Thai Cabinet waives, cuts visa fees to stimulate domestic tourism

BANGKOK, November 23 (TNA) - The Thai Cabinet has approved a visa fee exemption and reduced the visa-upon-arrival fee at immigration checkpoints for three months, from December 1, 2016 to February 28, 2017, aimed to stimulate domestic tourism. Assistant Government Spokesman Colonel Athisit Chainuwat announced the measures at Bangkok's Government House on November 22 after the Cabinet's weekly meeting. The assistant spokesman told a press conference that the 1,000-baht visa fee imposed on foreign tourists at Thai embassies will be waived during the three-month period, while the visa stamp fee imposed on each foreign tourist at Thai immigration checkpoints will also be cut from 2,000 baht to 1,000 baht for a one-time entry into the Thai Kingdom of each foreign national from 19 countries. Besides, the Thai Cabinet gave the green light to extend a long-stay visa for foreign tourists, aged above 50 years, from one year to 10 years. The assistant spokesman explained, however, that under the new regulation, the long-stay visa will be first valid for five years, but it can be then extended for another five years. According to the assistant spokesman, the eligible foreign tourists, whose long-stay visa fee cost 10,000 baht each, are required to each have a monthly salary of at least 100,000 baht or to have a bank deposit of at least three million baht to be maintained for at least one year after being approved the visa. The assistant spokesman noted that the eligible tourists must also each have a health insurance coverage of at least 1,000 US dollars for out-patient treatment and at least 10,000 US dollars for in-patient treatment per policy per year and they must report to immigration police every 90 days. The targeted groups of foreign tourists include senior citizens from the United States, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, France, Australia, Norway, China, Sweden, the Netherlands, India, Italy, Canada and Taiwan. (TNA)