Thailand cuts its visa-free stay from 60 to 30 days

Thailand has halved the visa-free stay for tourists from dozens of countries. Since 15 September 2026, visitors from the countries on its exemption list get 30 days on arrival instead of 60. The longer stay had applied since July 2024, when Thailand also widened the list to 93 countries and territories.

What changed and why

The cabinet approved the cut on 19 May. "The current scheme has allowed some people to exploit it," government spokesperson Rachada Dhanadirek said, and officials linked the 60-day window to unauthorised work, grey-market businesses and online scams, Al Jazeera reported. A revised country list followed in July. The rules were published in the Royal Gazette on 31 August, signed by Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, and took effect 15 days later.

The 30-day exemption now covers 60 countries and territories, according to the lists published by Thai embassies in Washington and Oslo. They include the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and all 27 EU states. The government's July announcement gave the figure as 59; the gazetted list has 60. Mauritius and Seychelles get 15 days, and nationals of Azerbaijan, Belarus and Serbia can get a visa on arrival.

What you need at the border

The exemption is for tourism only. GOV.UK says it does not cover business travel, including conferences and meetings. Your passport needs at least six months' validity on arrival, say GOV.UK and the US Embassy in Bangkok. The Royal Thai Embassy in Oslo adds that you must show a confirmed ticket out of Thailand within 30 days, by air, rail, bus or boat; without one, you need a visa.

Officers can ask to see money, and here the official sources disagree. GOV.UK says 10,000 baht per person or 20,000 per family. The Royal Thai Embassy in Washington says 20,000 baht per person or 40,000 per family. Carry the higher amount, or proof of it, and you meet both.

If you arrive overland, note the cap: visa-exempt tourist entries through land borders are normally limited to two per calendar year. GOV.UK says the cap does not generally apply to arrivals by air.

The arrival card

Every foreign national arriving by air, land or sea must complete the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) online, within the three days before arrival. It has been compulsory since 1 May 2025. The Immigration Bureau's site is free, and its page title says "No Fees Required", so a site asking for money is not the official one. Since 1 August you can also file the card in the bureau's THIM app.

Staying longer

Once in Thailand, you can apply at an immigration office to extend a visa-exempt stay by up to 30 days, which allows 60 days in all. The Royal Thai Embassy in Washington says the extension is "solely at the discretion of the immigration officer". The Immigration Bureau charges 1,900 baht, according to the US Embassy in Bangkok. Apply before your 30 days are up. If you already know you need more than a month, apply before you travel for a tourist visa (TR) at thaievisa.go.th. It allows 60 days from entry and can be extended by 30. The Washington embassy charges US$40 for a single entry.

If you are already there

Anyone who entered before 15 September may stay for the period granted under the old rules, the government says. Overstaying costs 500 baht a day up to 20,000 baht, and can lead to detention, deportation and a ban of up to 10 years.

One caution. On 12 October the US Embassy in Bangkok's page on Thai visas still described the 60-day rule. The Thai government's pages, and Thai embassies, reflect the change.