Thailand has decided to grant Maldivians travelling to the country an extended visa-free stay, effective from the 15th of September.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Thai government officially gazetted changes to its visa policy on 31 August. Thailand had previously announced in July that the changes would take effect 15 days after they were gazetted.
In 2024, Thailand introduced a visa-exemption scheme allowing citizens of certain countries to stay in the country for 60 days without a visa. However, the stay period was reduced to 15 days for some countries and 30 days for others. The move was taken as Thailand sought to prevent the misuse of visa exemptions and the increasing occurrence of serious crimes such as scams. As part of this measure, Thailand reduced the visa-free stay for citizens of 93 countries to 15 days.
Following this decision, Minister of Foreign Affairs Iruthisham Adam held a telephone conversation on 29 June this year with Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sihasak Phuangketkeow, during which they discussed the matter. Following these discussions, the Thai government reviewed the visa period and decided to increase the visa-free stay for Maldivians in Thailand from 15 to 30 days, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Thailand is a popular holiday destination for a large number of Maldivians. Under the changes to Thailand's visa policy, Maldivians will be able to stay in Thailand visa-free for up to 30 days, starting from the 15th of this month.