It’s less than a month since the latest immigration-related changes were introduced. But Thai spokespeople are having some trouble swallowing the detail and repercussions. Sisdivachr Chweewarattanaporn, president of Thai Travel Agents, told the Bangkok Post, “The 60-days visa-free scheme for foreign tourists will allow more foreigners to work illegally in Thailand. Typically, those visiting Thailand for tourism tend to stay less than a month.”
The 60-days visa-exemption, which can be extended for 30 days more at local immigration, applies to 93 countries and covers the vast majority of tourists actually arriving at airports and border posts. Surawat Akaraworamat, vice-president of the Tourism Council of Thailand, said Thailand was now more vulnerable to illegal and nominee companies because of lax law enforcement, price-fixing and corruption. He quoted (just one example) of many Russians fleeing to Thailand specifically to work illegally here.
The new, five-year and multi-entry Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) also has its difficulties as some diplomatic posts seem unaware. Applicants must apply from their home-country embassy (or via the e-visa portal but not from within Thailand) but embassies have yet to catch up. The Thai embassy in London (one of many) appears to be silent on the DTV and still claims that Brits only get 30 days visa-free. The Thai embassy in Norway simply reprints the Thai foreign affairs ministry’s handout which leaves many questions unanswered. Very few, if any, embassies go further than that.
The DTV works best when receiving applications from digital nomads and remote workers whose income is based on overseas contracts without Thai customers. According to unverified reports on social media, several hundred have already been granted through the e-portal. On the other hand, there is great hesitation in granting the DTV to the alternative “soft power” applicants claiming to enrol for sports courses or having a hospital appointment. What kind of unambiguous detail do they need to provide? Nobody seems to know. The main disincentive, in any case, may be the 500,000 baht (around US$14,000) bond required in a Thai or foreign bank account.
The new rules are the biggest shakeup in Thai entry regulations for 20 years and, arguably, since the immigration act of 1979. The policy at the moment is in exploratory mode as several government departments endeavor to ascertain how the reforms are affecting the treasury purse, the knock-on consequences for other visas and overall national security. But the Bangkok authorities are famous for rethinks and backtracking as revealed in the government’s u-turns on cannabis policy. It will be most surprising if the visa-free extensions and the DTV emerge unchanged after the current review period.
