Thaivisa is informing us that the rules concerning the visa runs have just been changed. Some people used to cross the border to another country and enter Thailand again to benefit from a 30 days exemption of visa. You could do it several times and thus stay in Thailand without any proper visa. Now the rule has changed, and people who cross a land border will only be given an authorization of stay of 15 days. People who arrive at the airport and who are eligible for the 30 days exemption (mostly passport holders from Western Europe, North America and Australia/NZ) will still be given 30 days, like before (you can check our FAQ for more details).
The new rule comes into effect immediately. It may sound a bit surprising, as Thailand is now suffering from the worldwide economical crisis and from its interior political crisis, which has led to the closing of both airports and revenue losses estimated to several billion dollars (560 million dollars only for Thai Airways), but it is in fact completely in line with the policy of all previous governments regarding foreign tourists and expats. The message is clear: people who resent this policy are welcome to leave the country and spend their money elsewhere, whereas people who wish to stay must comply with the rules (and also be prepared for any change of the rules).
It is just a bit ironical that several hundred thousands tourists were recently stranded in Thailand and literally forced to stay here, while most of them just wanted to leave and go back home! By the way, now that the Prime Minister has been dismissed, all traffic should resume normally at the airport before the end of the week.
