Are Taiwanese tourists exempt from visa fees? Tourism Authority of Thailand: No information received

▲ Foreign media reports indicate that Thailand will offer visa fee exemptions for Taiwanese travelers. (Photo / Provided by the Tourism Authority of Thailand)

Reported by Chen Tzu-yin / Taipei

Earlier, foreign media reported that the Thai government would waive visa fees for Taiwanese and mainland Chinese travelers for three months.It is understood that Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, Secretary-General of Thailand’s National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDB), stated at a press conference on the 16th that Army Commander-in-Chief Prayuth Chan-Ocha had agreed to the visa fee exemption proposal during a meeting with business executives yesterday. For this reason,Tourism Authority of Thailand Taipei Office: “We have not received any official document notifications.”

To verify the news regarding the visa fee exemption, reporters called the Tourism Authority of Thailand Taipei Office and the Thai Trade and Economic Office. Officials from both offices stated they had not received any official information from Thailand; an official from the TAT Taipei Office said: “We are hearing about it the same way you are, through the reports, because we haven’t received any official directives, so we are not in a position to make any statements.”In fact,Ms. Srisuda Wanapinyosak, Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s East Asia Region, mentioned during her visit to Taiwan in March that “the Thai government is actively considering implementing visa-free entry.”This has also made the next steps in Thai policy particularly noteworthy for Taiwanese travelers.

※The cost for Taiwanese travelers applying for a single-entry tourist visa to Thailand is NT$1,200, while the visa on arrival in Thailand is 1,000 Thai baht.