Thai government agrees 60-day visa-free regime for Russians

The Thai government has unilaterally agreed on a 60-day visa-free regime for Russian citizens, which will come into force on May 1 and will be valid until July 31. This was announced by Thai Prime Minister Settha Thavisin following a Cabinet meeting.

“The Cabinet approved the proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the issue of visa exemption for Russian passport holders visiting Thailand for tourism purposes for a period not exceeding 60 days,” he wrote in X (formerly Twitter), noting that the new measure will be exceptional and temporary.

According to the published minutes of the cabinet meeting, the 60-day visa-free regime will be in effect “from May 1 to July 31, 2024 in order to develop economic and foreign policy relations with the Russian Federation, as well as to strengthen people-to-people ties, which is the basis of international relations.”

Since November 1 last year, Russians can come to Thailand with the possibility of a visa-free stay of up to 90 days. The rule adopted unilaterally by the Thai government is valid until April 30 inclusive. According to the intergovernmental agreement on the conditions for waiving visa formalities for mutual travels of Russian and Thai citizens, the period of visa-free stay is limited to 30 days. Due to the influx of Russian tourists to the kingdom, the authorities are making visa relaxations, giving Russians the opportunity to stay in the country for a longer period of time without the need to obtain visas