Thailand is continuing to work on easing travel to the Schengen Area for its citizens, with the authorities asking for Czechia’s support for Schengen visa exemption.
During a meeting between the two countries authorities, the Deputy Secretary of Thailand, Nathapol Khantahiran, requested the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Czechia to help the country in reaching a visa-free travel agreement with the EU, SchengenVisaInfo reports.
Khantahiran said that ordinary Thai passport holders should be permitted to travel to the bloc without being required to undergo the visa application process.
The same suggested that a Schengen visa exemption agreement would benefit both parties, fostering people-to-people contact and removing some of the existing hurdles.
The government of Thailand has been holding talks with EU countries authorities for months now, with the country’s main objective being the Schengen visa exemption.
Just last week, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara, asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary, Péter Szijjártó for support on the matter, too.
Both sides discussed various areas of cooperation, with Nukara saying that it is very important for Thailand to receive Hungary’s support on the Schengen visa waiver for holders of Thai ordinary passports.
Both sides discussed cooperation, especially the support for the negotiations of the Thailand-EU Free Trade Area, Thailand’s application for the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) membership, and the Schengen Visa waiver for holders of Thai ordinary passports.
Thailand Has Also Asked for France’s Help
Earlier this month, the Thai authorities also asked for France’s support in reaching a visa-free travel agreement with the EU.
During a visit to Paris, Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin asked France’s President Emmanuel Macron to help the country make it possible for Thais to enter the bloc without the need to obtain a Schengen visa.
This request received support from Macron, who said that France would be supporting Thailand in reaching a visa-free travel agreement.
Thailand has been pushing for a visa-free agreement with the EU for several months. The country’s call for facilitated travel rules for its citizens comes as Thailand currently allows visa-free entry for all EU citizens for stays of up to 30 days.
Taking this into consideration, Thailand wants its passport holders to enjoy the same privileges.
At the moment, Thailand’s passport is ranked 108th in the world, according to the VisaGuide Passport Index.
In line with this ranking, Thai passport holders are able to travel visa-free to 43 countries. Conversely, they need a visa for 118 countries, including the EU/Schengen Area countries.
