Thailand: visa exemption proposed for Colombia and Mexico

The Ministry of Tourism and Sports is preparing a proposal for a 15 jours visa exemption for travellers from Colombia, Mexico and Uzbekistan. The file will be submitted to the visa policy committee at a meeting scheduled for 9 November.

According to the source, the committee will need to look closely at the security and economic implications. The ministry says it wants to argue for as many exemptions as possible in favour of countries considered low-risk, with a standard stay of 15 jours. The three countries named are presented as examples among target countries in Latin America and elsewhere.

The measure responds to visa processing delays, which have caused tourists, notably Mexican ones, to miss flights and led to the cancellation of package tours. The airline Emirates filed an official complaint with the Tourism Authority of Thailand, after noting 20 to 30 passenger no-shows per flight departing from Mexico, because visas were not received in time.

For Uzbekistan, the source describes a complex electronic visa procedure handled exclusively through the Thai embassy in Russia. Local agencies are said to have cancelled packages to Thailand in favour of competing destinations such as Vietnam. The delays also affect Colombian travellers, according to the source.

This is a proposal, not a decision. The source does not say whether the committee will approve it, or on what date any exemption would take effect. Nor does it detail the entry conditions, a possible extension of stay or the final list of countries.

For a traveller from one of these countries, the current rules appear to remain those in force until a decision is made, but the source does not state this. Official announcements should be checked after the 9 November meeting before booking a trip.