The visa reform of Prime Minister Setthi Thawisin Ignite Thailand will begin on July 15
The Minister of Internal Affairs of Thailand has signed a package of orders on visa benefits for tourists from most countries of the world. As follows from the message on the government’s website, the new rules will come into force on July 15. The main innovation is a 60–day visa-free period for passport holders of 93 countries. In fact, everyone who had at least some other benefits will receive a visa-free. The radical step was taken by Prime Minister Settha Thavisin against the background of the country lagging behind forecasts for economic growth.
From July 15, the following innovations should come into force:- Expansion of the list of visa-free countries from 57 to 93 and extension of visa-free travel for all up to 60 days. In this case, short-term trips for “business contacts” are also classified as tourism.- Expanding the list of countries eligible for a visa on arrival from 19 to 31 countries (Visa on Arrival: VOA).- The introduction of a new visa – Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) – for digital nomads and others who want to combine work and vacation in Thailand for up to 180 days. The visa is applicable to Muay Thai classes, medical procedures, and participation in cultural events.- Providing a grace year for graduates of Thai universities (on Non-Immigrant ED visas) who have received diplomas and want to find a job in the country.The visa reform of Setthi Thavisin under the slogan Ignite Thailand was approved at a cabinet meeting on June 28, and work on the first orders started on June 1. The government plans to “Light up Thailand” through tourism gradually, but starting with visa–free travel. “Thailand has not improved its visa policy and visa rules for 22 years. The global situation has changed both economically and socially during this time. In order to match the modern picture of the world, it is necessary to review the visa policy and ensure its flexibility to facilitate tourists visiting Thailand, including against the background of the development of new technologies and services in the world,” the article said following the meeting at which the decision on visa reform was made.
The visa component of the Ignite Thailand program has three goals:- Development of tourism, business and investment in Thailand;- Improving Thailand’s competitiveness by attracting foreigners with the potential for the development of the country.- Support for the overall expansion of the economy and its growth. The list of priority measures, the implementation of which was supposed to begin on June 1, opens up the unilateral granting of the right to 60-day visa-free travel to tourists from 93 countries and territories, that is, almost the whole world, if we start not from the number of territorial entities on the planet, but from the population. The Government does not provide a complete list, but simply indicates the categories of countries according to the current classification of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand:- Old countries and territories with the right to 30 days of visa-free travel (57 countries);- New countries and territories (36 countries), including:Countries with only VOA visas on arrival (13 countries); Countries with bilateral visa-free travel (6 countries); Countries that have never had a visa-free or VOA (17 countries). Thus, after the adoption of the new rules, all tourists who previously had any visa-free or VOA will receive 60 days. Additionally, the list will include Albania, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Jordan, Kosovo, Morocco, Panama, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, Tonga, Uruguay. In this case, it is noteworthy that the reform does not imply visa-free travel for a number of post-Soviet countries, such as Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan. However, the final documents may contain a different list, and they have yet to be developed.
DTV visa for digital Nomads Setthi Thavisin’s reform not only simplifies the visa-free scheme to “60 days or nothing”, but also involves the creation of a real visa for digital nomads. This is exactly what the new Destination Thailand Visa (DTV), approved at a cabinet meeting on May 28, should become. Another view of DTV is as a “probe” before applying for a long–term visa. The Cabinet minutes explicitly state that the DTV visa is aimed at “remote workers or digital nomads who are interested in staying and tourism in Thailand at the same time as working for employers and fulfilling orders for customers abroad.”They also plan to issue a DTV visa to participate in “cultural activities” (ranging from Thai boxing to vernissages) and receive medical services that require more time than is given on a visa-free or tourist visa. “This is a group of foreign citizens who have potential and whose stay will be useful for the development of the country,” the Cabinet concluded. The visa is planned to be five-year, but with a permitted stay of 180 days + 180 days.The visa fee is set at 10 thousand. baht for the first 180 days when issuing a visa and 10 thousand. baht for an extension for another 180 days. To stay in Thailand after the expiration of the second term, a foreigner needs to change the type of visa, which can be done without leaving the country. A DTV visa recipient can issue residence permits for a legal spouse and children under 20 years of age. Financial guarantees in the amount of 500 thousand rubles are required from the applicant. baht for the duration of your stay in Thailand. Thus, with a DTV visa, a freelancer or a pensioner will be able to spend 1 year in the Kingdom for only 20 thousand. baht without a visa and gray visa schemes, and then decide whether he wants to apply for a long-term visa (whether it is a pension, work, Thailand Elite, LTR). The DTV visa project is also a priority, that is, the date of its implementation is June 1, although the Cabinet did not specify what exactly should be done in June.Long–term visas The Setthi Thavisin plan provides for another long-sought step – simplification of the system of long-term visas, which in Thailand are called “non-resident” and “non-immigration”, that is, giving the right to long-term stay, but not a residence permit. At the moment, as stated in the protocols of the Cabinet of Ministers, there are as many as 17 types of such visas. As part of the reform, the number should be reduced to seven. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs proposes the following grouping according to the purposes of stay in the country:(1) – Business – Non-Immigrant B (Business);(2) – Education – Non-Immigrant ED (Education);(3) – State Visits – Non-Immigrant F (Official);(4) – Media Work – Non-Immigrant M (Mass Media);(5) – Other purposes, including accompanying a family member with B, ED, F, M visas – Non-Immigrant O (Others);(6) – Employment – Non-Immigrant LA (Labor);(7) – Accompanying a family member with a LA – Non-Immigrant O (LA) visa. At the same time, the Non-Immigrant O-X and Non-Immigrant O-A pension visas are mentioned in the same document, both are “non-immigration”, although with differences in status. For an O-X (ten-year) visa, it is proposed to expand the list of countries whose citizens are eligible to receive it. For the O-A visa (annual), it is proposed to reduce the requirements for medical insurance to 400 thousand. baht for inpatient treatment and 40 thousand for outpatient treatment. The Cabinet of Ministers explains that we are talking about a return to pre-pandemic standards. Another important change in the structure of long-term visas concerns Non-Immigrant ED holders, but obtained not at fictitious language courses, but for real studies at Thai universities. The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a preferential visa year for graduates of Thai universities after graduation, so that young foreign specialists can find work in Thailand and stay in the country.The measure concerning graduates is also a priority, so work on its implementation should begin in June (June 1-3 were days off). The remaining measures are medium-term, the time interval for implementation is indicated as September-December 2024. At the same time, the Cabinet of Ministers approved one measure for the long term, that is, for January-June 2025. It concerns the creation of an electronic authorization system for travelers (ETA) arriving in the country under special conditions, in particular, for holders of border passes and service passports. However, the text explicitly stated that the government expects concrete results from the application of “new visas” already in this low season, “which is the tourist season for residents of the Middle East.”
