Volume 13, Issue 21
16 - 31 July 2014
What’s Inside:
30 BAHT
Visa crackdown ongoing
The Immigration Bureau is acting to end the phenomenon of “digital nomads” or foreigners attempting to live in Thailand on back-to-back border runs. The campaign centers on the nationals of 56 countries who are allowed to enter Thailand, usually by air, to obtain a 30-day visa-free stamp. They include North America, most European countries including UK, Australia, Russia, and the Philippines. Their citizens are no longer allowed to make a border run to obtain a new exemption, although they can extend their stay once by seven days at a Thai Immigration office. After that they must leave the country or go into overstay costing 500 baht a day. An Immigration spokesman told Pattaya Today, “The concern is that the discretion to allow visa-free travel has been abused by some aliens who are not in fact tourists but illegal workers or wanted criminals hoping to avoid registration by applying for a proper visa. Thus, in future, the visa-free travel is restricted to not more than 37 days (30 days on arrival and a once-only extension of a week). Foreigners wishing to stay in Thailand for longer need to obtain an appropriate prior visa from a Thai embassy or consulate before beginning their journey.” Although the ban currently applies only to land border runs, a similar halt on air travel is to be introduced on August 13. “From then, Immigration officers at airports will be on the lookout for travelers who appear to be living in Thailand on back-toback 30 days visa exemptions”, he added. Continued on page 4
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