The Immigration Bureau of Thailand has partnered with VFS Global to offer the new eVisa On Arrival (eVOA) service that will enable a faster and more convenient arrival process for travellers from 21 countries, including Saudi Arabia, India, China, Ukraine etc.

Travellers who are eligible to use the online eVOA service provided by VFS Global will receive their travel authorisation from the Immigration Bureau of Thailand prior to their departure from their country of origin.

The 21 countries include Saudi Arabia, Andora, Bulgaria, Bhutan, China, Cyprus, Ethiopia, Fiji, India, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Papua New Guinea, Romania, San Marino, Taiwan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan.

The eVOA service will be available from February 14 on https://thailandevoa.vfsevisa.com/.

The new Thailand eVisa On Arrival offers travellers a whole new experience when applying for a travel pre-authorisation to Thailand and when entering the country at the Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueng airports in Bangkok, as well as at Phuket and Chiang Mai airports flying by Thai Airways and other airlines.

In three simple steps, eligible travellers can apply online for eVOA for Thailand or get assistance at VFS Global visa application centres across the globe.

eVOA applicants benefit from dedicated Immigration counters at major aiports in Thailand to save time and experience a faster entry into Thailand. Due to the smooth online eVOA application process pre-departure, travellers don’t need to carry any physical copies like hotel booking confirmation or air-tickets, photographs etc. Since the eVOA fee is paid online, no cash in local currency is required at the immigration counter.

Commenting on the launch of the new eVOA service, Pol. Lt. Gen. Surachate Hakparn, commissioner of Immigration Bureau, said: "With the eVOA service, we are proud to offer a new age digital solution which enhances the overall experience for the modern day traveller who seeks to visit Thailand from 21 countries across the globe. In our cooperation with the world's largest outsourcing and technology services specialist for governments and diplomatic missions worldwide - VFS Global, we aim to effectively meet the objective of increasing tourism to the country through this solution, especially taking into consideration the all-important security aspect that allows pre-check of travellers prior the arrival, as it offers time to the Immigration Bureau for effective assessment.”

Zubin Karkaria, CEO, VFS Global, said: "It is an honour to work with the Immigration Bureau of Thailand and Thai Airways to ensure a more convenient and faster service for travellers to Thailand, while maintaining the security and integrity of the visa process. With our experience and reliability in providing seamless visa application services across the world, and with the advantages of our eVisa solution, the Thailand eVOA service will further enhance ease of travel to Thailand, and thereby facilitate increase in tourism to the country.” - TradeArabia News Service