Change in visa rules for British passport holders

[Jellybean]

The following email from the UK Government regarding a change in visa rules for British passport holders entering Thailand was received today, May 30th, 2024, which I thought would be of interest to our British members.

Visa May 2024.jpg

I have copied the relevant extract from the amended section below:

Visa requirements

From 1 June 2024, British passport holders arriving by air or land can enter Thailand without a visa (visa exemption) for the purpose of tourism and short-term business engagements for a period not exceeding 60 days.

If you intend to stay longer (for work, study or other reasons) you need a visa before you travel.

For more information on visas or entry requirements, contact the Royal Thai Embassy or local Immigration Office

The full section can be viewed by clicking on the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-ad...y-requirements

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[poshglasgow]

Good news indeed!

[jvt22222]

Can a UK passport holder who has entered under this new rule leave the country and re-enter and start a new 60 days??

[Jellybean]

Good news indeed!

I am sorry to say, poshglasgow, that the good news was short lived. I received another email from the UK Government Travel Advice Section today (June 4th, 2024) with a further update on Thai Visa requirements. When I clicked on the link, I was surprised and disappointed to see that the Thai visa exemption period has returned to 30 days.

Visa June 2024.jpg

I have again copied the relevant extract from the amended section below:

Visa requirements

British passport holders arriving by air or land can enter Thailand without a visa (visa exemption) for the purpose of tourism for a period not exceeding 30 days.

If you intend to stay longer (for work, study or other reasons) you need a visa before you travel.

For more information on visas or entry requirements, contact the Royal Thai Embassy or local Immigration Office.

The full section can be viewed by clicking on the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-ad...y-requirements

[Marc K]

It's a pity that MFA and the IO's can't get their act together. The latest I heard (Pattaya Mail) is that the 60-day visa exempt and DVR will go into effect in "late june or early july". Well I'm planning to enter Thailand in very early July, so I am keeping my fingers crossed. It makes planning this trip a bit difficult! I almost wish they had not dangled that carrot under our noses.

[christianpfc]

This and several other changes affect (in a positive sense) dozens of countries. However, stickman reports that at begin of June still only 30 days are gives as visa exempt.

[Chuai-Duai]

I arrived from UK yesterday (6June). 30 days as normal.

[Jellybean]

The British Foreign Office wasn’t the only one to jump the gun and announce a change in visa rules for entering Thailand without a visa (visa exemption) from the present 30 days to 60 days. The following is an extract from an article in the Pattaya Mail, dated June 4, 2024, in which they apologise for their earlier premature announcement of a change in the visa-exempt rules. I’m sure many of us would welcome a change in the rules and hope it happens sometime soon once the Thai authorities get all their ducks in a row.

The latest 60 days visa-exempt tourist stays are delayed

By Barry Kenyon
June 4, 2024

Like most media, Pattaya Mail jumped the gun by stating that the 30 days on arrival by air, land and sea was doubled to 60 days at the beginning of the month. We apologize for our carelessness. The statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has to be confirmed by various bureaucracies prior to implementation.

The Ministry’s September 1 start date for the new DTV (Destination Thailand Visa) and the reduction in medical insurance required by O/A retiree visas and extensions of stay is also unconfirmed. Both subjects could be delayed further if linked to a “reconstruction” of retiree visas as suggested in the original press handout.

Source: Pattaya Mail

And, of course, it wasn’t just British passports holders who would have benefited from a change in the rules. According to an earlier article in the Pattaya Mail, dated May 29, 2024, nationals from 93 countries, including European Union citizens, USA citizens and Australian citizens would also have benefited from the change.

Thailand’s new visa rules from June 1 break fresh ground

By Barry Kenyon
May 29, 2024

Nationals from 93 countries – including Brits, EU citizens, Americans, Australians – will now receive a no-charge, 60 days visa-exempt stamp on entering as opposed to the current 30 days. Government spokesman Chai Wacharonke did not go into detail, but they presumably can then re-enter Thailand by air, land (border runs) or sea to receive a further two months visa-free. The new rules will also apply to Indians and Chinese as well as dozens of other countries including Morocco and Albania.

For the full article see: Pattaya Mail

[christianpfc]

The change to 60 days visa free would suit me very well. Let's hope there are just hiccups in the implementation. The news was all over several newspapers, and it sounded like everything approved from the relevant authorities. If they don't make the changes as announced, that would be a major PR-disaster for Thailand as a holiday destination.

[poshglasgow]

I am sorry to say, poshglasgow, that the good news was short lived. I received another email from the UK Government Travel Advice Section today (June 4th, 2024) with a further update on Thai Visa requirements. When I clicked on the link, I was surprised and disappointed to see that the Thai visa exemption period has returned to 30 days.

Visa June 2024.jpg

I have again copied the relevant extract from the amended section below:



The full section can be viewed by clicking on the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-ad...y-requirements

Ah, too good to be true. And yet, am I right in thinking that Russians have leve to enter for 60 days? Chinese too?