Hundreds of thousands of people visit Thailand from the UK each year
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has updated its advice for anyone planning to visit Thailand from the UK. A new Government alert was issued on Thursday, August 15.
Thailand has recently become more and more popular with UK visitors, with hundreds of thousands of people travelling to the Southeast Asian nation each year. The FCDO regularly updates its advice for travel to any of 226 nations and territories in a bid to help people make informed decisions and stay safe.
People travelling on a British passport could previously stay in Thailand for 30 days without a visa. But in June this changed. As long as your trip is for “tourism, business engagements, and urgent or ad-hoc work”, you can now stay for 60 days, the FCDO has said.
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Its latest update adds: “This visa category can be extended for another period not exceeding 30 days. You can also apply in advance for a multiple-entry visa for up to 60 days.”
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FCDO advice continues: “If you overstay the period of your visa, you will get a fine of 500 Thai baht a day up to a maximum of 20,000 baht. You risk being held in detention, deported at your own expense, [and/or] banned from re-entering Thailand for up to 10 years. Conditions in detention centres can be harsh.”
The FCDO continues to against all but essential travel to parts of the south, near the Thailand-Malaysia border. This includes the Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat provinces, as well as the southern Songkhla province, and on the Hat Yai to Padang Besar train line that runs through these provinces. FCDO said: “This is due to regular terrorist attacks in the provinces by the border with Malaysia.”