Category: Thai Visa News

It has been reported in the Nation newspaper that changes are underway in Thai visa and work permit regulations. According to Ms. Issara Wongkusolkij, the chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, the primary change to work permit regulations is the segregation of regulations for unskilled labor and foreign investors. More support will be provided for foreign investors with additional changes to business and foreign visas. Some changes have already been implemented in the procedures for work permits. A new online option for 90 day reporting is now available. Foreign business person who are coming to Thailand for a meeting…

The Thai government has implemented new visa regulations in an attempt to increase tourism while also closing loopholes by immigration scofflaws. With the number of tourist down significantly during the political unrest, the Thai government has made it easy for nationals of the 30-day visa waiver countries to extend their stay to get an extension stamp for an additional 30 days for only 1900 baht. This move is in addition to the implementation of a three-month visa fee waiver for travelers from China and Taiwan. 30-day Extensions for Thai Visa Waivers In conjunction with the 30-day extensions for visa waivers,…

During his weekly address, General Prayuth ordered that the Immigration Police be more flexible in the application of immigration laws for visa runners. The Coup Leader was concerned that a harsh application of the law would damage English schools and the tourist industry. Currently many visa runners are teaching at English or acting as tour guides for foreign tourist where Thais are deficient in the language such as Korean, Japanese, or Russian. With the coming of the ASEAN Community in 2015 and English as the official language of ASEAN, the Thai population routinely scores one of the lowest in English…

As a continuation of the crackdown on foreign nationals who have bypassed the Thai immigration laws to residing in Thailand, the Thai Immigration Bureau has issued a warning for those who overstayed their visa. Under the proposed regulations foreign nationals who overstayed their visa will be forbidden from re-entering the Kingdom of Thailand for a specific period of time. The following is a summary of the penalties: Foreign Nationals who overstayed their visa and leave the country voluntarily will face the following ban from reentry: If the overstay was for more than 90 days, there is a 1 year ban…

Recently, there has been news of an immigration crackdown in Thailand as Thai border officials are closing off the ability for non-Thais from entry into Thailand if they have had multiple entries in the recent past. This is an attempt at stopping visa runs for foreigners who attempt to stay in Thailand without going through the traditional long term visa process. With the visa runs being closed off as an alternative for bypassing the Thai immigration system, many foreigners have been moving toward obtaining a Non-Immigrant Education (ED) visa so that they can remain in Thailand. The ED visa allows…

Reports of entry refusals in Thailand surfacing in many news outlets and online forums have steadily mounted border insecurity among tourists. Adding to their anxiety is the fact that many of those tourists who have been denied border entry were holding a valid tourist visa. As a result, the issue on having the assurance of successful entry to Thailand without the hassle of being stopped at the immigration has become a major concern. The regulation imposed following the crackdown is rather deemed as a stricter implementation of existing rules towards people who, for several times, express the intent to travel…

The world was watching when the Royal Thai Armed Forces enforced martial law in Thailand on May 22nd of this year which is necessitated by the entire situation in the country, according to the Army chief, following six months of political turmoil and mass rallies. Shortly after this declaration, many protest sites and important intersections in Bangkok were stationed by the military and a night-time curfew was then imposed in the country. This ruling consequently prompted travel advisories from different governments all across the globe and, thus, somehow stirred up tension to many. A number of countries broadcasted strong alert…

Among the tourists and foreign immigrants in Thailand, the issue on visa run crackdown is basically what has shifted great interest lately. Many people are now becoming more and more anxious due to the uncertainties it caused to the general foreign travellers, especially those who are doing frequent trips in and out of Thailand. According to an Immigration official, what emerges as a crackdown to many are regulations that have long existed and are only more strictly applied. This is to further address the growing numbers of crimes that involve foreigners as well as the number of illegitimate foreign workers…

After several days since the Bangkok Shutdown has virtually ended, the Kingdom of Thailand is expected to witness a bounce back in their tourism after a resounding drop on the number of foreign tourist arrivals during the heat of the anti-government protests. More people, especially the foreigners, consider this a very welcome news. It was a relief to many that the situation is slowly getting back to normal, at least in many parts of the country that were hammered and affected by the political rallies. Things to Consider When Traveling to Thailand With the lesser threat of violence, the country…