Thailand's e-visa will finally be available in February 2019
Thailand is preparing its e-visa to streamline visa applications. Timeline, online payment, consulate collection, and phased deployment: here's what you need to know.
21 Dec. 2018
Applicants for a Thai e-visa will need to wait a little longer. This technological innovation, initially planned for the end of this year, has been postponed to early 2019.
The Department of Consular Affairs of the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched the kingdom's e-visa project on December 3rd, with the aim of greatly simplifying consular procedures for foreigners. A website has been created to assist users: www.thaievisa.go.th.
For all visa types
Thailand received 8 million visa applications last year, of which 6.5 million were tourists—80 percent of the total. This service, ultimately accessible worldwide, will handle all visa types, whether tourism, business, association-related, or otherwise. The government has also clarified that the service will be ultra-secure, with payments made by credit card, QR code, or bank transfer. All payments will be processed online, and applicants will simply need to visit the consulate or embassy to collect the visa to be affixed to their passport—just like a traditional visa. An e-visa in the process, then, but not quite in the final result.
China leads the way, France not far behind
This technological innovation, driven by the government, will be implemented in all countries with a Thai embassy or consulate. The rollout will be gradual. China will be the first country to benefit from this service, starting from the Beijing consulate on February 15th and expanding to all major cities from March 1st onwards. France and the United Kingdom will follow, able to test the system from April 1st. The United Arab Emirates will then complete this testing phase before a global launch.
Charlène Nomadays
An SEO writer from Nomadays' earliest days, Charlène has evolved into content manager and head of communications, accompanying the adventure with unwavering passion from the start. After spending seven years across Asia—from China to Thailand, passing through Mongolia and South Korea—she has made travel her way of engaging with the world. A lover of words, nature, and human connection, she brings a thoughtful, committed, and responsible vision of tourism to every piece she writes. For her, each article is a bridge between curiosity, respect, and wonder.
