Thailand cuts visa-free stay to 30 days for 54 countries after Cabinet scraps 60-day scheme

Cabinet approved May 19 the rollback of the July 2024 60-day visa-free programme covering more than 90 countries, citing misuse by grey-market operators and scam networks.

BY ASHISH KUMAR, EDITOR · LAST UPDATED MAY 19, 2026 · 5-MINUTE READ

Thailand's Cabinet approved on May 19, 2026 the termination of the 60-day visa-free entry scheme covering more than 90 countries, reverting to a tiered framework that caps most tourists at 30 days and a small group at 15 days. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) confirmed the decision the same day at its weekly press briefing in Bangkok. The new rules take legal effect 15 days after publication of three implementing announcements in the Royal Thai Government Gazette.

What's changed

The Cabinet voted to end the 60-day blanket visa exemption that has been in force since July 2024 and covered tourists from 93 countries — the largest single visa-free expansion in modern Thai consular history. In its place, the government will revert to a tiered structure built on three categories.

The first category grants a 30-day visa exemption to nationals of 54 countries and territories, covering Thailand's traditional inbound markets — the United Kingdom, the United States, most European Union member states, Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea, India, and Gulf states. The second category provides a 30-day bilateral visa exemption to nine countries and territories: China, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Laos, Macao, Mongolia, Russia, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam. The third category sets a tighter 15-day visa exemption for Maldives, Mauritius, and Seychelles.

Mangkon Pratumkaew, Director-General of the Department of Consular Affairs at the MFA, told reporters that the reform will be implemented through three separate announcements by the Ministry of Interior. Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul, who pushed for the rollback, said in remarks reported by the Thai press: "The emphasis must be on quality tourists, not simply on making entry easy and achieving high volume."

Who's affected

Travellers from the 93 countries currently eligible for 60-day stays will see their permitted stay halved or, for the three island-state exemptions, cut by 75 per cent. The change affects tourists, business visitors entering under the exemption rather than under a Non-Immigrant B visa, and remote workers who have used back-to-back visa exemptions to maintain de facto residence in Thailand.

Thai authorities have framed the change as a response to documented abuse of the 60-day window. Officials cited a rise in unauthorised foreign workers, grey-market enterprises operating without local licensing, and online scam networks using extended tourist stays to base operations on Thai soil. The Cabinet's preamble noted that "60 days may be too long and can create opportunities for individuals whose purpose is not tourism to remain in Thailand for extended periods, or even settle there."

Travellers seeking stays longer than 30 days retain access to the Tourist Visa (TR) for up to 60 days, the Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa for qualifying high-income earners, retirees, and remote-work professionals, and the Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) introduced in 2024 for digital nomads and freelancers on five-year multi-entry terms.

When it takes effect

The Ministry of Interior will publish three regulatory announcements implementing the Cabinet decision; the new rules take legal effect 15 days after each announcement appears in the Royal Thai Government Gazette. No specific Gazette publication date has been set; the MFA has stated only that publication will follow "in the coming weeks." Travellers arriving before the effective date continue to receive 60-day stamps under the existing exemption.