Last verified: 9 July 2026. Thailand's visa exemption rules are in transition. The current 60-day exemption remains in force. A revised 30-day framework has been approved but has not yet been published in the Royal Gazette, and no effective date has been set. This article will be updated once that publication occurs.
At a glance
| Situation | Current position |
|---|---|
| Visa exemption length | 60 days (active now) |
| Approved future length | 30 days for most nationalities, 15 days for a smaller group |
| Effective date | 15 days after Royal Gazette publication, date not yet set |
| Trips already booked | Governed by the rule in force on your date of entry, not your booking date |
| Existing stays | Not affected retroactively once granted |
| TDAC | Required separately, regardless of exemption length |
If you're traveling soon, a trip of 30 days or less is unaffected by this change. A trip planned for 45 to 60 days needs a second look and, possibly, a Tourist Visa arranged in advance before you book around the current 60-day figure.
How long can you stay in Thailand right now?
As of this article's last verification date, most eligible nationalities can still enter Thailand visa-free and stay for up to 60 days. That figure has been in place since July 2024. Thailand's Cabinet approved a change to a tiered 30-day and 15-day system on 19 May 2026, but Thai law requires that change to be published in the Royal Gazette before it takes legal effect, and to date, no publication date has been announced. Immigration officers apply whichever rule is active on the day you land, not the day you booked your flight.
This means two things stay true at once. The 60-day exemption is genuinely still valid today. And it could stop being valid with as little as 15 days' notice once the Gazette publication happens. Travelers booking trips more than a month or two out should plan around the 30-day figure rather than the 60-day one still shown on many older guides.
Does your passport qualify
Eligibility for visa-free entry depends on nationality, and the list has changed several times in the past two years. A few points worth understanding before checking your own country:
Western European, North American, Australian, and several Asia-Pacific passports are on the exemption list today and are expected to remain on it under the revised framework, with the stay period shortening rather than eligibility disappearing.
A separate, smaller set of countries operates under bilateral agreements rather than the general exemption scheme. South Korea and several South American countries fall into this category, with stay periods that don't align with the general 60-to-30 change.
The Visa on Arrival list is being substantially reduced under the approved revision, from roughly 30 countries to 4. Travelers who currently rely on Visa on Arrival should confirm their status directly rather than assume it carries over.
Government sources remain the only reliable check. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate in your country of residence publish current, country-specific terms. Third-party guides, including this one, are a starting point, not a final answer, particularly while the framework is mid-transition.
What's changing and why
The revision reorganizes Thailand's short-stay entry system into three separate tracks rather than a single blanket exemption.
General visa exemption. Approximately 54 countries and territories are expected to move to a 30-day stay limit, down from 60 days. A much smaller group, expected to include the Maldives, Mauritius, and Seychelles, is expected to receive a 15-day exemption.
Visa on Arrival. Cut from roughly 30 countries to a handful, expected to include Azerbaijan, Belarus, Serbia, and India. Travelers currently entering on a Visa on Arrival who lose that eligibility will need to arrange a visa before travel.
Bilateral agreements. These sit outside the general framework and are not being revised in the same pass. Some, including certain ASEAN neighbors and South Korea, carry stay periods of up to 90 days.
Thai authorities have described the change as an effort to reduce overlapping entry categories and address concerns about visa-exempt entry being used for purposes beyond short-term tourism.
Extensions, and what they do and don't solve
A visa-exempt stay can currently be extended once at an Immigration office for an additional 30 days for a fee. That process is not changing on its own, but it applies to whatever base period is active when you enter. A 30-day exemption extended once still tops out well short of the 90 days some travelers were used to planning around under the 60-day scheme. If your itinerary requires more time than a base exemption plus one extension can cover, a Tourist Visa arranged before departure is the more reliable route, because it fixes your stay length at the point of application rather than leaving it to whichever rule happens to be active when you land.
If you're already in Thailand, or arrive before the change
Entries made before the new rules take effect are not affected retroactively. If you arrive on a 60-day exemption before the Gazette publication triggers the change, you keep the full 60 days, even if the rule changes while you're still in the country. The distinction that matters is your date of entry, not your date of booking or your date of departure from home.
What people underestimate about this transition
Booking around a figure that may not hold. Trips planned six or more months out are often based on the 60-day rule because that's what's documented in older guides and forum posts. If your travel dates fall after the Gazette's publication and that date isn't yet fixed, the 30-day figure is the one to plan around.
Airlines check onward travel before you reach immigration. Some carriers verify proof of onward or return travel at check-in, independent of what Thai immigration itself requires on arrival. This applies whether the exemption in force is 60 days or 30, and it catches travelers who assumed the airline wouldn't ask.
Confusing visa exemption with Visa on Arrival. These are two different processes with different costs, documentation, and, under the revised framework, very different eligibility lists. Assuming one covers you because the other used to is a common and avoidable error.
The TDAC is a separate requirement. The Thailand Digital Arrival Card must be completed online within 72 hours of arrival, regardless of which visa exemption category applies. It is free, and submissions should be made only through the official government portal.
Quick decision guide
- Trip of 30 days or less: Unaffected by either version of the rule. No action is needed beyond the standard TDAC submission.
- Trip of 30 to 60 days, dates uncertain relative to the Gazette publication: Treat the 30-day figure as the planning baseline. This is the range where slower island itineraries, such as an extended stay centered on Koh Lanta, tend to fall. Consider a Tourist Visa if your itinerary can't flex.
- Flying directly into the islands: Travelers routing through Phuket rather than Bangkok should confirm arrival logistics separately, since immigration processing details can differ by entry point. The Phuket Airport transfer guide covers what to expect after you clear immigration.
- For trips of 60 days or more, or repeated entries, a Tourist Visa arranged through a Thai embassy, consulate, or the official e-Visa portal removes the uncertainty entirely.
- Currently on Visa on Arrival eligibility: Confirm directly with a Thai embassy or consulate whether your nationality remains on the reduced list before booking further travel.
Frequently asked questions
When will Thailand's new 30-day visa exemption take effect? Fifteen days after the change is published in the Royal Gazette. As of this article's last verification, no publication date has been set, and the current 60-day exemption remains active.
Do I need a visa if I'm only transiting through Bangkok? Passengers who remain airside and do not clear immigration are generally exempt from visa and TDAC requirements. Anyone leaving the airport, even briefly, is subject to standard entry rules.
What's the difference between visa exemption and Visa on Arrival? Visa exemption requires no advance application and no fee. Visa on Arrival requires a fee, an application at the airport, and specific supporting documents, and it is being reduced to a much smaller list of eligible countries under the revised framework.
Can I extend a visa-exempt stay once I'm in Thailand? Yes, once, for an additional 30 days, through an Immigration office, for a fee. This applies to whichever base exemption period is active when you enter.
Will the 60-day exemption I already have be shortened once the new rules take effect? No. Changes apply to entries made after the effective date. A stay already granted is not shortened retroactively.
Where this leaves you
The honest answer to how long you can stay in Thailand right now is 60 days, for most eligible nationalities, with that figure expected to fall to 30 once a still-unscheduled Gazette publication takes effect. Trips booked well in advance, or itineraries built around slow travel across multiple Gulf Coast islands and similar longer routes, are the ones that actually need to plan around the transition rather than the current number. Everyone else can book with reasonable confidence and confirm the specifics closer to departure.
Two related planning steps are worth handling at the same time as your visa research: reviewing travel insurance for Thailand, since coverage terms interact with how long you're staying, and confirming your arrival airport in advance if you're flying into Bangkok, where Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang handle immigration processing somewhat differently.
For thoughtful travel planning and coordination inquiries, including questions about how this transition affects a specific itinerary, you can reach us directly at info@southeastasiasimplified.com.