Applicants for a Thai e-visa will therefore need to be patient. This technological innovation, originally scheduled for later this year, has been postponed to early next year. The Consular Affairs Department of the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs took charge of launching the kingdom's e-visa project on December 3rd. The aim is to greatly facilitate consular procedures for foreigners. A website has been created to assist users: www.thaievisa.go.th.

For all types of visas

Thailand received 8 million visa applications last year, including 6,500,000 tourists, accounting for 80%. This service, ultimately accessible worldwide, will handle all types of visas—whether for tourism, business, association, or other purposes. The government has also emphasized that the service will be highly secure, with payments accepted via credit card, QR code, or bank transfer. All transactions will be conducted online, and applicants will only need to visit the consulate or embassy to retrieve the visa to be affixed to their passport, much like the traditional method. So, while the process is e-visa-based, the final result is not entirely electronic.

China leads, and France follows suit.

This government-driven technological advancement will be rolled out gradually in all countries hosting a Thai embassy or consulate. China will be the first country to benefit from this service, starting at the consular offices in Beijing on February 15th and expanding to all major cities by March 1st. France and the United Kingdom will follow, with the system available on April 1st. The United Arab Emirates will conclude this testing phase before a global launch.