Thailand Ends 60-Day Visa-Free Stay for 93 Countries
Thailand’s Cabinet has approved ending the 60-day visa-free stay for 93 countries and territories, with the change due after Royal Gazette publication. ([khaosodenglish.com](https://www.khaosodenglish.com/featured/2026/05/19/what-to-know-about-thailand-ending-60-day-visa-free-stays/?utm_source=openai))
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Thailand has approved ending its 60-day visa-free stay for nationals of 93 countries and territories, but the change is not expected to apply until the legal notice is published in the Royal Gazette.
What changed
The 60-day exemption introduced on July 15, 2024, for tourism, business engagements and urgent or ad-hoc work is being withdrawn. Thai officials said the move is meant to tighten visa use and return the system to a shorter-stay framework for most affected travelers.
What could replace it is still clearer than the headlines suggest: reports from Thai officials say most affected passport holders are expected to revert to the older, roughly 30-day visa-free allowance, while the wider visa framework is being reviewed country by country. Wire reports also say the government is narrowing some 30-day visa-free and visa-on-arrival categories, but travelers should wait for the Royal Gazette text before treating the final lists as fixed.
| Category | Length of stay | Countries / territories concerned |
|---|---|---|
| General visa exemption | 30 days | Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bhutan, Brunei, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkyie, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and United States. |
| Short visa exemption | 15 days | Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles. |
| Visa on arrival | TBA | Azerbaijan, Belarus, India, and Serbia. |
| Bilateral visa exemption | 14 days | Cambodia and Myanmar (arrivals through international airports) |
| Bilateral visa exemption | 30 days | China, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Laos, Macao, Mongolia, Russia, Timor-Leste and Vietnam |
| Bilateral visa exemption | 90 days | Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru and South Korea |
Who is affected
This is an ordinary passport rule change, so it affects travelers such as U.S. passport holders, Canadian passport holders and British passport holders who were using Thailand’s 60-day visa exemption. Diplomatic and official passport holders follow separate bilateral arrangements, so those travelers should check their own category instead of assuming the ordinary-passport rule applies.
When it takes effect
Thai news reports say the Cabinet decision will not take effect immediately. The revised rules are expected to start 15 days after publication in the Royal Gazette, which means travelers still need to confirm the status before departure if they are booking soon.
What travelers should know
- Do not assume a 60-day visa-free stay will still be available for your nationality once the new rule is published.
- If your trip needs longer than the new exemption allows, check whether a visa is a better fit before you travel. Thailand’s official visa guidance says visa types and stay lengths differ by category.
- Wait for the final Royal Gazette notice if you need the exact country list, because the government has signaled that several exemption and visa-on-arrival categories are being reshaped at the same time.
Why this matters
Thailand expanded its visa-free stay to 60 days in 2024 to support tourism and business travel, so the rollback is a meaningful shift for long-stay holidaymakers, repeat visitors and travelers planning multi-country itineraries. For many travelers, the practical effect will be shorter stays unless they apply for another visa category in advance.
Official guidance
Thailand’s Department of Consular Affairs says travelers should check the latest entry rules before departure, and the country’s official eVisa system is now available for foreign nationals outside Thailand through the government portal.
Apply now
If you may no longer qualify for visa-free entry, or you need a different stay length, check Thailand’s official eVisa portal at thaievisa.go.th. The portal is the government’s online application route for eligible visa categories.
