Thais down the visa-free list

Citizens of Finland, Denmark and the United States have the greatest freedom to travel without visas, according to a study by the Swiss firm Henley & Partners AG.

Thais rank way down the list of citizens able to visit countries without visas. Finns, Danes and Americans can go to 130 countries without a visa - Thais can go to just 29.

Singaporeans can go to 122 different countries without visas, and Malaysians can visit 120.

Even Saudi Arabians can go to two more countries than Thai citizens. Below Thais on the list are Iranians, Iraqis, Chinese and, at the bottom, Afghanis, who can go to just 12 countries without a visa.

Here is the list of main countries and the number of countries which citizens can visit without obtaining visas, compiled by the Swiss firm on its website.

Finland (130)
Denmark (130)
United States (130)
Ireland (129)
Sweden (129)
Germany (129)
United Kingdom (128)
Italy (128)
France (128)
Japan (128)
Spain (127)
Norway (127)
Switzerland (127)
Belgium (127)
Netherlands (126)
Luxembourg (125)
Austria (125)
Canada (125)
New Zealand (125)
Portugal (123)
Singapore (122)
Malaysia (120)
Iceland (120)
Greece (120)
Australia (120)
Liechtenstein (116)
South Korea (115)
Hong Kong (110)
Chile (109)
Israel (104)
Hungary (101)
Argentina (101)
Brazil (99)
Mexico (98)
Croatia (84)
Romania (73)
South Africa (65)
St. Kitts & Nevis (62)
Dominica (52)
Turkey (52)
Taiwan (42)
United Arab Emirates (35)
Russian Federation (35)
Serbia and Montenegro (32)
Saudi Arabia (31)
Thailand (29)
India (25)
Bosnia and Herzegowina (25)
Egypt (24)
Jordan (21)
China (18)
North Korea 18)
Pakistan (17)
Iraq (15)
Iran (14)
Afghanistan (12)

Source: http://www.henleyglobal.com/visa_restrictions.htm

Has anyone got a list of 29 coutries that allow Thais to enter without a visa ?

Thais rank way down the list of citizens able to visit countries without visas. Finns, Danes and Americans can go to 130 countries without a visa - Thais can go to just 29.

Thais used to be able to go to many Western countries without having a visa in advance. But a problem developed with many of them overstaying and not returning home. I remember reading in the newspapers that a full 40% of Thais who visited New Zealand failed to leave the country when they were supposed to. This led to restrictions on Thai citizens. Thailand retaliated by shortening the 90 day visa-free visit that most Western citizens could get in Thailand earlier, to 30 days.

From what the foreign ministry writes there are not 29 countries that welcome Thais without visas. There are only

Brazil
Republic of Korea
Chile
Peru
Laos
Vietnam
Hong Kong SAR
Macau SAR

They have a list of 29 countries but that is for Thais who have diplomatic and "special" passports, not ordinary Thais. http://www.mfa.go.th/web/12.php

Silom - that short list can't be right. As a member of ASEAN, thais should be able to travel to any ASEAN country without a visa. I see Laos and Vietnam are listed, but many of us know for a fact that they are free to enter Malaysia and Singapore without a visa. Cambodia too - if I recall correctly.

Silom - that short list can't be right. As a member of ASEAN, thais should be able to travel to any ASEAN country without a visa. I see Laos and Vietnam are listed, but many of us know for a fact that they are free to enter Malaysia and Singapore without a visa. Cambodia too - if I recall correctly.

Yes, its seems the list from the Thai ministry isn't complete. I checked Singapore on the web. Thailand is not on the list of countries that need visa in advance. :scratch:

[Davey612]

This was way back in 2002:

"Date: Sat, 05 Oct 2002 16:02:44 +0700
"From: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

"Most countries of the world require visas for the entry of Thai citizens with the following exceptions:

"For a stay of not exceeding 90 days--South Korea, Brazil and Peru;
"For a stay of not exceeding 60 days--Indonesia;
"For a stay of not exceeding 30 days--Malaysia, Hong Kong, Vietnam and South Africa;
"For a stay of not exceeding 21 days--Philippines; and
"For a stay of not exceeding 14 days--Singapore, Brunei.

"As you can see, visa free status for Thai citizens is not allowed by all ASEAN nations, only the original five plus Vietnam.

"Regards,
"Dr. Manaspas Xuto"


And then Yesiam/the Twins wrote this addition:

Visa on arrival in nepal.

Thais have only themselves to blame for this situation. Around 10 years (possibly more) ago the New Zealand and Thai governments entered into a reciprocal visa-free travel agreement. Kiwis could get a 90-days tourist on arrival at Bangkok Airport, Thais could get a 90-days tourist visa on arrival in New Zealand. No visa was required to commence travel

After half-a-dozen years of a booming brothel trade in New Zealand (and prostitution is legal there) staffed largely by Thais, the Kiwis said "enough; sex work is not tourism" and revoked the agreement. The lesson has not been lost on other countries

Has anyone taken a Thai friend to Cambodia? I'm doing so later this year and am sure I did some research on the internet and found that Thais don't need a visa, or can get one on arrival like most farang. Does anyone have any actual experience - we are flying to Siem Reap, by the way, then leaving overland.

I think the Thai Foreign Ministry hasn't done enough to arrange a reciprocal visa-free travel agreement with other countries, especially with all South and Central American countries. Surely, Thai people do not wish to go to live in these countries illegally. People from South and Central America would't want to come and live in Thailand illegally either.

I have just found out that you can also check which countries Thais can go without a visa or obtain on-arrival visa at Delta Airlines website (http://www.delta.com/planning_reservations/plan_flight/international_travel_information/visa_passport_information/index.jsp) but I don't know how up-to-date their info is. For instance, the website says Thais need a visa to visit Russia although it is no longer required now ( but Thai-Russian visa agreement is quite new ).

Additional Visa on Arrival :-
BAHRAIN
NEPAL
MONGOLIA - Visa can be obtained on arrival, provided arriving from a
country without Mongolian diplomatic representation.
FIJI
MADAGASCAR
MALDIVES
SRI LANKA
SEYCHELLES
UGANDA
ZAMBIA
... and probably more...I haven't looked at every country...
[/u]

Has anyone taken a Thai friend to Cambodia? I'm doing so later this year and am sure I did some research on the internet and found that Thais don't need a visa, or can get one on arrival like most farang. Does anyone have any actual experience - we are flying to Siem Reap, by the way, then leaving overland.

I took my Thai boyfriend to Cambodia last year. We were told in advance that he did not need a Visa but luckily I took Passport sized photos of him as when we arrived at Siem Reap we were told he DID need a Visa. He got his, like me, on arrival which cost 25$ no other problems.

I believe there is a Mongolian embassy in Bangkok, so visa on arrival there would not work (according to what's written above).

True, you must have photo to obtain a visa on arrival in Cambodia. But in my experience, my friend and I didn't have photo and there was no problem. The guy who organised the queue came round and asked everyone if they had photo. We said no, he then told us to pay $5 extra per person and he would then take us to the front of the queue and do the visa for us. I think he and his workmates pocketed the $5. Not recommended though, unless you really forget to bring your photo.