Thailand extends Malaysian tourist visa exemption for 60 days

PETALING JAYA: Malaysians are among the tourists allowed to visit Thailand without a visa for 60 days starting today, as part of Bangkok’s efforts to boost the country’s tourism industry.

Previously, visa exemption was only allowed for 30 days.

According to Bernama, Thai government spokesperson Chai Wacharonke said the Cabinet approved a number of visa facilitation measures to boost the tourism industry including visa exemptions, expanding the list of visas on arrival, and introducing new categories of visas.

Effective today, he said, visitors from 93 countries, including Malaysia, can enter Thailand without visa requirements to stay for up to 60 days, an increase compared to the previous 57 countries.

In addition, the list of countries eligible for visa on arrival increased from 19 to 31.

For digital nomads who want to stay longer and work remotely in Thailand, the visa period is extended from 60 days to five years.

Among other measures introduced is allowing foreign university students to stay for a year after graduation, relaxing insurance requirements for foreign retirees who stay longer.

According to Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the country received more than 14.32 million tourists as of last week, and aims to attract at least 35 million tourist arrivals this year.