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In
an attempt to gain greater knowledge of who is visiting Thailand and curb the amount of people working or living in
the country without the correct visa or necessary permits, the Thai government has
decided to enforce stricter new immigration policies beginning 1 October 2006.
Currently
it is possible for nationals from 42 countries to enter Thailand without a
visa for a 15 or 30 day period. These 'Permission to Enter (Visa
Exemption)' stamps or
'Visa on Arrival', as they are also often known, are free of charge and
can very simply be renewed by doing what is known as a visa run, or a
border hop. This entails simply leaving the country, in some cases for
as little as a few minutes, and then returning to get a new stamp.
The
changes that will come into effect 1 October 2006, will allow nationals from 39 countries to remain in Thailand for no more than 90 days in a six month
period. This means that someone who enters Thailand without a tourist
visa provided by a consulate or embassy outside of Thailand, will be
able to travel to Thailand as frequently as needed, as long as the
amount of time spent in the country does not exceed 90 days from the
date of the first arrival stamp. The arrival stamps remain, as now, at 15 or 30
days depending on nationality. Therefore, if a
traveller were to try to spend more than 90 days in Thailand within a
six month period, with for
example, 3 back to back 30 days visa exemption stamps, then it is believed
they would be refused entry and would have to remain outside the country
for 90 days before being permitted to re-enter.
The
changes have caused much confusion, and concern among frequent
travellers to Thailand and those that are currently using the loophole
to stay in Thailand indefinitely.
At
press time, there had been no official statement as to how these
revisions would be enforced, whether they are retroactive (although it is
believed not), and how the Thai government will enlist
the help of airlines bringing travellers to Thailand who have already
spent more than 90 days in the country within the allotted time.
See
other recent news regarding:
Thailand,
Visa,
Suvarnabhumi
Airport - Bangkok, Novotel
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