Thailand to waive visa fees for Taiwanese visitors tomorrow

泰國明將免除台灣遊客簽證費

Thailand set to waive visa fees for Taiwanese travelers for two months, starting Nov. 15


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- Taiwanese visitors and travelers from 20 other countries will not have to pay for visas on arrival in Thailand starting tomorrow ( Nov. 15), and lasting until January of next year, announced the Thai government yesterday.

Starting tomorrow, Taiwanese travelers to Thailand will not longer need to pay the 2,000 Thai baht (NT$1,879) fee to apply for a visa-on-arrival, which enables them to stay in the country for 15 days. The measure was originally slated for Dec. 1, but was announced ahead of schedule yesterday (Nov. 13) and will remain in effect until Jan. 13, 2019.

In order to boost sagging tourism numbers, Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister, Somkid Jatusripita, instructed the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to coordinate with the immigration office in providing an exemption from visa fees for 21 nations during the last two months of this year, reported the Bangkok Post. The latest measure is expected to boost arrival numbers by 30 percent.


The visa-on-arrival gate at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport. (CNA image)

The main focus of the measure was believed to be Chinese tourists, who form the largest group of foreign visitors in the Southeast Asian country but began to stay away after a fatal shipping accident and a violent clash with an immigration official at an airport earlier this year.

In September, 648,000 Chinese tourists visited Thailand, a drop of almost 15 percent from the same month last year and almost 12 percent from August, according to the Bangkok Post.

In Taipei, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) welcomed the Thai Cabinet’s decision, adding that about 600,000 Taiwanese visited Thailand each year. In the other direction, 290,000 Thais traveled to Taiwan last year, an increase of 49.53 percent from the previous year following MOFA’s move to allow them visa-free entry.

However, based on past experience, visas on arrival may require standing in line for up to four hours. Therefore, visitors are advised to apply for visas in advance of visiting Thailand, so as to avoid wasting time at Thai airports.