Visitors from Singapore and Hong Kong can soon enjoy speedier immigration clearance at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang international airports as authorities roll out a new scheme to allow them to use automatic passport scanners currently reserved for Thai nationals, The Nation reported.
Set to be implemented within the next two months, this move would reduce the immigration processing time per person from about one minute to 20-30 seconds, according to Thai immigration bureau commissioner Nathathorn Prousoontorn.
Hong Kong and Singapore travellers were selected as the first countries for which this facility is available to due to their frequent visits to Thailand compared with other markets.
Foreign visitors seeking to avail the automatic facility are first required to register with the Thai immigration office prior to their arrival in Thailand.
The bureau also plans to expand the privilege to countries with visa-free entry into Thailand such as Australia and parts of Europe.
