should be in the joke section!

 

Indeed 

[CLW]

On 4/24/2025 at 1:48 PM, factual monk said:

Meanwhile article in Bangkok Post @ 24 April - 11am....
With Thailand losing out to Vietnam as the most-visited nation in Southeast Asia among Chinese tourists in the first quarter, the Association of Thai Travel Agents (Atta) has urged the government to offer more competitive prices, noting that Vietnam's travel costs are now 30% lower and it boasts more fresh attractions.

In the first quarter, the Tourism and Sports Ministry reported that Thailand received 1.3 million Chinese arrivals, while Vietnam welcomed 1.5 million Chinese tourists, a 178% year-on-year increase according to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism.

You reap what you saw. This is the fallout from the extortion and kidnapping cases of Chinese nationals in Thailand. In many cases Thai officials and police were involved. 

[paul1804]

Lets be honest, the level of corruption in Thailand is relatively high & wide spread with more interest in collecting brown envelopes than enforcing the laws so offering visa free to so many countries just opens the flood gates for all the riff raff to drift in and do what they like. The quality tourist over the quantity should be their focus and will automatically reduce these problems but the short sighted greed for money is just too much to resist and too difficult for them to foresee the future. They dont want the back packers but they want the Indians & Chinese, generally speaking the difference being the back packers generally behave themselves, stay longer and spend a similar amount on a daily basis, are not here to work illegally or involved in scams! Will the authorities ever wake up?

 

[Patong2021]

On 4/24/2025 at 1:48 AM, factual monk said:

Meanwhile article in Bangkok Post @ 24 April - 11am....
With Thailand losing out to Vietnam as the most-visited nation in Southeast Asia among Chinese tourists in the first quarter, the Association of Thai Travel Agents (Atta) has urged the government to offer more competitive prices, noting that Vietnam's travel costs are now 30% lower and it boasts more fresh attractions.

In the first quarter, the Tourism and Sports Ministry reported that Thailand received 1.3 million Chinese arrivals, while Vietnam welcomed 1.5 million Chinese tourists, a 178% year-on-year increase according to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism.

 

Maybe it is simpler reason? The been there, done that experience. Once you have visited Thailand for 2 weeks  a couple times, the thrill is gone for most people. Vietnam wasn't a go to destination until recently. Now it is. Once  tourists have had their fill of Vietnamese pollution and corruption, they will move on, perhaps to Taiwan once it is absorbed back into the mainland, or Myanmar, if the war ends, or even South korea.  Japan is already experiencing a tourism boom.

 

[it is what it is]

On 4/23/2025 at 3:09 AM, SiamAndy said:

Thailand, the land of smiles flip flops! 🤪

 

do you understand what a flip flop is? did you understand the article?  a review is what's happening.

[it is what it is]

On 4/23/2025 at 7:24 AM, Mangkhut said:

Thailand - the land of never ending visa rule changing….

 

visa rules change in every country, all the time. just look at the us...