The Thai Immigration Department permits only those holding a border pass to cross the Myawaddy–Mae Sot Bridge, on the Myanmar–Thailand border, if someone guarantees that they will return to Myanmar after the specified period. This requirement has led to a surge in people providing such guarantees, with the cost rising to around 1,500 THB.

Many who previously entered Thailand on a 7-day border pass failed to return when the period expired. As a result, Thai immigration authorities now require first-time crossers of the border bridge to have a guarantor.

Under the new rules, a Thai citizen or a border-area driver can serve as a guarantor, with fees ranging from 500 to 1,500 THB, according to a woman from Mae Sot.

“If you’re applying for a border pass for the first time, the Thai Immigration Department will only give you a stamp if you have a guarantor. The guarantors usually charge up to 1,500 THB, though some might ask for 500, 700, or 800 THB instead,” she told KIC.

Previously, travelers from Myawaddy Township in Karen State, Myanmar, only needed to pay 2,000 MMK and 60 THB for a border pass to enter Thailand. Under the new regulations, frequent border pass users are exempt from requiring a guarantor.

Thai authorities have taken action against vehicles that transported people to the border but failed to return on time, including banning the vehicles from operation and temporarily suspending the drivers’ licenses.

“One of my friends, who’s a driver, got into trouble when the person he guaranteed didn’t come back—his license was suspended for three months. Because of this, drivers at the border are now rushing to be guarantors,” a local reported.

At the Myawaddy–Mae Sot Border Bridge 1, anyone entering Thailand without proper documents had to apply for a 7-day border pass, which needed renewal every week. Previously, some travelers could enter using additional documents, such as a passport, alongside the border pass, but in December, the Thai Immigration Department announced that only a single type of border pass would be accepted as standard.

Border pass holders are not allowed to travel beyond Tak Province, where Mae Sot is located, to other parts of Thailand. The requirement for first-time applicants to have a guarantor was introduced in December, and the KIC is still investigating whether this rule will be permanent or temporary.