No Fee for Thai Tourist Visa

[1PR4BKK]

I went to the Thai Consulate today in NYC to drop off my application and passport for a tourist visa. I thought I was going to have to pay but was told there was no charge. Is something strange going on in Thailand that I need to be aware of? Almost nothing is free when it comes to Thailand.

I was told that the Thai government was waiving the fee for TOURIST visa through March 2010. I have not been online lately so this is probably old news to you guys but I had to say something about this pleasant surprise for me and a few of my friends that are submitting their visa applications soon.

[cdnmatt]

Thailand is trying to attract tourists, because the global recession hit the industry hard. At the same time, they're doing a heavy crack down on back-to-back tourist visas. Go figure.

I thought it was quite obvious - the people doing back-to-back visa exemptions (not tourist visas) are not the sort of visitors they are trying to attract.

[blazer]

I went to the Thai Consulate today in NYC to drop off my application and passport for a tourist visa. I thought I was going to have to pay but was told there was no charge. Is something strange going on in Thailand that I need to be aware of? Almost nothing is free when it comes to Thailand.

I was told that the Thai government was waiving the fee for TOURIST visa through March 2010. I have not been online lately so this is probably old news to you guys but I had to say something about this pleasant surprise for me and a few of my friends that are submitting their visa applications soon.


Well that is good to know. Am planning a 2 month visit this time rather than the usual less than 30 days for this coming January - March. I am assuming that this is the 60 day visa, which would be great, saves bucks and don't have to stand in line for an extension.

I always just get a 30 day visa on arrival and don't recall ever having paid for one. Maybe it was part of the ticket price.

thats a visa exemption. they arent available to people of all nationalities. people who aren't eligible for a visa exemption can get a visa-on-arrival, you used to see big groups of them filling in forms back at Don Meuang, haven't noticed them at Suwarnabum