Thailand's Ministry of Tourism and Sports announced plans to shorten the duration of visa-free stays for foreign visitors. The move, revealed by Tourism Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul, aligns with current traveler behavior, as most tourists visit for an average of only nine days. The proposal aims to streamline the stay period to better reflect typical visit lengths without impacting the tourism market.

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Currently, travelers from 93 countries can enter Thailand without a visa for up to 60 days. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will draft detailed plans, tailoring new stay durations by country. This adjustment is also part of efforts to control illegal activities conducted under the guise of tourism. Notably, Norwegian visitors, who stay the longest at an average of 21 days, would still have adequate time with a proposed 30-day period.

The Tourism Minister assured that this change would not negatively affect Thailand's appeal to international tourists. In addition, the government is proceeding with plans to introduce a 300 baht entry fee for tourists, with funds directed to the country's tourism promotion initiatives. This fee primarily targets air travelers, reinforcing Thailand's commitment to enhancing its tourism infrastructure.

Looking ahead, the reduced visa-free stay policy and entry fee are set to be discussed further by the Cabinet. The government remains optimistic about maintaining tourism growth, anticipating the new policies to be well-received by both the industry and visitors.

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Just the next flip-flop so nobody can plan anything. This is why Thailand is a bad place to invest, start businesses, plan for anything, and is generally behind on so many fronts... because nothing lasts more than a year, and laws are just in and then out, before it's changed by some moron politician or government in some nationalistic, protectionist, and knee-jerk nonsense. The goal posts are constantly moving and that's rubbish on so many fronts... grow up Thailand. Why would you invest in an environment like that on anything? No reason at all.

So when will it come into affect? They talked for 5 months about this.

There is real issue with "low quality foreigner", but $50 visa fee hardly tall wall. More likely criminal will take time to pay this small fee, with criminal earnings, whereas "real" tourist will not want take time to handle papers, go to embassy, et cetera. In other word main barrier is time not money, and it working families that have no time, not scammer for whom just "business cost".

Good more than enough and not allowed to enter before 90 days out of the country.....

36 minutes ago, Sir Dude said:

This is why Thailand is a bad place to invest, start businesses,

I started a business. An easy process.

It sustained me for almost 15 years.

I wonder how long the Israelis , Nigerians and Uzbekistan girls will get..

Shorten the visa free, but increase the stay of NON-O visa for retirees. Giving the retiree only 3 months is not enough and Thailand is loosing big money. Because the retirees who are home owners are amongst the biggest spenders. Giving them only 3 months is a big loss for Thailand. Make it 4 months for this visa.

7 minutes ago, redwood1 said:

I wonder how long the Israelis , Nigerians and Uzbekistan girls will get..

I wonder how long the Russians and Indians get, That affects my life more than a few Nigerians trying to sell me weed or Israelis whos very presence scare the jewphobics into Social media frenzies.

6 minutes ago, Sigmund said:

Shorten the visa free, but increase the stay of NON-O visa for retirees. Giving the retiree only 3 months is not enough and Thailand is loosing big money. Because the retirees who are home owners are amongst the biggest spenders. Giving them only 3 months is a big loss for Thailand. Make it 4 months for this visa.

I don't suppose perchance that you are a home owning retiree are you ?

I started a business. An easy process.

It sustained me for almost 15 years.

Which means you started it over 15 years ago, when things were very different. Back when foreigners could stay pretty much forever on back to back visa runs to a land border, and get an ED visa to learn Thai for years and years.

1 minute ago, impulse said:

Which means you started it over 15 years ago, when things were very different.

Don't know I had a business visa from the start back then. 5 employees I think was the minimum from memory.

9 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

I wonder how long the Russians and Indians get, That affects my life more than a few Nigerians trying to sell me weed or Israelis whos very presence scare the jewphobics into Social media frenzies.

This made me giggle....walking along sukhumvit....hey man wanna buy some weed...as I open the door to a dispensary.

6 minutes ago, Nick Carter icp said:

don't suppose perchance that you are a home owning retiree are you ?

3 minutes ago, impulse said:

Which means you started it over 15 years ago, when things were very different. Back when foreigners could e stay pretty much forever on back to back visa runs to a land border, and get an ED visa to learn Thai for years and years.

My problem with sinking any money in Thailand is the way the rules change yearly. Otherwise I would be a homeowner, albiet one without a lot of appreciation on an investment, since Thailand is not a place to "invest"

I like the 2 months. Handy. Perfect for what I want. Hope they let Australians be.

19 minutes ago, blaze master said:

This made me giggle....walking along sukhumvit....hey man wanna buy some weed...as I open the door to a dispensary.

Every once in a while I get ornery and yell at them.

1 hour ago, ikke1959 said:

Good more than enough and not allowed to enter before 90 days out of the country.....

So offshore workers (oil rigs) etc, who often work 2-4 weeks on/off rotation, should not be allowed in the next 3 months?

Many of these are serious big spenders.

Also retirees, who want to visit 4-6 times per year, they too should be kept out?

Think again.

“Notably, Norwegian visitors, who stay the longest at an average of 21 days, would still have adequate time with a proposed 30-day period.”

This displays a sad ignorance of the term “average”.

1 hour ago, OldHand2541 said:

So offshore workers (oil rigs) etc, who often work 2-4 weeks on/off rotation, should not be allowed in the next 3 months?

Many of these are serious big spenders.

Also retirees, who want to visit 4-6 times per year, they too should be kept out?

Think again.

Ever heard of a long term visa with multiple re entries??? apparently not.....This is about tourists and the abuse of the visa system

4 hours ago, Nick Carter icp said:

I don't suppose perchance that you are a home owning retiree are you ?

my dear fellow, feel free to suppose all that comes to your mind...but you will never really know for real..! 😂..

12 hours ago, impulse said:

Which means you started it over 15 years ago, when things were very different. Back when foreigners could stay pretty much forever on back to back visa runs to a land border, and get an ED visa to learn Thai for years and years.

Ding ding ding. The elderly on this forum all want to lower visa free, and generally make it much more difficult for people to stay here, yet most of them were here when it was dead simple and anyone could stay forever. Hell, you could hand someone your passport and they would do the visa run for you back then. Boomers sure love pulling up ladders behind them no matter what it is.

2 minutes ago, captain_shane said:

Ding ding ding. The elderly on this forum all want to lower visa free, and generally make it much more difficult for people to stay here, yet most of them were here when it was dead simple and anyone could stay forever. Hell, you could hand someone your passport and they would do the visa run for you back then. Boomers sure love pulling up ladders behind them no matter what it is.

This is true. Boomers ruined the west like that. Nice pensions, unaffordable housing for young people. Claimed they worked hard yet got handed easy jobs and cheap houses.

13 hours ago, Sir Dude said:

Just the next flip-flop so nobody can plan anything. This is why Thailand is a bad place to invest, start businesses, plan for anything, and is generally behind on so many fronts... because nothing lasts more than a year, and laws are just in and then out, before it's changed by some moron politician or government in some nationalistic, protectionist, and knee-jerk nonsense. The goal posts are constantly moving and that's rubbish on so many fronts... grow up Thailand. Why would you invest in an environment like that on anything? No reason at all.

If you were investing you’d get a business visa as you wouldn’t be a tourist.

13 minutes ago, Rockyroad said:

This is true. Boomers ruined the west like that. Nice pensions, unaffordable housing for young people. Claimed they worked hard yet got handed easy jobs and cheap houses.

Blame the government policies not the boomers and generation x-ers who dealt with the cards they were handed.

For Australians it's not hard to get the 2 months but a bit of a pain so why not make it that we don't have to go to the effort for no particular reason.

3 minutes ago, Fat is a type of crazy said:

Blame the government policies not the boomers and generation x-ers who dealt with the cards they were handed.

Never want to take responsibility for anything do you? Boomers love to blame the governments they elected.

27 minutes ago, captain_shane said:

Ding ding ding. The elderly on this forum all want to lower visa free,

We elders are not in control here......Thais are making this proposal. Likely based on the behaviour of the younger generations.

2 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

We elders are not in control here......Thais are making this proposal. Likely based on the behaviour of the younger generations.

Who do you think runs thailand? The young people? Holy crap, your generation will never take responsibility for anything EVER.

Just now, captain_shane said:

Who do you think runs thailand? The young people? Holy crap, your generation will never take responsibility for anything EVER.

Thais, not the old guys on this forum.

If anythingm I see the young, with their sense of entitlement and lack of responsibility for their actions, creating discontent.

Just now, jacko45k said:

Thais, not the old guys on this forum.

If anythingm I see the young, with their sense of entitlement and lack of responsibility for their actions, creating discontent.

We're on a foreigner's forum, we're talking about the opinions of foreigners. Try to keep up old man.

Just now, captain_shane said:

We're on a foreigner's forum, we're talking about the opinions of foreigners. Try to keep up old man.

And an inability to grasp things.... you asked me who do I think runs Thailand!

Waste of time even trying to talk to todays kids, attention span of a goldfish., similar education levels.