12 Dec, 2020
Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is planning to relax entry requirements from several listed countries to increase the number of foreign tourists in Thailand, acting on calls from Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-O’Cha.
The Director-General of the Department of Information of the Foreign Ministry, Thani Saengrat, said on December 10th, that the Ministry had introduced and supported the ad hoc committee of the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) to consider relaxing the traveling measures by allowing primarily three groups of foreign countries to enter Thailand without a visa.
The groups include: 1.) tourists from 56 countries (P30) who have been granted a 30-day visa. 2.) Those who are permitted under an agreement to stay up to 30 days from Hong Kong, Laos, Macao, Mongolia, Russia, and Vietnam. 3.) Nationals of Argentina, Brazil, Peru, and Chile who can stay up to 90 days.
Some of the 56 countries shown in the list below include nationals from the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, South Korea as well as the United Kingdom and most European countries.
Due to the 14-day state quarantine requirements, the Thai authorities will continue to restrict the 15-day Visa on Arrival (VoA) until December 30th from certain countries, including Cambodia and Myanmar.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also proposes extending visas from 30 days to 45 days for nationals of the 56 countries to make up for the state quarantine period to the Ministry of Interior for further discussion, according to Thani.
Both proposals are expected to be formally approved by the Thai Cabinet next week and will be implemented until the end of September 2021 if agreed.
