Thailand: 6 month multiple entry tourist visas!

On August 4, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha signed a decree introducing multiple-entry tourist visas , which allow unhindered entry and exit from the country for 6 months. The cost of such a visa will be 5,000 Thai baht ($142). At the moment, a single entry into the kingdom costs 1,000 baht.

The ministry has not yet announced how long a foreigner will be able to stay in Thailand on each visit with a six-month multiple-entry visa. The decision on multiple-entry visas will come into force 60 days after the official publication of the relevant document in the next issue of the Royal Gazette (Thai government newspaper).

In the first seven months of 2015, Thailand saw 30.7% more foreign tourists arrive than in the same period in 2014 (the number of arrivals to the country rose to 17.5 million). Local authorities expect that 29 million tourists will visit the country in 2015 (in 2014, there were 24.8 million tourists).

The visa issue for property owners remains unresolved: property ownership is not a basis for obtaining a non-immigrant visa. A long-term visa for property owners is currently in the legislative approval stage, this issue is already under the control of the country's Prime Minister and there is every reason for its positive decision.