nine days to go. Here is every change in one place, and what each one means for the plans you have already made.
Thailand’s 60-day visa exemption ends on September 15, 2026. The Ministry of Interior published the new framework in the Royal Gazette on August 31, and it replaces the scheme that has covered 93 countries and territories since July 2024. Anyone planning a trip, a long stay or a border run needs to check where their passport now sits.
The stay period depends on your passport
From September 15, Thailand assigns each nationality to one specific entry category instead of a single blanket exemption.
Sixty countries and territories get a 30-day visa exemption for tourism. The list includes Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bhutan, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia,
Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States. India moves up from visa on arrival to this 30-day category.
Seychelles and Mauritius get a separate 15-day exemption.
Visa on arrival now applies to only three nationalities: Azerbaijan, Belarus and Serbia. The old visa-on-arrival list covered 31 countries, so this is a sharp cut. Travellers who still qualify pay 2,000 baht in cash at the counter, get 15 days, cannot extend, and must show a passport photo, an onward ticket and proof of accommodation.
Around thirty nationalities that held the 60-day exemption, including China, Russia, South Korea, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico, do not appear on the new 60-country list at all. That does not automatically mean they need a visa. Thailand applies existing bilateral exemption agreements first. South Korea, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Peru get 90 days under their bilateral deals. China, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Laos, Macau, Mongolia, Russia, Timor-Leste and Vietnam get 30 days. Cambodia and Myanmar get 14 days through land and international airport arrivals. Passport holders with no bilateral agreement, including Mexico, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka and Colombia among others, need a visa from September 15, applied for in advance.
The land border cap only hits overland travel
Anyone entering Thailand through a land border checkpoint on a visa exemption is capped at two entries per calendar year. Malaysian, Bruneian, Indonesian and Singaporean nationals are exempt from that limit, and the Minister of Interior can name other exempt nationalities later.
The cap does not touch air arrivals. A traveller flying in and out repeatedly is affected by the shorter 30-day stay, not by the frequency limit. The land cap targets the classic border run, where someone crosses into Cambodia, Laos or Malaysia and back purely to reset the clock.
Extension rules have not changed
Travellers on the 30-day exemption can still apply for one extension of up to 30 additional days at any immigration office, for a fee of 1,900 baht. That makes the practical maximum stay on a visa exemption 60 days, down from 90 days under the old 60-day scheme with its extension.
Visa-exempt entry now covers tourism only
The new notification limits the exemption strictly to tourism. Earlier wording that also allowed short-term business activity has been dropped. Travellers whose real purpose is remote work, business, investment or long-term residence should not rely on visa-exempt entry, even if their nationality qualifies for 30 days.
Trips already booked are not affected
Anyone who enters Thailand on or before September 14 keeps the stay granted on arrival, even after the new rules take effect. Travellers already inside Thailand under the old 60-day scheme keep the full period they were given. Nobody already in the country gets cut short retroactively.
Long-term residents need a visa that matches what they actually do here
Immigration lawyers report a rise in inquiries from people who have relied on visa-exempt entries or border runs but are actually in Thailand to work remotely, retire, invest or live long term. With the land border cap and the shorter stay now in force, that pattern is harder to sustain.
The main options for anyone staying beyond what a visa exemption covers:
- The Destination Thailand Visa, aimed at remote workers and freelancers earning from abroad
- The Non-Immigrant B visa, for employment in Thailand
- The Retirement Visa, for applicants aged 50 and above
- The Thailand Privilege Visa, for long-term access with fewer eligibility requirements
- The Long-Term Resident visa, for qualified professionals, higher-income retirees and investors
What to check before you fly
- Confirm which entry category applies to your passport rather than assuming the old 60-day rule still stands
- Keep a return or onward ticket, accommodation details and proof of funds ready, since immigration officers are applying closer screening at entry
- Track how many visa-exempt land border entries you have used this calendar year if you cross by land
- File the Thailand Digital Arrival Card as normal. It is still mandatory for every foreign passport holder regardless of entry category, and it does not record your permitted stay. The immigration officer sets that on arrival, based on the rules in force that day
- If your trip straddles September 15, the date you land determines which rules apply, not the date you booked
Related news
- Thailand announces 30-day visa-free stay for 60 countries
- The visa run era is over: 2026 is the year Thailand stopped looking the other way
The story What changes for travellers to Thailand on September 15 as seen on Thaiger News.
