Sun-kissed tropical beaches, jungle-covered islands, exotic limestone cliffs, prehistoric skyscrapers, and glittering temples do not need to wait anymore. Thailand has good news for travelers looking forward to enjoying a fun-filled vacation or attend a business event in the Land of Smiles. The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has launched its online E-visa service last 15th of February, 2019 promising a new age of immigration.

This initiative by the Thai government is a smart move to promote tourism and make it easier for foreign travelers to enjoy vacations in the country. To make this possible, Thailand has partnered with VFS-Global to provide travelers with e-VOA (Visa-On-Arrival). This service will first be available to China and 20 other countries. The program will then expand to various other countries in phases in a period of three years.

What Makes China The First Country To Enjoy The Service

Beijing will be the first city to enjoy the service followed by other Chinese cities. The United Kingdom travelers will start receiving the service from March 1 and the French tourists can enjoy e-visa service beginning April. So, what makes China the first country to enjoy the service?

To this, the Director-General of the MFA’s Department, Mr. Chatri Archjananun said that in 2017 there were more than 8 million applications from foreigners regarding Thai visa. Out of these, about 85% were tourist visas from Chinese tourists. Taking into account, the influx of travelers from China, the Thai officials have decided to launch this service first in Beijing.

Who Needs To Apply For A Visa-On-Arrival?

Every luxury traveler has their own holiday daydream in the Land of Smiles. But just like any other people who treasure their homeland, the Thai government also observes rules to make sure that the country is able to accommodate the visitors wanting to experience a piece of the vacation wonderland found within its borders.

For a good number of us, the new e-VOA online service makes that daydream a little more convenient to achieve. But exactly, who needs to apply for it? First of all, you will need a Visa-On-Arrival when entering the country if you are a citizen of any of the countries listed by Thailand’s Immigration Bureau.

The qualifications for the application are as follows:

  • You must have a genuine passport with a validity of more than 30 days
  • Your visit must not be more than 15 days
  • You must have a confirmed return ticket dated within the next 15 days
  • You must provide a verifiable address of where you will be staying in the country
  • You must not be subject to section 12 of Thailand’s Immigration Act B.E. 2522 (A.D.1979)
  • You must pay the Visa fee (With the e-VOA, payments can be done using Visa, Union Pay, or Mastercard, either credit or debit card, but your card must be eligible for internal transactions via Alipay or Wechat)
  • You must be able to prove that you have sufficient means of living; specifically, you should possess a minimum of 10,000 Baht if you are entering the country by yourself, and a minimum of 20,000 Baht if you are visiting as a family

What Are Benefits Of The Online E-Visa Service

In the digital world, there’s a need for change and making things quicker. We are living in an era where every second count and tourists wish to make the most of their time. Thailand realizes this need and promises to make it easier and quicker for travelers around the world to get a visa to enjoy the full-moon parties, go scuba diving in the crystal clear waters, and embark on a Thai cultural experience.
Here are some of the benefits that make the e-VOA service a much-welcomed announcement:

  • Travelers will be able to avoid the inconvenience of standing in long queues
  • This negates the need to fill up lengthy application forms upon arrival
  • Eliminates the hassle of arranging paper documentation and local currency
  • No more prolonged waiting to receive the visa as online services make it quick
  • Express eVOA service available for urgent visa requirements

Availing Of The Express e-VOA service

If you need a Thai visa urgently within 24 hours, you may apply for the Express eVOA service by paying an extra fee. If for any reason the visa is not accepted, the relevant fees will be reimbursed to the applicant.

3 Simple Steps To Apply For The Online E-Visa Service

The eVOA service makes it possible to get a quick visa without having to wait in line or bringing along air tickets, hotel booking confirmation, photographs, local currency and so on. Here are the three simple steps in which you can apply online e-visa.

STEP 1:

Go to the website – thailandevoa.vfsevisa.com. You will need to upload the required documents and application details online. There is no need to submit a physical passport.
The required documents which you need to upload are:

  • Your passport cover page and passport information
  • A document proving that you will be staying where you will be staying in the country (this applies to any type of accommodation, whether in a hotel, a villa, a transient house, or friend/ relative’s house)
  • Your confirmed return flight ticket
  • A 4X6 cm photo of you

STEP 2:

Use a valid payment gateway such as Visa, Union Pay, or Mastercard, either credit or debit card to pay the fee. The card you use should be able to make worldwide transactions via Alipay or WeChat.

STEP 3:

After the payment is successfully made and the application is then processed with an eVOA code, the travelers are allowed to download and print the application for reference purpose. They may also keep a digital copy on their smartphones

Better Service, Happier Tourists

The launch of e-VOA service promises to make it easier for travelers to get to Thailand from across the world. The tourists can look forward to a whole new experience as they arrive at the Don Mueng and Suvarnabhumi airports in Bangkok, Phuket or Chiang Mai airports.

By partnering with VFS Global, Thailand Immigration Bureau hopes on rising demand for tourism in the country. With the new e-VOA program, they have offered a solution to modern travelers considering all the essential security aspects. It promises to enhance the experience and add convenience to travel