BANGKOK, 4 January 2021: Travellers from 56 countries* are again eligible for visa-free entry to Thailand for 30 days with an additional 15 days tagged on to cover the mandatory quarantine.
The ministry regulation reinstating visa exemption jumped all the hurdles to gain the official green light when published in the country’s Royal Gazette 25 December 2020.
The Royal Gazette announcement confirmed travellers can now technically enter Thailand for 30-days without a visa if they hail from any of the 56 nations listed. They are given an additional 15 days to cover quarantine in the hope that will encourage travellers to return to Thailand.
They will still need to comply with other measures such as obtaining a fit-to-fly certificate, a Certificate of Entry, and a negative PCR Covid-19 test result not more than 72 hours before departure. There are also strict medical and Covid-19 insurance requirements.
The Royal Gazette announcement said the 45-day stay was available to “an alien who has temporarily entered the Kingdom who is exempt from the visa under Article 13 (3) and (4) of the Ministerial Regulation.”
The notification will apply until 30 September 2021.
Very few tourists bother to even consider Thailand due to the strict quarantine measures often described as the closest you will get to solitary confinement in prison. Cost too is a factor with the health regulations and strict quarantine regime costing around USD5,000 before the 30-day stay can begin.
Although visa-free entry does away with the need to apply for a visa at the nearest embassy, other strict rules apply that require contact with an embassy. They are time-consuming and stressful moments. Often embassy website pages time out before all the required personal data is inputted.
A Special Tourist Visa for 90 days that can be extended twice to provide a stay of 270 days is an alternative to the visa exemption scheme, but again there are very few takers.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand’s newsroom stated last week that the Thai Government recently lifted restrictions on the Special Tourist Visa (STV), which allows entry for tourists from any country or territory worldwide rather than just low-risk countries.
Tourism Authority of Thailand governor, Yuthasak Supasorn, is quoted by the TAT newsroom saying “we recommend that all potential visitors who want to enter Thailand contact the nearest Thai embassy or consulate-general first regarding all the necessary visa requirements in their respective countries as the situation continues to evolve. In addition to other requirements, the 14-day mandatory quarantine upon arrival remains in place and applies equally to both Thai nationals and foreign visitors.”
*List of nationalities eligible for the 30-day visa exemption plus 15 days to cover quarantine. (Source Royal Thai Embassy Abu Dhabi.
