Thailand has officially confirmed changes to its visa exemption policy, ending the current 60-day visa-free entry scheme and replacing it with shorter stays for eligible travellers.
The four new Ministry of Interior regulations were published in the Royal Gazette on August 31, 2026, officially setting September 15 as the date the revised visa rules will take effect.
Until September 14, travellers who qualify under the existing 60-day visa exemption can continue to enter Thailand under the current arrangement. Those who arrive before the new rules come into force will also retain the period of stay granted to them at immigration and will not have their authorised stay automatically reduced.
60 countries to receive 30-day visa exemption
Under the new system, 60 countries and territories will be eligible for a 30-day visa exemption for tourism.
The countries are:
Australia
Iceland
Oman
Austria
India
Philippines
Bahrain
Indonesia
Poland
Belgium
Ireland
Portugal
Bhutan
Israel
Qatar
Brunei
Italy
Romania
Bulgaria
Japan
Saudi Arabia
Canada
Jordan
Singapore
Croatia
Kuwait
Slovakia
Cyprus
Kyrgyzstan
Slovenia
Czech Republic
Latvia
South Africa
Denmark
Liechtenstein
Spain
Estonia
Lithuania
Sweden
Fiji
Luxembourg
Switzerland
Finland
Malaysia
Taiwan
France
Maldives
Turkey
Georgia
Malta
Ukraine
Germany
Netherlands
United Arab Emirates
Greece
New Zealand
United Kingdom
Hungary
Norway
United States
For nationals of countries currently benefiting from a 60-day visa-free stay, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, the initial visa-free period will therefore be reduced to 30 days.
The new regulation specifically describes the 30-day exemption as being for tourism, unlike the outgoing arrangement, which also covered certain short-term work activities and business engagements.
Travellers who want to stay longer will still have an option to request a one-time extension of up to 30 additional days, subject to approval by Thai immigration authorities.
Land border entries restricted
Thailand will also impose a limit on visa-exempt entries made through land borders.
Travellers using the 30-day visa exemption will generally be allowed to enter through a land border checkpoint no more than twice in a calendar year.
The restriction will not apply to nationals of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. Thailand’s Interior Minister may also grant exemptions to other nationalities in the future.
The restriction applies specifically to land crossings and does not introduce a general two-entry limit for travellers arriving by air.
Mauritius, Seychelles get 15-day exemption
Thailand has created a separate 15-day visa exemption category for nationals of Mauritius and Seychelles.
Mauritius
Seychelles
The Maldives was initially considered for this category but was later moved to the more favourable 30-day visa exemption list.
The land-border restriction will also generally apply to travellers using the 15-day exemption.
Visa on Arrival reduced to three countries
The new regulations will significantly reduce the number of nationalities eligible for a Visa on Arrival.
From September 15, only nationals of these three countries will qualify:
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Serbia
India, which had been considered for the Visa on Arrival category in earlier versions of the reform, has instead been included among the 60 countries receiving 30-day visa-free entry.
The change represents a major reduction from the existing arrangement, under which nationals of 31 countries and territories can obtain a Visa on Arrival.
Bilateral agreements remain valid
The cancellation of the general 60-day exemption does not mean that every nationality outside the new lists will automatically require a visa.
Thailand has separate bilateral visa exemption agreements with several countries, and those arrangements will remain unaffected by the new regulations.
Existing agreements include:
14 days: Cambodia and Myanmar, with Myanmar limited to arrivals through international airports.
30 days: China, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Laos, Macao, Mongolia, Russia, Timor-Leste and Vietnam.
90 days: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, South Korea and Peru.
Travellers from countries covered by these bilateral agreements will continue to benefit from the terms of those agreements.
However, nationals of some countries that were previously covered by the 60-day exemption but do not appear on any of the new visa-free or Visa on Arrival lists may need to obtain a visa before travelling to Thailand.
Thailand has operated a worldwide e-Visa system since January 2025, allowing eligible applicants to submit visa applications online through the relevant Thai diplomatic mission.
What changes from September 15?
From September 15, Thailand’s main short-term tourist entry arrangements will be:
30-day visa exemption: 60 countries and territories
15-day visa exemption: Mauritius and Seychelles
Visa on Arrival: Azerbaijan, Belarus and Serbia
These will operate alongside Thailand’s existing bilateral visa exemption agreements.
The publication of the regulations in the Royal Gazette has now removed uncertainty over when the changes will take effect. Travellers eligible for the current 60-day exemption can continue using it until September 14, while those already admitted before the deadline will keep the stay granted to them at entry.
