Thailand's Tourism Ministry advocates 15-day visa-free entry for Uzbekistan

According to Minister of Tourism and Sports Surasak Phancharoenworakul, the issue of 15-day visa-free entry is scheduled to be submitted to a meeting of the Visa Policy Committee on November 9. The committee will assess how such a measure would affect the country's economy and security. The minister stated that the ministry would seek "maximum" exemptions for countries with low security risks. The ministry acknowledged chronic delays in visa issuance and the complexity of the procedure for Uzbeks; according to the newspaper, local travel agencies have begun abandoning tours to Thailand in favor of other destinations, in particular Vietnam, as a result.

Press secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Omonulla Fayziev previously reported that the ministry was discussing changes to entry procedures with the Thai side. As a representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Gazeta.uz, the Consulate General of Uzbekistan in Bangkok has been pushing for an easing of the visa regime in recent months, with talks scheduled with Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on October 28.

Effective September 15, Thailand abolished 60-day visa-free entry for citizens of 93 countries, including Uzbekistan. Visa applications are submitted via the Thai e-Visa system, but they are processed by the Embassy of Thailand in Moscow, and the fee, as Uzbekistan Airways warned, can only be paid in cash via the embassy. According to Aviasales Uzbekistan, searches for flights to Thailand dropped by 81% in September, while bookings plummeted by 84%.