[International] Thailand's New Visa Policy Effective September 15: Taiwan's Tourist Visa Exemption Halved to 30 Days
RtiTalk 小編12d ago
Considering national security, social order, and economic development balance, Thailand has approved significant adjustments to its visa exemption policy, canceling the previous 60-day visa exemption for travelers from 93 countries and regions. For Taiwan and 60 other countries, the tourist visa exemption limit has been reduced from 60 days to 30 days. The new policy will take effect on the 15th.
According to the special issue of the 143rd volume, 207th edition of the "Royal Gazette" published on August 31st, the Thai cabinet has confirmed the revision of visa exemption and visa-on-arrival policies. The biggest change is the cancellation of the previous 60-day visa exemption policy for travelers from 93 countries and regions, known as the P.60 policy.
Starting from September 15th, Thailand will no longer implement a uniform 60-day visa exemption policy for all previously covered 93 countries and regions.
Instead, new visa exemption categories will be established based on countries and regions. After the revision, 60 countries and regions will be eligible for a 30-day visa exemption; 2 countries and regions will have a 15-day exemption; and the number of countries and regions eligible for visa-on-arrival will be reduced from 31 to 3.
According to the new regulations in the "Royal Gazette," Taiwan is among the 60 countries eligible for a 30-day tourist visa exemption, along with countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.
Furthermore, travelers entering Thailand before the new regulations take effect will retain their granted period of stay upon entry. In other words, the Thai government has confirmed during the approval of the reform that travelers entering under the 60-day visa exemption policy before September 15th will not have their granted stay automatically shortened to 30 days.
Government departments stated that the policy's main considerations are "maintaining national security and border management," "responding to the current situation," and "comprehensively balancing national interests." This means balancing national security, economic development, and tourism promotion. They believe that a 30-day stay is sufficient for general tourism, business negotiations, or attending seminars, preserving the incentive for international travelers while reducing security risks.
Officials pointed out that the phrase "responding to the current situation" is aimed at addressing issues in tourism. In recent years, there have been frequent reports of disturbances, misconduct, or violations of local laws by foreign tourists in popular destinations like Phuket and Koh Samui. To balance tourism quality with local social order, the authorities have decided to shorten the visa exemption period and reiterate the "visa revocation and mandatory deportation mechanism for misbehaving travelers."(Editor: Liu Xiang-hua)
Source Link: https://www.rti.org.tw/news?uid=3&pid=229528
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