Thailand may restore visa-free regime for Uzbek citizens — the issue will be considered on November 9

Proposal to restore the visa-free regime

Thailand's Ministry of Tourism and Sports has prepared a proposal to introduce 15-day visa-free entry for citizens of Uzbekistan, Colombia and Mexico. According to The Nation, citing the ministry, it is planned to be considered at a meeting of the Visa Policy Committee on November 9. Minister of Tourism and Sports Sorasak Phanchareonworakul confirmedthat the ministry is aware of the visa issuance delays and called the initiative a 'long-term solution.' The committee is to assess the security and economic implications of the measure, while the ministry intends to seek the maximum easing of rules for low-risk countries.

What prompted the rule revision

The initiative emerged against the backdrop of logistical problems for airlines. Emirates filed an official complaint with the Tourism Authority of Thailand: because passengers fail to obtain Thai visas before departure, 20 to 30 people do not travel on each flight from Mexico. Deputy Governor of the Tourism Authority Thirawat Khunsup noted serious problems on two long-haul routes. Uzbek citizens, according to the publications, were affected by another side of the problem: e-visas are issued through a complicated procedure, and local tour operators have begun abandoning tours to Thailand in favor of competing destinations, in particular Vietnam.

How the situation changed since September

This is not a new measure, but an attempt to partially restore the previous arrangement. At the end of August, Thailand abolished the 60-day visa-free regime that had applied to Uzbekistan and 92 other states, and approved a new list of 60 countries with 30-day visa-free entry — Uzbekistan was not included. Since September 15, Uzbek citizens are required to obtain a visa in advance, as Uzbekistan Airways had warned. Applications are now submitted via thaievisa.go.th, the fee is $40 and is paid in cash at the Thai embassy in Moscow; the official processing time is up to 10 days, but in practice confirmation arrives on average 15 days after payment. The consequences of abolishing visa-free travel are already noticeable: according to Aviasales Uzbekistan, in September the frequency of searches for tickets to Thailand fell by 81%, and the number of bookings by 84%. Meanwhile, in the first four months of 2026, Thailand was among the top 10 most visited countries by Uzbek citizens — 16,291 people visited the country.

What remains unknown

No decision has been made yet: on November 9 the committee will merely consider the proposal, and its outcomes are not given in the publications. Even if approved, it would mean 15 days of visa-free stay — half the previous 60 days in effect until September. Moreover, according to UzNews.uz, applications were previously processed exclusively through the Thai embassy in Russia, which is what made the procedure burdensome for travel agencies.