Outbound Tours Association of Nepal (OTAN) has called for transparency, fairness, and uniformity in Thailand’s visa process, asking the Thai Embassy to review its visa procedures and not to impose new norms for applications. The association claimed that visa rejections, processing time, and asking for a confirmed ticket and hotel booking have put tourists at financial risk and created difficulties for travel agencies.
In a press statement, OTAN said that they have seen applications getting rejected despite submitting the documents as per their requirement, and urged the authority to put necessary guidelines in writing, give applicants a chance to amend their documents if there are minor mistakes, and bring clarity and certainty to the processing of their visa applications to ease travel between Nepal and Thailand.
OTAN raises concern over visa rejections
In the visa processing of Nepali applicants, OTAN said that, according to their information, some of the Nepali applicants got rejected for a visa just because of an unclear passport-size photo or an unclear copy of citizenship documents, without giving them a chance to submit the documents as per their requirement.
The association said those minor mistakes in the documents should not be amended and rejected just like that. The association also expressed concern over the allegations that applications which were submitted 15-20 days ago got rejected just because they had implemented these new norms just two days before the rejections. OTAN said implementation of the new order should not be applied to applications that were submitted before the new instruction came into force.
Confirmed Bookings Create Financial Risks
OTAN expressed concern over the report that confirmed booking of an air ticket and hotel was necessary for a visa, although there was no guarantee of visa approval. This could put financial risk on those who would have to spend a large amount of money on booking a ticket and hotel, without guarantee of visa approval, or delayed visa processing, which would be after their tentative travel date.
Association said that reservations through popular Booking websites like Booking. com or Agoda were not acceptable in most cases. According to OTAN, the applicants were required to take a confirmation letter of the hotel booking on their own, as those website bookings were not considered valid by the Thai Embassy. Those who would like to take their families for a holiday during the Dashain and Tihar festive period would have to spend a huge amount for the holiday, which would have to be canceled if their visa application got rejected, or ticket and hotel payment got delayed.
Association Seeks Investigation and Clear Guidelines
OTAN sought an independent and impartial investigation of irregularities in relation to the imposition of the requirement of non-refundable bookings and problems faced by applicants in obtaining their visa, saying the combination of advance payment for ticket and hotel booking, visa rejection and delayed visa approval had raised questions which required clarification. The association said these are allegations against the association and they would request an investigation to get clarification.
The association proposed to the authority concerned to publish the requirements of Thai visa, provide at least one month’s notice before bringing in new rules, provide detailed written reasons for rejection of visa applications, give sufficient opportunity to applicants to rectify their documents if there are minor mistakes in the documents, accept provisional reservation of hotel and air ticket until visa gets approved, specify a time frame for processing the visa, and have an effective mechanism for receipt and response to complaints from applicants.
OTAN Urges Diplomatic Dialogue and Traveller Caution
OTAN requested the Government of Nepal, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation to facilitate the issue diplomatically so that the interests of our fellow countrymen who are going to travel to Thailand will be protected. The association alleged that the approach of seeking an explanation from the embassy did not bear fruit.
President of the association, Madhav Kandel, asked the travelers to make sure that they don’t fall into the trap of non-refundable tickets and hotel bookings. He also advised them to make refundable ticket and hotel bookings, as far as possible, and to take permission from the registered travel agencies before finalizing their travel plan. He said the travel agencies of Nepal have been promoting Thailand as a tourist destination and providing job opportunities for many people in the country for a long time. Travelers should get necessary treatment from the embassy related to their visa application and make their trip to Thailand without confusion, he added.
