The Ministry of Interior proposed its draft Announcement on Special Permission for Certain Groups of Foreigners to Stay in Thailand (No. ..)  B.E. …. (the “Draft Announcement”) to the Cabinet for its approval and that the Draft Announcement was approved in principle by the Cabinet on 23 March 2021.

Since the government has allowed foreigners, who travel by cruises or sport ships (yachts), to the Kingdom are able to apply for a Special Tourist Visa (STV) at the immigration checkpoint according to the Announcement on Special Permission for Certain Groups of Foreigners to Stay in the Kingdom dated 30 October 2020 and its amendment dated 9 December 2020, from such, there were many foreigners traveled to the Kingdom under such special program and that some more of them have already registered to travel to the Kingdom under the same visa program.

Due to the current situation of the COVID-19 epidemic which has been improved, Thailand is currently trying to speed up its economic recovery especially in the tourist sector, the Ministry of Interior then proposed the Draft Announcement to the Cabinet in order to extend the period of time for enforcing of such STV program to be until 30 September 2021 subject to strictly adhere to the measures preventing communicable diseases.