Thailand — Visa Exemption (60 Days Ending, 30 Days Ahead)
Summary
- Today
- Up to 60 days per visit, 93 nationalities
- After the change
- 30 days per visit, 59 nationalities
- Effective
- 15 days after Royal Gazette publication
- Extension
- Once, by 30 days, at Thai Immigration
- Visa on arrival
- Separate scheme, 15 days per entry
Thailand is withdrawing the 60-day visa exemption introduced in July 2024. Under the revision approved by the Cabinet in 2026, most eligible nationalities will get 30 days visa-free per visit instead. The new rules take effect 15 days after publication in the Royal Gazette — until then, the current 60-day exemption for 93 nationalities still applies, per-entry and extendable once by 30 days. See the official government announcement for the revision details.
The 2026 change: 60 days becomes 30
The Cabinet approved cancelling the 60-day scheme on 19 May 2026 and finalized the replacement framework in July 2026, on the principle of "one country, one entitlement." After the change, 65 countries and territories are covered, each in exactly one category:
- 30-day visa exemption — 59 nationalities. Includes all 27 EU member states (Croatia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Malta join the list), plus India and the Maldives.
- 15-day visa exemption — Mauritius and Seychelles.
- Visa on arrival — reduced to a short list including Azerbaijan, Belarus, and Serbia; India's VoA is removed since it now has the 30-day exemption.
Timing: the five Ministry of Interior announcements take effect 15 days after they are published in the Royal Gazette — pending as of August 2026. Two transition rules matter: until that date, the 60-day exemption remains in force, and anyone who entered before the change keeps the full stay granted at entry. Separate bilateral agreements (90, 30, or 14 days, depending on the country) continue to apply on their own track.
Who it applies to
The 60-day exemption is relevant if you are:
- A citizen of one of the 93 visa-exempt nationalities arriving for tourism or short-term purposes.
- A digital nomad, remote worker, or long-stay traveler planning a stay of two to three months without a formal visa.
- A frequent visitor doing repeat entries and needing to track each stay separately.
It does not cover visa-on-arrival nationalities, who fall under a separate 15-day scheme, and it is a tourism-oriented entry — it does not by itself authorize employment in Thailand.
The rule — and why it exists
Until the 2026 revision takes effect, Thailand admits eligible passport holders visa-free for up to 60 days per visit, a limit in force since 15 July 2024. Two features define it:
- Per-visit, not annual. Each admission grants a fresh allowance of up to 60 days. There is no cumulative yearly ceiling baked into the scheme.
- Extendable once. You may apply for a single 30-day extension at Thai Immigration, taking the total to up to 90 days for that visit.
Why it exists: the exemption is designed to make Thailand easy to visit for tourism and longer leisure stays, boosting travel and spending without the friction of a consular visa. The per-entry reset keeps it simple for genuine visitors, while officer discretion at the border and the separate work-permit regime are what keep it from becoming a back-door route to living or working in the country.
Counting the days
The 60-day allowance is a per-visit counter: it starts fresh each time you are admitted and does not draw down across the year.
- 1On arrival, immigration stamps a permitted-to-stay date up to 60 days from your day of entry.
- 2Your leave-by date is that stamped date — count from the day you enter, not a rolling window.
- 3Leave or extend on or before the stamped date to stay in status.
- 4Each new entry restarts the count from zero, so separate visits are tracked independently.
Always read the stamp itself rather than assuming a full 60 days — confirm the exact date written in your passport on arrival.
Examples
Example 1 — a straightforward single visit
You hold an eligible passport and fly in on 1 August. Immigration stamps a permitted stay to 29 September (60 days). You leave on 20 September — well within the allowance, no extension needed.
Example 2 — extending to the full 90 days
You arrive on 1 March with a stamp to 29 April. Before that date, you apply at a Thai Immigration office for a 30-day extension. Your permitted stay now runs to about 29 May — up to 90 days total for the visit.
Example 3 — two separate visits
You spend 55 days in Thailand in spring, leave for a month in a neighboring country, then re-enter. Because the counter resets on each entry, your second visit starts fresh with a new 60-day allowance — the two stays are not added together.
Exceptions & edge cases
- Visa-on-arrival nationalities are a separate group and receive only 15 days per entry, not the 60-day exemption.
- Officer discretion. The exemption applies per entry, but immigration officers retain the power to question or refuse entry — frequent back-to-back visa-free entries can draw scrutiny at the border.
- Land vs. air entries. In practice, land-border and air entries can be treated differently; confirm your stamped date on arrival regardless of how you enter.
- Overstay. Staying past your permitted date triggers daily fines and, for longer overstays, detention, deportation, and future entry bans.
Common misconceptions
- "The 60 days is an annual allowance." False — it is per visit and resets on each entry; there is no built-in yearly cap.
- "Everyone gets 60 days on arrival." False — only the 93 visa-exempt nationalities do. Visa-on-arrival nationalities get 15 days.
- "I can just keep bouncing across the border forever." Not guaranteed — repeated visa-free entries can be refused at officer discretion.
- "The exemption lets me work in Thailand." No — it is for tourism and short stays; paid work requires the appropriate visa and work permit.
- "The 60 days is here to stay." No — the scheme is being withdrawn. Once the 2026 revision is gazetted, plan on 30 days visa-free (for the 59 eligible nationalities) and use a tourist visa or an in-country extension for longer stays.
Frequently asked questions
For now, yes — but not for much longer. The Cabinet approved scrapping the 60-day exemption in May 2026 and finalized the replacement in July 2026: 30 days visa-free for 59 nationalities, 15 days for a small group, and visa on arrival for a short list. The new rules take effect 15 days after publication in the Royal Gazette; until then, the 60-day exemption still applies.
Up to 30 days per visit for the 59 eligible nationalities (including all 27 EU member states, plus India, Croatia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Malta, and the Maldives). Mauritius and Seychelles get 15 days. Separate bilateral agreements granting 90, 30, or 14 days continue to apply where relevant.
Under the outgoing rules, no — 93 nationalities are admitted visa-free for up to 60 days per visit. Once the 2026 revision takes effect, a stay of 60 days will require either a tourist visa or a 30-day visa-exempt entry plus an extension at Thai Immigration. If you entered before the change takes effect, you keep the full stay you were granted on arrival.
A passport valid for at least 6 months, and — at officer discretion — proof of onward travel and sufficient funds (commonly cited as 20,000 baht per person). Officers don't always ask, but they can, and airlines sometimes check onward tickets at check-in.
Yes. Visa-exempt visitors can apply once at a Thai Immigration office for a 30-day extension, bringing the total stay to up to 90 days for that visit. Apply before your stamped permitted-to-stay date expires.
There is no fixed annual cap written into the exemption — the 60-day allowance resets on each entry. In practice, however, immigration officers have discretion, and frequent back-to-back visa-free entries can lead to questions or refusal at the border.
No. The 60-day exemption applies to 93 visa-exempt nationalities. Visa on arrival is a separate scheme for a different group of nationalities and grants only 15 days per entry.
Your permitted stay is defined by the date immigration stamps in your passport, counted from your day of entry. You must leave or extend on or before that stamped date to remain in status.
Overstaying carries a daily fine and can lead to detention, deportation, and future entry bans for longer overstays. Always confirm your stamped date on arrival and leave or extend before it expires.
Fifteen days after the five Ministry of Interior announcements are published in the Royal Gazette. As of August 2026 they were approved but pending publication, so there is no fixed calendar date yet — check the current status shortly before you travel, and plan conservatively if your trip is longer than 30 days.
This rule is tracked automaticallyin
Bounded
- Automatically tracks your days for this rule
- Alerts you before you cross the limit
- Counts arrival and departure days correctly
- Runs alongside your other visa, tax, and residency rules
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For information only. This page is a plain-English summary of publicly available rules, not tax, legal, or immigration advice. Rules change and depend on your personal circumstances — always confirm with the official source above and a qualified professional before acting.