BANGKOK.- Thailand eliminated the requirement of visa for Cubans. The measure, which came into effect on Monday and allows a stay of up to 60 days in the Asian country, expanded the list of visa-exempt nations from 57 to 93.
Thailand removed visa requirement for Cubans, reported The Ministry of the Interior of that country. The measure, which allows a stay of up to 60 days in Thai territory, comes into effect this Monday, July 15, reports the website Marti News.
According to the statement, the authorities expanded the number of people from 57 to 93 list of the countries that are exempt from visa requirements. Among the new additions are, in addition to Cuba, other countries from the region such as Mexico, Colombia and Uruguay.
Over the past year, Thailand has reached agreements on visa waivers or extensions of stay permits with countries such as China, India and Russia in an attempt to boost tourism, which has been severely affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
In 2019, before Covid, the Asian country received almost 40 million tourists, but in 2023 the figure was still at 28 million. This year they aim to reach 35 million.
Panama visas temporarily suspended
According to the National Migration Service (SNM) of that country, the measure is due to a “vulnerability situation” detected in the computer system and that it will extend at least during the month of July.
However, the announcement clarifies that, once the technical problem is resolved, Cuban applicants will be able to resume the process to obtain the stamped visa at the main office of the SNM.
Earlier this year, authorities had extended the mandatory transit visa requirement for Cuban travelers, restricting them from the international transit area of the airport for a maximum of 24 hours.
These are the countries that do not require a visa for Cubans in 2024
According to VisaGuide Passport IndexThese are the countries that Cubans can travel to without a visa in 2024.
- Old and bearded
- Barbados
- Belarus
- botswana
- Cook Islands
- Dominica
- Better
- Granada
- Guyana
- Iran
- Kenya
- Kiribati
- Kyrgyzstan
- Malaysia
- Micronesia
- Moldavia
- Mongolia
- Namibia
- Nicaragua
- Niue
- Oman
- Qatar
- Russia
- Samoa
- Seychelles
- Singapore
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- St. Lucia
- St. Vincent and the Grenadines
- TajikistanThailand
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
Source: AP
