Tourism Council of Thailand vice president, Thanate Vorasaran says that a single visa for travel between Thailand and Cambodia was part of an agreement signed five years ago and was specifically identified as a pilot for the wider project – contradicting reports that Thailand had bowed out of that.
According to the plan, a tourist will obtain a visa at either the Thai consulate or the Cambodian consulate, whichever is first port of call, and the visa is then valid for visits to both countries.
The scheme is of course irrelevant to nationalities who already have visa-free entry for both countries, but it will assist those who would normally need to apply for visas at both embassies before starting a trip to Southeast Asia.
“Once the project is launched, it will make it more convenient for tourists to travel between two countries,” Mr Thanate explained. “However, tourists will have to pay a fee that covers entry into both countries.”
No decision has been made yet on the mechanics or processing for the much wider single visa covering all five countries. Mr Thanate explained, “It was decided that the bilateral agreement on a single visa between Thailand and Cambodia was the first step and that would be the pilot for further study.
“The other countries will see how the visa for Thailand and Cambodia goes, and will assess the results for the first two countries before proceeding to the next level.
“The Thai-Cambodia single visa is only waiting for the two governments to give the green light. It should be implemented by the end of this year,” he added.
Security, rather than visa revenue, is the main concern that is slowing the process at government level. Each country has its own priorities, watch lists and nationalities that are subject to a higher level of scrutiny.
The five countries allow visa-free entry for certain nationalities, but the lists differ from one country to another and this complicates the single visa process.
Thailand allows as many as 45 nationalities visa-free entry. Vietnam is adding nations to its visa-free entry list, while Myanmar has the strictest policy requiring visas by all nationalities. Laos and Cambodia are both freeing up their visa requirements.
But all the five nations are worried about terrorism and security issues have heightened in recent years. This gives Immigration bureaux ammunition to call for stricter visa rules or voice objections to schemes that make entry easier, such as the multi-country visa plan.
Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Thai-Cambodia single visa has been processed, but needs the green light from both governments before it can be implemented even in a test phase. That green light has not yet come on.