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Thailand is poised to overhaul its liberal visa rules as the government ramps up a crackdown on foreigners who illegally run businesses or commit transnational crimes.<\/p>\n
Possible measures include reducing the 60-day visa-free stay for tourists to 30 days and reviewing the criteria for categories, including investment, long-term stay, student and digital nomad visas, officials said. Visitors from 93 countries currently are eligible for the 60-day waiver.<\/p>\n
Read:
Thailand and China agree on visa-free travel
Working from a tropical island is the new working from home<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has ordered the setting up of a working group to review the rules, government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Anutin visited the tourist hotspot Phuket earlier this week and pledged no tolerance for foreign \u2018thugs\u2019 who encroach on public beaches to run illegal businesses and threaten locals. The recent arrest of a Chinese national with a cache of arms in Pattaya, another popular tourist destination, has heightened national security concerns.<\/p>\n
The review is a response to long-standing complaints from local businesses \u2013 especially in areas popular with foreign tourists \u2013 that their livelihoods are being threatened by visitors who misuse visas to engage in prohibited activities.<\/p>\n
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Anutin, whose conservative Bhumjaithai party leads the ruling coalition, told reporters this week that he wasn\u2019t looking to completely scrap free visas as Thailand can still generate enormous revenue from foreign tourists entering the country legally.<\/p>\n
\u201cFree visas are not about unconditional entry,\u201d Anutin said on Monday. \u201cWe need to find the best balance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anutin\u2019s comments underscore the dilemma facing Thailand as it weighs how far to restrict entry without damaging economic interests, after generating nearly $50 billion from 33 million foreign visitors last year.<\/p>\n
Proposals to reduce visa-free stay durations and impose an entry fee on all foreign holidaymakers have met resistance from the domestic tourism industry, which cautions that Thailand could lose out to Vietnam and Malaysia.<\/p>\n
Thailand has emerged as a haven for those fleeing the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Palestine conflict in recent years, but for years has had to deal with visitors engaging in prohibited business activities or using local proxies to circumvent regulations.<\/p>\n
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A recent crackdown revealed that foreigners had illegally built bars and restaurants on a Phuket beach, sparking a public outcry. Phuket police have charged 33 foreigners, including 13 Russian and 12 Chinese nationals, in more than a dozen cases for violating Thailand\u2019s foreign business law.<\/p>\n
As authorities intensify enforcement, Anutin is due to visit Koh Phangan \u2013 a resort island known for its full-moon parties \u2013 on Wednesday to oversee a clampdown on businesses run by foreigners but registered as Thai-owned enterprises.<\/p>\n
Read: Thailand lures rich foreigners with 10-year visa, tax breaks<\/p>\n
The government supports legitimate, transparent, and beneficial foreign investment but will not allow illicit capital, nominee arrangements, or economic crime networks to profit from operating in Thailand, according to Rachada.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Prime Minister has instructed security forces, administrative authorities, the commerce ministry, and related agencies to inspect all areas nationwide,\u201d Rachada said. \u201cIf any exploitation of legal loopholes that deprives Thai citizens of jobs and livelihoods is found, decisive legal action must be taken.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a9 2026 Bloomberg<\/p>\n
#Thai #anger #misbehaving #foreigners #triggers #visa #rules #review<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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