Thailand cuts visa-free stay to 30 days: your longer-stay visa options for 2026

Find your nationality in one of the entry categories first, then check whether the permitted stay actually covers your trip. If it does not, jump straight to the longer-stay routes — choosing the right visa before departure is far cheaper than a refused extension or an overstay fine.

From September 15, 2026 there are four possible answers for any passport: a 30-day exemption, a 15-day exemption, Visa on Arrival, or a visa obtained in advance. A separate group holds bilateral visa-waiver treaties with Thailand that this change does not touch.

Whichever applies, the Thailand Digital Arrival Card is an additional step. It is not a visa and does not extend your stay. The Immigration Bureau requires it from all non-Thai nationals and states it is compatible with all visa types, including visa-on-arrival and visa-exempt entries.

If your trip is longer than the exemption allows, or your purpose is not tourism, apply for the right visa before you fly rather than relying on a discretionary extension. DoVisa handles Thailand applications end to end — document check, submission and status updates — for the arrival card and every visa route below.

Thailand is ending the expanded 60-day exemption that began in July 2024 and covered 93 countries and territories. The repeal was published in the Royal Gazette in Volume 143, Special Issue 207, on August 31, 2026 in four consecutive Ministry of Interior notices, taking effect 15 days later on September 15, 2026.

From that date, holders of passports from 60 countries and territories are eligible for visa exemption for tourism with a permitted stay of up to 30 days, per the Tourism Authority of Thailand. The Royal Thai Embassy in Washington, D.C. lists the same date and the same 60 countries and territories.

For most travellers from Europe, North America, the Gulf, Northeast Asia and Oceania this is not a loss of visa-free access — it is a cut from 60 days to 30, plus a new limit on how often you can use it at a land border. For a smaller group, mostly in Latin America, the Caribbean, Central Asia and the Balkans, it is the end of visa-free travel to Thailand.

The reform applies a one country or territory, one entry category approach, so no nationality appears on more than one list, as described on Thailand.go.th. The Royal Gazette notices lock those categories in.

These are the 60 countries and territories whose passport holders can enter for tourism without a visa for up to 30 days from September 15, 2026, per the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Grouped by region for readability; the entitlement is identical for every entry.

This is the least-covered part of the reform and the one that matters most. The old scheme covered 93 countries at 60 days; the new one covers 60 at 30. Around 34 nationalities come off the unilateral exemption list, and only some land somewhere else.

Roughly a dozen keep visa-free access through a bilateral visa-waiver treaty, a separate instrument these notices do not repeal. Mauritius moves to the 15-day list. That leaves about 22 nationalities that now need a visa before travelling where previously they did not.

If your passport is on the list below, a trip you could once take on a boarding pass alone now needs an application, documents and processing time. Start your Thailand visa application with DoVisa rather than discovering the requirement at check-in.

Ten of the twenty-two are in Latin America and the Caribbean, making that the worst-affected region; Central Asia and the European microstates follow. The practical route is the Thai e-Visa system, available through all 94 Thai embassies and consulates-general since January 1, 2025.

Several nationalities that leave the unilateral list still travel visa-free under a bilateral waiver treaty with Thailand. The Tourism Authority of Thailand confirms these continue alongside the new framework, at their own durations of 90, 30 or 14 days.

Separate the visa decision from the arrival-card requirement. A visa exemption lets you enter without applying for a visa first. The Thailand Digital Arrival Card is an online arrival-card submission that replaced the paper TM.6 for all international travellers, per the Thai Immigration Bureau FAQ.

The Immigration Bureau states that all travelers, including infants and children, are required to have a TDAC, that it applies by land, air, or sea, and that it works with visa-exempt and Visa on Arrival entries. Being visa-exempt does not remove the step, and holding a visa does not either.

You may need only the TDAC if your passport is on a visa-exempt list, your purpose is tourism and your stay fits the permitted period. You need a visa if you are staying longer, want repeated longer trips, qualify for a DTV route, are entering for retirement, or your nationality is no longer on any exemption list.

The exemptions are narrow. Airside transit is one: if you are not passing through immigration a TDAC is not required, but if you leave the airport it is. Technical landings and transit flights that do not clear immigration are excluded, and crew are exempt.

Diplomatic passport holders are not exempt if they are non-Thai nationals. If you are unsure whether your itinerary clears immigration, submit it anyway — it is free and takes a few minutes.

The exemption is a tourism entitlement with conditions attached, and those conditions are enforceable at the border even when they are rarely checked.

Two document points matter. The exemption applies only to holders of passports issued by listed countries; other travel documents are not accepted. Temporary, provisional and emergency passports are accepted, but must be valid for at least six months upon returning to the country of residence, per the Royal Thai Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Travellers must also have adequate cash of or equivalent to 20,000 Baht per person or 40,000 Baht per family, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand issued a proof-of-funds reminder in July 2026. It is an entry condition, so be prepared even if most travellers are not asked.

This condition is new in 2026 and aimed at border runs. Travellers using the exemption may generally enter no more than twice per calendar year at land borders, per the Tourism Authority of Thailand. The same cap applies to the 15-day tier unless the Interior Minister grants an exception.

Nationals of Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Singapore are reported as exempt from the cap, as are nationalities the Minister designates. Arrivals by air are not affected.

The consequence: repeated overland exits and re-entries to reset a visa-free stay no longer work. If you travel to Thailand often, a multiple-entry Tourist Visa or a DTV is the route that fits, and DoVisa can prepare either.

Use six months as your planning baseline. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs requires a passport valid for at least 6 months on its Issuance of Visa page, Thai missions apply the same standard to visa-exempt arrivals, and airlines enforce it at check-in regardless.

Two funds figures circulate because they belong to different schemes. Visa exemption: 20,000 THB per person or 40,000 THB per family. Visa on Arrival: 10,000 THB per person or 20,000 THB per family, plus a fully paid ticket usable within 15 days of entry. Plan against whichever applies to you.

Your document list depends on whether you use visa-free entry or apply for a visa. Within the exemption, the only pre-arrival form is the TDAC, which asks for passport details, flight number and arrival date, address in Thailand, travel purpose, health declaration information and an email address, per the Immigration Bureau FAQ.

For longer stays, the e-Visa route is universal: Thai e-Visa has been available through all 94 Thai embassies and consulates-general since January 1, 2025. The official e-Visa manual describes the process as creating an account, filling in the form, uploading documents, paying the fee, waiting for processing and receiving the visa by email.

One detail catches people out: you apply to the mission with jurisdiction over where you live, not your nationality. That is also why fees differ between missions — the statutory fee is set in baht, but each mission charges the local-currency equivalent.

TDAC is about accurate arrival data. Have your passport, travel details, first accommodation address and health declaration answers ready; the Immigration Bureau says it takes about 3-5 minutes per person, if all information is ready, on its FAQ.

Two things catch people out. The card is valid for one time use, so a trip with two Thailand entries needs two submissions. And your full name, passport number, nationality and date of birth cannot be corrected after submission; everything else can. You do not need to print it.

The Destination Thailand Visa has three eligibility routes in the MFA DTV checklist: DTV1 Workcation for digital nomads, remote workers, foreign talent and freelancers; DTV2 Thai soft power activities such as Muay Thai, Thai culinary training and medical treatment; and DTV3 for the spouse and children under 20 of a DTV holder.

All three need a bank statement of no less than 500,000 THB plus route-specific evidence — an employment certificate, contract or portfolio for workcation, or activity enrolment or a hospital appointment for soft power. Missions commonly also ask for proof of residence and police clearance.

Retirement routes are age and finance based: Non-Immigrant O requires applicants to be at least 50 with a deposit equivalent to 800,000 THB or monthly income of 65,000 THB, per the MFA retirement checklist. The O-A Long Stay route applies the same tests over a one-year multiple-entry visa and adds a medical certificate and health insurance, whose figure varies by mission.

These are document-heavy applications where one missing statement restarts the clock. DoVisa reviews the full pack before submission.

Start with two questions: which entry category does my passport fall into, and how long is my trip? If you are visa-exempt and within the permitted window, your only pre-departure action is the TDAC. If either answer points to a visa, start earlier — e-Visa applications need document uploads and mission processing time.

The window is short and specific: submit within 3 days in advance of arriving in Thailand, including the date of arrival, described elsewhere by the Immigration Bureau as up to 72 hours before entry, on its FAQ. Do not submit weeks early and assume it covers a later arrival.

Group submission allows a maximum of 10 entries per submission, and one adult may complete it for family, children or group travellers. Each traveller still needs their own accurate details.

If your stay exceeds your exemption, or your nationality no longer has one, do not wait for the TDAC window to think about visas. Missions generally accept applications from about 90 days before arrival and reject anything earlier.

There is no single global processing time. Missions publish their own, commonly 5 to 15 working days from a complete application, some stating up to 14 working days from payment. Check the mission handling your file; payment is by credit card in the e-Visa system and is non-refundable.

Thai visa fees are set in Thai baht centrally, but each of the 94 missions charges the local-currency equivalent and publishes only that figure. The table below uses the statutory THB amounts, which are identical for every nationality; convert to your currency and confirm the exact charge in the e-Visa system.

The Issuance of Visa page lists Transit at 800 Baht per entry, Tourist at 1,000 Baht per entry with 3-month or 6-month validity and a stay not exceeding 60 days, and Non-Immigrant at 2,000 Baht single entry and 5,000 Baht multiple, with the caveat that fees may change without prior notice.

The arrival card is the outlier: it is genuinely free on the official TDAC page, and Thai missions confirm that TDAC is free of charge. Any charge you pay is a service fee for preparing and submitting it, not a government fee.

The fees above are what Thailand charges. What they do not cover is the part that goes wrong: a bank statement that does not span the right months, a passport number typed with a letter O instead of a zero, an arrival card submitted outside its window, or a DTV pack missing the one document the mission asks for last.

DoVisa handles Thailand applications end to end — arrival card, Tourist Visa, multiple-entry Tourist Visa, Destination Thailand Visa and the retirement routes — with a document check before submission and status updates until the visa is issued.

Start your Thailand application with DoVisa and have the requirements checked against your nationality, dates and purpose before you pay a government fee that is not refundable.

The new exemption gives a shorter starting stay, but the extension mechanism survives. It can be extended for another period not exceeding 30 days, and extension of stay is solely at the discretion of the immigration officer, per the Royal Thai Embassy in Washington, D.C.

You apply at any Immigration office on form TM.7 with a photograph and a 1,900 THB fee. Do not treat it as automatic: you enter with the permission granted at the border, and the officer decides on any more. If your plan already depends on staying longer, a visa chosen before departure is the calmer route.

On the transition, foreign nationals entering before the measures take effect will be permitted to remain for the duration of their existing permitted stay, per Thailand.go.th. The rollback is not retroactive: a 60-day stamp issued on September 14, 2026 keeps its 60 days.

Yes, but plan carefully. The stay can be extended by another period not exceeding 30 days at the officer’s discretion, taking a maximum visa-exempt stay to about 60 days from entry. Apply at any Immigration office before your current permission expires, with form TM.7, a photograph and a 1,900 THB fee.

If you know before departure that you want longer, compare a Tourist Visa: it gives up to 60 days per entry as of right and can itself be extended — a materially stronger position than arriving on an exemption and hoping.

Overstaying is the risk that grows when a permitted stay is halved and travellers keep planning as though it had not been. The fine is 500 Baht per day, to a maximum of 20,000 Baht for overstays of 40 days or longer, per the Royal Thai Embassy overstay guidance.

Longer overstays carry re-entry bans. The same guidance describes an overstay of more than 90 days as a serious offence resulting in deportation and a ban, with the length depending on the overstay. None of it is worth risking to save a visa fee.

If your trip exceeds 30 days, the right option depends on purpose, not just dates. A Tourist Visa gives a stay not exceeding 60 days per entry under the MFA fee and validity table — it restores exactly what the old exemption gave, for 1,000 THB.

A multiple-entry Tourist Visa at 5,000 THB with 6-month validity suits repeated trips, and is now the obvious answer for anyone who relied on repeated visa-free entries — especially at land borders, where the two-per-year cap bites.

The DTV is a different instrument: the MFA DTV checklist sets it at 10,000 THB for a multiple-entry visa valid 5 years with 180 days per entry, extendable once by up to a further 180 days, but document-heavy and restricted to three categories.

Retirement routes need applicants at least 50 with a deposit equivalent to 800,000 THB or monthly income of 65,000 THB. A ten-year O-X route also still exists for a restricted list of nationalities at 10,000 THB, with substantially higher thresholds.

None of these routes is exotic or hard to qualify for — the failure mode is almost always a document detail, not eligibility. DoVisa prepares and submits all of them: Tourist Visa, multiple-entry Tourist Visa, DTV and both retirement routes, with the pack checked before it goes to the mission.

For a short beach, city or family holiday, visa-free entry plus a TDAC is enough if you stay within your permitted period. For a single trip of five or six weeks, a Tourist Visa at 1,000 THB is the cheapest clean fix.

For frequent visitors — people crossing from Malaysia, Laos or Cambodia several times a year, or splitting time between Thailand and a nearby base — the multiple-entry Tourist Visa is now close to essential, because the land cap removes the pattern they relied on.

If you work remotely, train in Muay Thai, take a culinary course or come for medical treatment, check DTV evidence early: the 500,000 THB statement usually has to cover a defined recent period, which you cannot assemble the week before you fly. If you are retired and 50 or above, compare Non-Immigrant O against O-A on entry pattern and insurance, not on fee.

Thailand’s entry rules have changed several times in two years, so old screenshots and cached embassy pages are actively misleading. Several official Thai pages still carry superseded figures from earlier stages of this reform.

Thailand introduced the expanded 60-day exemption for 93 countries and territories on July 15, 2024, alongside a 31-country Visa on Arrival list. Thai e-Visa reached all 94 Thai missions worldwide on January 1, 2025, and the Thailand Digital Arrival Card replaced the paper TM.6 on May 1, 2025.

The Cabinet approved the revision on May 19, 2026 at 54 countries, updated it on July 14, 2026 at 59, and the four Ministry of Interior notices were published on August 31, 2026 at the final figures — 60 countries at 30 days, 2 at 15 days and 3 on Visa on Arrival — locking in the September 15, 2026 effective date.

For most travellers the change shows up in ordinary trip planning: the arrival hall, the first hotel address, the itinerary through Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai.

Find your passport in one of the three lists first. If you are among the 60 nationalities keeping visa-free entry, check your dates against 30 days rather than 60, and complete the TDAC within 3 days before arrival as required by the Immigration Bureau.

If your nationality has come off the list, or your trip is longer than the exemption allows, or you cross a land border more than twice a year, the exemption is no longer your route. A Tourist Visa restores a 60-day stay for 1,000 THB, a multiple-entry visa covers repeat trips, and the DTV and retirement routes cover longer stays.

Getting it wrong costs a refused boarding, a refusal at the border or an overstay fine — all dearer than applying properly. Check your requirements and start your Thailand application with DoVisa.