The Thai government has decided to extend the visa-free regime for Russian citizens from 30 to 90 days. This was announced by the Prime Minister of Thailand Settha Thaweesin, transmits Bangkok Biz News portal.
The temporary measure to attract tourists will be in effect from November 1, 2023 to April 30, 2024. The Prime Minister noted that this friendly gesture helps strengthen relations between Russia and Thailand.
In early October, Thai PBS, citing data from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand reportedthat from January to September, Thailand was visited by over 20 million foreign tourists, including almost 1 million Russian citizens. In addition to Russia, the top five countries whose citizens most often come to Thailand include Malaysia (3.2 million tourists), China (2.5 million tourists), South Korea (almost 1.2 million) and India (1.1 million) .
At the end of August Thavisin reportedthat the country’s Cabinet of Ministers is discussing the possibility of increasing the period of visa-free stay for tourists, including from Russia, from 30 to 90 days. At the same time, he rejected a request from businesses to completely cancel visas for tourists from China, India and Russia, citing that such a move could create negative security implications.
Thai citizens can enter Russia with a tourist visa, which is issued for up to six months based on a hotel reservation. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin ordered this signed in February 2023. In total, the list includes 19 countries, including India, Iran, China, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, etc.
