Get ready for Visa-free! Thais who travel to China don’t have to apply for visas, starting on 1 March 2024

Thai people who are going to visit China should prepare because right now China is about to open a permanent visa-free for Thais to visit China on March 1, 2024. ACU PAY will conclude the details of this announcement for you guys!

On 2 January, 2024, at Royal Thai Government House, Mr. Sretta Thavesin, Prime Minister of Thailand and Minister of Finance, said in an interview that there is good news. China will permanently cancel its visa application for Thai nationals. Tourists can go back and forth between the two countries without visas starting on March 1, 2024.\

To enhance the relationship and promote the importance of Thai passports for tourists who wish to visit both countries.

After a visa waiver was granted for Chinese nationals to travel to Thailand, which would end on February 29, 2024. This year, the Chinese visa-free means that Chinese tourists do not have to apply for visas to enter Thailand because they are exempt from both ways permanently.

Mr. Sretta stated that this is a pride of the Thai passport because China previously provided visa-free services to six countries which are France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, and Malaysia for up to 15 days in China for convenience in business, family visits, and travel. The visa-free period of these six countries will be effective for one year starting on December 1, 2023, to May 30, 2024.

For Thailand, the visa-free is permanent, not temporary visa-free like the six countries mentioned. The Department of Public Relations and related agencies will quickly explain that we are ready to open the country and take good care of tourists between the two countries.

It is well known that the tourism industry in Thailand, which is an important part of the economy, has generated huge income from Chinese tourists over the years. 

Thailand’s previous visa-free policy found that in the figure of 11 months (January to November 2023), only 3,013,190 Chinese tourists visited Thailand, which was below the expected target between 4,040,000 to 4,400,000. The major factors are the slowdown in China’s economy which has led to lower spending, and concerns over the shooting at department stores in Bangkok, which has also affected tourist confidence.