Visa Exemption For Japanese Businesspersons Who Visit Thailand For Short-Term: Recent Development

On 28 December 2023, the Notification of Ministry of Interior re: Designation of Countries in Which Holders of the Passport or Travel Documents who Entered Thailand for Temporary Business Engagement to be Exempted from Visa as a Special Case dated 28 December 2023 (the “Notification”) was published in the Government Gazette. This article aims to provide backgrounds, wrap-up and our remarks to the Notification.

Background

Since 1995, Thailand exempted the visa requirement for Japanese citizens who travel to Thailand for tourism for the period of 30 days. However, legally speaking, the purpose of such exemption does not correspond to those who enter Thailand for business engagement, such as, business meetings. In 2022, the Embassy of Japan in Thailand therefore requested the Thai government to exempt the requirement of visa for Japanese businesspersons who visit Thailand for a short business trip. Such visa exemption scheme is also a reciprocal response to the visa