If you are also planning to visit the beautiful valleys of Bangkok, Phuket or Pattaya in the coming days, then this news is very important for you. The Government of Thailand has made a huge and sudden change in its immigration and tourism policies. The government has completely abolished the facility of 60 days free visa-free entry given to 93 countries of the world including India. This new decision is going to have a direct and big impact on millions of Indian tourists visiting Thailand. Now under the new rules, the time limit for staying in Thailand without a visa has been reduced to half. What is the new rule of Thailand government? In July 2024, the Government of Thailand had played a big bet to give impetus to its tourism industry which was lagging after the Covid-19 pandemic and to strengthen the economy. Then the staging limit for tourists from 93 countries including India, America, Britain and many European countries was increased from 30 days to 60 days. But now the Cabinet of Thailand has reversed this concessional decision: Now tourists from these 93 countries will once again get only 30 days visa-free stay on arrival in Thailand. For citizens of some specific countries, this limit has been further reduced to just 15 days. This new rule will come into full effect as soon as it is published in the official ‘Royal Gazette’ of Thailand. Thailand’s Tourism Minister Surasak Phancharoenvorakul confirmed the change, explaining:
"Now most foreign citizens will get entry only for 30 days. However, in special circumstances, it can be renewed (extended) once by going to the immigration office, but now this process will not be automatic. The officials will extend the stay only after being satisfied with the reason for your stay and the documents."
The real reason for changing the rules: Security and increasing international crime. The government had to take this tough and big step after a confidential report by Thailand’s Foreign Ministry and security agencies. According to officials, the most common misuse of the 60-day exemption period was by criminals: Activity of crime networks: Taking advantage of the long-term facility to stay without strict checks and visas, many ‘transnational crime networks’ (international criminal gangs) had become active on Thai soil. Illegal Businesses and Arrests: Thai police in recent months have arrested a number of foreign nationals who came as ‘tourists’ but were engaged in illegal businesses such as drug smuggling, human trafficking and illegally running hotels, restaurants or schools without proper licenses. Misuse of tourist radar: Security agencies believe that the vicious criminals were hiding there for 60 days under the guise of ‘tourists’ to avoid the eyes of the police. For this reason, a decision was taken to tighten immigration screening again. How will Indian tourists and travel plans be affected? Thailand has always been the most favorite and budget-friendly international destination for Indians. This shock of the government will have a direct impact on those travelers who were planning long trips: Visa now mandatory for long trips: Indian tourists who are going to Thailand for a grand destination wedding, long summer vacation or any big business conference and who plan to stay for more than 30 days, will now have to apply for e-Visa before leaving India. Trouble with change in flights and hotel booking: Passengers who had already booked return flights after planning a tour for more than 30 days, will now have to change the dates of their tickets by paying a heavy penalty. New trick of travel agencies: To deal with this rule, travel operators have now started making ‘cross-border’ packages. Under this, tourists will be sent on short trips to Vietnam, Malaysia or Singapore along with Thailand. By doing this, when tourists re-enter the border of Thailand, their 30-day free-visa timer will be reset (started) again.
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