BANGKOK, Thailand – Thailand’s new six-month, multiple-entry tourist visas will become available November 13, but will limit stays to 60 days at a time.
The Foreign Ministry told all embassies, consulate-generals, and honorary consuls worldwide to begin preparing for the visas, regulations for which were approved by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha in August and published in the Royal Gazette in September.
The ministry publicly released details of the new visas on its Facebook page today (September 22) the Bangkok Post reported.
Unlike current tourist visas, which offer from one to three entries, the six-month multiple-entry visa will allow unlimited border crossings during the validity period. However, to prevent foreigners from basically living in Thailand on tourist visas, each entry will be limited to 60 days.
The new multiple-entry visa will cost B5,000 (US$139), versus B1,000 (US$28) for a single-entry, 60-day visa, which can be extended in-country for up to 30 days for an additional fee.
Amid the immigration crackdown that followed August’s Erawan shrine bombing, immigration agents on the Cambodian border and in Kanchanaburi have reportedly stopped even those travelers with valid tourist visas from immediately leaving the country and re-entering to activate additional entries.
The same border crossings had already stopped issuing additional 15- and 30-day visa-waiver stamps to “border runners” not holding tourist visas.
