From September 15, Sri Lankan ordinary passport holders lost the visa-free access to Thailand they had enjoyed since 2024. Barely a day later, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath was in Bangkok discussing a bilateral visa-exemption agreement. Thailand says its wider visa overhaul was driven by security, economic interests and reciprocity. Sri Lanka now has to negotiate its way back in.
For Sri Lankans who enjoy Bangkok for a holiday, travel there for business or simply use Thailand as one of Asia’s most accessible destinations, something changed this week.
From September 15, Sri Lankan ordinary passport holders ceased to qualify under Thailand’s general tourist visa-exemption scheme. Thailand has abolished the 60-day visa-free arrangement introduced in 2024 for 93 countries and territories and replaced it with a much narrower system.
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Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath met Thailand’s Acting Foreign Minister Sarun Charoensuwan, and one of the subjects specifically discussed was accelerating a visa-exemption agreement for ordinary passport holders between the two countries.
In other words, the Government is now attempting to negotiate bilaterally what Sri Lankan travellers have just lost under Thailand’s general scheme.
Sri Lanka and Thailand had already been negotiating a reciprocal visa-free agreement before the latest Thai changes. But that agreement was apparently not completed before Thailand changed its immigration regime.
The Thai Government says its new policy was not directed specifically at Sri Lanka. Its official explanation says the review considered national security, tourism and economic interests, reciprocity, overlapping visa privileges and the availability of the electronic visa system.
Earlier this month, Herath said Thai authorities had raised concerns about illegal activities allegedly committed by some Sri Lankan nationals who had entered Thailand using visa-free access. He said those concerns had contributed to Thailand’s decision affecting Sri Lankan travellers.
Every additional visa exemption has practical value. It makes tourism easier. It makes short business trips easier. It facilitates family visits, education and professional exchanges.
The Government should now tell the public what precisely it is negotiating. Is Sri Lanka seeking 30 days visa-free? Sixty days? Will the arrangement be genuinely reciprocal? And most importantly, when might it happen?
Thailand has changed the rules. Sri Lanka is outside the new general visa-free list. And Colombo is now trying to negotiate its way back through the door.
