Thailand To Lift TM 6 Requirement At Malaysian Borders
On November 1, 2023, the requirement to fill out a Tor Mor 6 (TM 6) immigration form was lifted for visitors of all nationalities entering Thailand from Malaysia by land through the Sadao checkpoint in Songkhla province for a period of 6 months, with the last day being April 30, 2024.
Since then, Thailand has seen an influx in tourism and business, tripling the average number of visitors through the checkpoint from 10,000 to 30,000 on weekends. This has led the government to consider lifting the same requirement for all major provincial border crossings between the two countries, such as the ones in Betong district of Yala and Sungai Kolok district of Narathiwat.
The TM 6 is a form that must be filled out upon entering Thailand, acting as an arrival and departure card that must be carried at all times when traveling in the country. This regulation does not apply to those coming in by air, but it has caused a delay in immigration procedures for those coming in by land or sea border. As Thailand strives to become even more tourist-friendly, the suspension of the TM 6 has proven beneficial to these efforts.
Malaysians topped the number of foreign travelers to Thailand in 2023, with statistics showing that they had averaged about 100,000 visits each month through the Sadao immigration checkpoint. These numbers are a boon to the Thai tourism authorities, and it is hoped that further reduction of entrance requirements will attract even more Malaysians to the Kingdom in 2024 and beyond.
Aside from this, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has also proposed a “Six Countries, One Destination” scheme with Malaysia and Lao Prime Ministers, Anwar Ibrahim and Sonexay Siphandone, with the hope that it would attract more travelers to the Southeast Asia region by removing restrictions on travel to Thailand and other participating nations. The countries involved in this plan will include Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar.
However, it is unclear when the “Six Countries, One Destination” scheme will come into effect, as it is still in the process of being discussed between the aforementioned countries, according to Government House.
Category: Travel to Thailand
