DOHA: Thailand continues to be a highly favored travel destination for residents of Qatar. This year alone, the Royal Thai Embassy in Doha has issued over 6,000 tourist visas to residents of Qatar. From January – May 2024, Thailand has welcomed over 14 million international tourists, including 177,201 visitors from the Middle East and 10,052 Qataris.

The Royal Thai Government aspires to attract 40 million visitors in 2024, matching the record set in 2019 before the pandemic outbreak. To support this goal, new visa measures have been implanted to enhance the ease of travel for global visitors, including those from Qatar, ensuring they can fully enjoy their time in Thailand, said the embassy in a statement yesterday.

The statement added that, the Royal Thai Government has enhanced Visa-On-Arrival (VOA) and visa exemption privileges for tourists. Under the new regulation, nationals of 31 countries and territories can apply for VOA at Thailand’s immigration checkpoints, allowing a stay of up to 15 days for tourism purposes.

Additionally, nationals of 93 countries and territories are eligible for visa exemption for stays of up to 60 days for tourism and short-term business engagements. This stay can be extended for an additional period not exceeding 30 days, at the discretion of the immigration officer. For those wishing to extend their stay for other purposes, it is required to apply for the appropriate visa type in Thailand before the end of the permitted period of stay.

Furthermore, the Royal Thai Government has introduced the Destination Thailand Visa (DTV). This Visa is designed for individuals traveling to Thailand to work as a digital nomad or freelancer, or to participate in activities such as Muay Thai courses, Thai cooking classes, sports training, medical treatment, seminars, and music festivals.

This DTV allows individuals to stay in Thailand for up to 180 days per entry, with a 5-year validity.

Earlier this year, the Royal Thai Embassy in Doha launched an online e-Visa application platform. Any national with a Residence Permit in the State of Qatar who wishes to apply for a Thai visa must submit their application, supporting documents, and pay the application fee online through the new online Thai E-Visa platform at https://www.thaievisa.go.th/. It is no longer required for applicants to submit their passports and original supporting documents at the Royal Thai Embassy in Doha.

For further information on the conditions and requirements for VOA and visa exemptions are available on the Embassy’s website at https://doha.thaiembassy.org/.