Thailand extends visa-free stay for Russians

The Thai government has decided to increase the visa exemption period for Russian citizens from 30 to 90 days. This temporary decision was made to attract more tourists and will come into effect from November 1, 2023 to April 30, 2024. The news was announced by Thai Prime Minister Settha Thavisin.

"Given the cold winter months in Russia, which last from December to March, Russians may have a desire to travel abroad. Obviously, the 30-day visa-free period is not enough. We would therefore like Russian tourists to stay longer in Thailand," the Prime Minister said in an interview with Thai television station PBS TV. "Although Russian citizens are usually exempt from the visa requirement when they visit Thailand, this time we have increased the length of stay from 30 to 90 days," confirmed the Minister of Tourism and Sports, Sudawan Wangsupphakitkoson.

Thavisin announced that he would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the third One Belt, One Road International Forum to be held in Beijing from October 17-18. He expressed the hope that the extension of visa-free travel for Russian citizens in Thailand would be seen as a "friendly gesture" that would facilitate productive talks with the Russian leader on other issues.

The Thai government had previously updated the procedure for extending the temporary stay of Russian citizens in the Kingdom. Since September 27 this year, Russians who came to Thailand with a 30-day visa-free stamp can extend their stay for another 30 days. This service costs 1.9 thousand baht (about 50 dollars).

Since the beginning of the year, more than 20 million foreign visitors have traveled to Thailand. Most of the visitors came from neighboring Malaysia - 3.3 million, whose citizens traditionally visit the southern regions of the kingdom.