Securing travel visas upon entry in Thailand
BY ANDREW J. WOOD, ETN THAILAND
The visa on arrival – visa exemption rule – allows passport holders of 19 countries to enter Thailand under this rule provided that they meet these requirements:
– The visit is strictly for tourism purposes.
– They must have a confirmed return ticket to show that they are flying out of Thailand within 30 or 15 days of entry, as appropriate. Open tickets do not qualify.
– Traveling overland out of Thailand by train, bus, etc. to Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia (including en route to Singapore), Myanmar, etc. is not accepted as proof of exiting Thailand.
– You may be asked to show your flight ticket on entering Thailand. If you do not possess a flight ticket to show you will be exiting Thailand within 30 or 15 days of entry you will be most likely be refused entry.
– It will also be necessary to prove that you have funds of at least 20,000 THB [US$678] per person during your stay in Thailand. A fee of 1,900 THB [US$64] (up 47% from 1,000 THB) is payable upon entry and is subject to change without notice.
However, persons who are not eligible to enter Thailand under the visa on arrival and visa exemption rule are advised to obtain visas with the Royal Thai Embassy prior to their visit.
19 Countries eligible to enter Thailand under the visa on arrival rule: Bhutan,China ,Cyprus ,Czech Republic ,Estonia ,Hungary ,India ,Kazakhstan ,Latvia ,Liechtenstein ,Lithuania ,Maldives ,Mauritius, Poland ,Saudi Arabia,Slovakia,Slovenia , Taiwan,Ukraine -March 18,2013
