Thailand has officially extended the waiver of TM6 immigration forms for foreign tourists arriving through 16 designated land and sea checkpoints. This exemption will remain in effect until April 30, 2025, allowing travelers a smoother entry process into the country.
The waiver, initially implemented on April 15, was introduced to ease congestion at immigration checkpoints and encourage tourism, boosting economic growth. Key entry points benefiting from this initiative include Aranyaprathet, on the Cambodia border, Chiang Saen, near Myanmar, and Padang Besar, connecting with Malaysia.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has proposed an extension of this waiver as they work towards launching an electronic travel authorization (ETA) system. This new system will replace the TM6 form and allow tourists from 93 countries to register for visa-free entry online, generating a QR code for use at automatic immigration gates.
In addition, the Ministry of Tourism is considering incorporating a tourism fee into the ETA system. Air travelers would pay a fee of 300 THB ($9), while those entering by land or sea would be charged 150 THB.
According to Songchai Mungprasithichai, president of Songkhla’s Tourism Promotion Association, the TM6 waiver could potentially increase daily tourist arrivals from Malaysia by 50%, even surpassing pre-pandemic visitor levels from 2019.
He highlighted the importance of creating new tourist attractions in southern Thailand to maintain this momentum and stressed the need for a smooth collection of tourist fees at border checkpoints.
Source: Travel and Tour World
