Fewer Nordic expats renewing their visas to stay in Thailand

by Gregers Møller

Website ScandAsia.com and writer Gregers Møller reports that nordic expats – business people, on retirement or family-based Thai visas, renewing their visas this year – has dropped by around 10% this year.

He reports “This is the first decline in 12 years. If the trend continues, there will only be 861 Nordic people on a business visa left in Thailand by the end of the year.”

His numbers back up the latest numbers from Immigration and the Sports and Tourism Ministry indicating a drop in expat and tourist numbers across the board, especially from Mainland China.

“In 2018, 435 Nordic businesspeople renewed their business visa during the first five month of that year. This year, only 395 businesspeople renewed their visa. While some new businesspeople may have moved in, more must have decided to move out, leaving a net decline in Nordic businesspeople in Thailand of 40 people or 10 percent.”

The term ‘Nordic’ refers to people from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, as well as Greenland and the Faroe Islands.

The downward trend is stronger than the total for all foreign nationalities in Thailand, where the decline in business visa renewals went down 2 percent during this period to a total of 5536 renewals.

“Nordic people on retirement visa or visa related to their Thai family also declined. Last year, 3837 Nordic people renewed their O-visa during these first five months of the year. This year during the same five months, only 3788 people renewed their O-visa. The net decline was 49 people.

The category “others”, which includes students on E-visa declined 89 people from 1174 last year to 1085 this year. A decline of 7.5 percent.

Even renewal of tourist visas went down by 65 renewals to 11,752 renewals.

Read the rest of Gregers’ detailed reports HERE.