BANGKOK, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Thailand will implement an overhaul of its tourist visa exemption and visa-on-arrival regulations starting Sept. 15, officially revoking the 60-day visa exemption program introduced two years ago, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday.
Under the revised framework approved earlier by the cabinet, Thailand will reintroduce a revised 30-day visa-free entry scheme, roll out a new 15-day exemption category for select countries, and restructure the visa-on-arrival list.
During a weekly press briefing, Mungkorn Pratoomkaew, director-general of the Department of Consular Affairs, said immigration statistics showed that the average stay for foreign tourists is under 15 days, rendering the blanket 60-day exemption redundant for regular holidaymakers.
Mungkorn explained that national security considerations, efforts to curb transnational crime, economic benefits, and the principle of diplomatic reciprocity guided the policy recalibration.
Between 20 and 30 countries and regions were excluded from the revised visa exemption list after authorities evaluated inbound visitor numbers alongside whether reciprocal visa privileges were granted to Thai passport holders, he said.
According to announcements published in the official Royal Gazette on Monday, the revised 30-day visa exemption will apply to ordinary passport holders from 60 countries and territories.
Furthermore, a newly established 15-day exemption category will cover travelers from two countries, while the visa-on-arrival service will be narrowed to three nations.
Mungkorn said existing bilateral visa exemption arrangements remain entirely unaffected, as 16 countries and territories with mutual visa-waiver agreements are categorized separately.
He noted that foreign tourists arriving in Thailand prior to midnight on Sept. 14 will retain their permitted period of stay stamped in their passports under the existing regulations, including the 60-day entry stamp.
Travelers intending to stay longer than 30 days under the new regulations are advised to apply directly for a standard 60-day tourist visa via the ministry's global electronic visa system before traveling, though in-country extensions through local immigration checkpoints remain available, the official added. ■
