Thailand visa-exempt entry by land will be limited to two crossings per calendar year for most travellers from September 15 under a new framework published in the Royal Gazette.
Thailand will begin limiting most visa-exempt land border entries to two per calendar year from September 15, a change aimed at repeated overland border runs. The cap does not apply to arrivals by air.
New cap targets repeated land border entries
Thailand is tightening the rules for visa-exempt travellers who enter the country through land checkpoints. From September 15, most nationalities using visa-exempt entry at a land border will be allowed to do so only twice in a calendar year.
The change is part of a new visa framework published in the Royal Gazette on August 31. That framework replaces the previous 60-day visa-exempt stay and reduces the standard visa-free period to 30 days.
The counting rule is specific to land checkpoints, the route commonly used by travellers making regular border runs to extend their time in Thailand. Arrivals by air are not affected by the twice-a-year limit.
Four ASEAN nationalities excluded from the limit
Travellers from Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Singapore are exempt from the new land-entry cap. Nationals of those four countries may continue to enter Thailand by land without being counted against the two-entry annual ceiling.
The interior minister will also have authority to add further nationalities to the exemption list in the future. For now, the rule applies broadly to other visa-exempt travellers entering overland.
The same two-entry annual limit also applies to the new 15-day visa exemption available to travellers from Seychelles and Mauritius.
Longer stays will require the right visa
For people who have been staying in Thailand through repeated visa-exempt land entries, the practical effect is significant. Two land entries under the 30-day exemption would cover roughly two months of the year, after which travellers would need another lawful basis to remain.
- Tourist visa
- Destination Thailand Visa, or DTV
- Retirement visa
- Non-Immigrant B visa
The visa-exempt arrangement being replaced had been in force since July 15, 2024, and did not restrict how many times a traveller could enter Thailand through a land border. That unlimited overland use ends on September 15.
The change makes planning more important for frequent visitors, remote workers, retirees and others who spend extended periods in Thailand. Travellers who need more than short visits should choose a visa category that matches their purpose of stay before relying on another border crossing.
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