New developments in immigration policies

On October 15th, the Thai government announced the extension of the policy of “cancelling the entry card”. During the implementation of the policy, all Chinese tourists visiting Thailand can enter the country without filling in the entry card.
On the same day, Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said after concluding the cabinet meeting that the cabinet meeting approved the extension submitted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to “temporarily cancel the submission of TM.6 entry card for foreigners entering and leaving Thailand from 16 land and waterway inspection stations” measures, from October 16th, 2024 to April 30th, 2025, for a period of 6 months.
Since March 1st this year, the visa exemption agreement between China and Thailand has officially come into effect. Non-governmental and business exchanges between China and Thailand have gradually deepened, and the popularity of Chinese tourists visiting Thailand has increased, which has greatly promoted Thailand’s economic recovery. During China’s National Day holiday, in order to further attract Chinese tourists, the National Tourism Administration of Thailand launched the “Hello Month” activity, and organised special activities for Chinese passports in shopping malls, restaurants, spas and other places. Chinese tourists can enjoy discounts by showing their Chinese passports to cooperating shops with the “Hello Month” logo.

Thanks to the convenient entry policy and preferential policies, as of October 6th, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Thailand reached 5.25 million, ranking first in the number of overseas tourists received by Thailand. During the “Golden Week” of China’s National Day, more than 160,000 Chinese tourists visited Thailand, an increase of 34% compared with the previous week. The number of direct flights from China to Thailand increased by 70% year-on-year, totalling 1,097 flights. The tourism consumption of Chinese tourists is expected to bring nearly 5 billion baht to Thailand, an increase of 120% over the same period last year.
It is reported that the “cancellation of entry card” policy approved by the Thai government this time was originally from July 21st, 2017 to October 15th, 2024, but now the period is extended from October 16th, 2024 to April 30th, 2025. This measure hopes to further promote tourism and stimulate the domestic economy by reducing the customs entry clearance process, and provide support for Thailand’s economic recovery.
Thailand’s Minister of Tourism and Sports, Solaon Tiantong, said that Thailand welcomes tourists from all over the world, especially Chinese tourists, and will make every effort to ensure the safety of tourists in Thailand, so that tourists can enjoy a safer and better travel experience.

On October 10th, Thailand’s prime minister, during the east Asian cooperation leaders series meeting, offered warm congratulations on the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. She noted that 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of China-Thailand diplomatic relations and said that Thailand is willing to celebrate with China, and promote further close exchanges and various fields of mutual benefit.

At the same time, the prime minister said that Thailand will continue to implement visa-free measures for China, increase the number of flights, enhance the chances for Chinese students to win scholarships, provide more convenience for tourists and business travellers, promote people-to-people exchanges and cooperation between the two countries, and continuously promote the building of a Thai-China community with a shared future. The prime minister said Thailand is ready to strengthen communication and coordination with China within multilateral frameworks such as ASEAN and Lancang-Mekong Cooperation, jointly promote trade and investment liberalisation and facilitation, and safeguard regional peace, stability and prosperity.