Thailand Auto Gates: Phuket Next as Use Nearly Triples

Thailand auto gates for foreign arrivals will be extended from Suvarnabhumi to Phuket and Don Mueang airports, the Immigration Bureau says, after daily use of the automated passport control lanes nearly tripled in six weeks. The gates are open to visa-exempt and e-visa travellers from 33 countries and territories, the Bangkok Post reported on Thursday, November 5.

How fast use of Thailand auto gates is growing

Immigration Bureau commissioner Pol Lt Gen Nopasilp Poonsawat said average daily use has climbed from 744 passengers at the soft launch on September 18 to 2,125 passengers now. In total, 94,760 foreign travellers passed through the gates between September 18 and October 31.

The figures he gave show which markets use the system most:

• Singapore: 21,684 travellers
• Hong Kong: 14,259
• South Korea: 9,615
• Japan: 9,538
• Malaysia: 6,943

The expansion is based on an Immigration Bureau order issued on August 24. Its stated aim is to speed up processing, cut queues and ease crowding in arrivals halls.

Phuket and Don Mueang are next

For now, the arrival gates work only at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. The bureau says the service will be expanded to Don Mueang and Phuket airports, but the report did not give a date for either airport.

For Phuket, the change could matter in high season, when long immigration queues at the international terminal are a regular complaint from arriving tourists. Many visitors from the eligible markets, such as Australia, Singapore, South Korea and the United Kingdom, fly directly to the island.

Who can use the gates

The 33 eligible countries and territories are Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates, plus 24 European countries. According to Thai Visa Link, the European list is Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Eligible passengers are told by email after they register for the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC), which all foreign arrivals must complete before travel.

Things to know before you use them

Thai Visa Link, citing reports from travellers who used the gates after the September launch, listed several practical points:

• The gates are for visa-exempt entry. Travellers holding a visa are sent to a staffed counter.
• Passengers arriving on a new passport with no earlier Thai entry recorded in it may also be sent to a counter.
• The gates usually do not stamp passports. If you need a stamp, for example for a later visa extension, go to an officer.
• US citizens can enter Thailand visa-exempt but are not on the gate list. China, India and Russia are not on the list either.

That last point matters for Phuket, where Russian, Chinese and Indian visitors are among the biggest groups of arrivals. Unless the list is widened, many of them will still use staffed counters even after gates open on the island.

What happens next

The Immigration Bureau has not said when more nationalities or long-stay visa holders will be added. Travellers should keep checking official announcements and complete their TDAC in good time before flying. Anyone unsure whether they qualify can simply join a staffed counter, which remains open for all arrivals. Departing passengers are not affected by the arrival list. Read the original report in the Bangkok Post.

More on Phuket airport and visas: Phuket airport counter ban angers charter firms, Phuket EV bus from the airport to Rawai and Thailand's visa exemption push for Mexico and Colombia.

Photo: arrivals hall at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok, by Exec8 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. File photo; Thailand auto gates are currently in use at Suvarnabhumi.