Cabinet okays new visa scheme allowing a 1 year stay for medical tourists

A new visa scheme approved, in principle, by the Thai Cabinet today will allow foreigners who are travelling to Thailand for medical treatment to stay in the Kingdom for up to a year. At the moment, many medical tourists stay in the country on 60-day tourist visas, which can be extended for another 30 days, and (before the pandemic) many in Thailand for longterm medical treatment had to do border runs every three months to get a new visa.

Under the new visa scheme, medical tourists will need to provide a bank statement showing they have at least 800,000 baht in their account to cover their treatment costs in Thailand. They must also show confirmation of an appointment with healthcare professionals in Thailand issued at least 30 days before travelling overseas.

According to Thai PBS, a spokesperson for the government said the visa scheme is in line with the plan to promote the country as an international medical hub.

SOURCE: Thai PBS