Thailand visa free 30 days: what changed on 15 September 2026

Visas November 4, 2026

From 15 September 2026, tourists from 60 countries get 30 days visa-free in Thailand instead of 60. Here is who qualifies, how the extension and land-border cap work, and when a Tourist Visa makes more sense.

Since 15 September 2026, passport holders from 60 countries and territories, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, India and most of the EU, get 30 days visa-free in Thailand for tourism, down from the 60 days that applied from July 2024. You can still apply once at a Thai immigration office for up to 30 more days (fee 1,900 baht, approval at the officer's discretion), so 60 days without a pre-arranged visa is still possible, but it is no longer automatic. If you know you want more than a month, the Tourist Visa (TR) is now the safer route. This guide covers exactly what the Thailand visa free 30 days 2026 rule says, who it applies to, and how to plan around it.

What changed, and when

The Ministry of Interior published four announcements in the Royal Gazette on 31 August 2026 (Volume 143, Special Issue 207 Ngor). Each took effect 15 days after publication, so the new rules apply to entries from 15 September 2026. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and Thai embassies confirmed the same date.

The 60-day exemption is repealed. The special scheme introduced on 15 July 2024 for 93 countries and territories ended. Entries up to and including 14 September 2026 kept the stay they were stamped for.
New 30-day exemption, tourism only. 60 countries and territories qualify. Unlike the old scheme, it no longer covers short business meetings or short-term work, so business visitors now need a visa.
Land-border cap. Visa-exempt entries through land checkpoints are limited to two per calendar year. Nationals of Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Singapore are exempt from the cap. Air arrivals are not capped by this rule.
15-day exemption for Seychelles and Mauritius.
Visa on Arrival cut to three nationalities: Azerbaijan, Belarus and Serbia (previously 31).
Bilateral agreements unchanged. Separate treaties still give 90, 30 or 14 days to some nationalities (for example, South Korea, Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Peru keep 90 days; China, Russia and Vietnam keep 30 days).

Thailand visa free 30 days in 2026: who qualifies

The Royal Gazette list, as reproduced by TAT, covers: Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bhutan, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Türkiye, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and United States.

If your nationality was on the old 93-country list but is not on this one, the 15-day list, the Visa on Arrival list or a bilateral agreement, you now need a visa before you travel. Thailand's e-Visa portal (thaievisa.go.th) handles applications for most nationalities.

One detail that catches people out: the exemption applies to passports. The London embassy notes that British and Irish travel documents other than passports do not qualify, and emergency or temporary passports are accepted only on the terms set out by each embassy.

Old rule vs new rule at a glance

	Until 14 Sep 2026	From 15 Sep 2026
Stay on arrival	60 days	30 days
Eligible countries	93	60 (plus 2 at 15 days)
Purpose covered	Tourism, short business, short-term work	Tourism only
In-country extension	Up to 30 days	Up to 30 days, at officer's discretion
Maximum without a visa	Up to 90 days	Up to 60 days
Land-border entries	Not capped under the 60-day scheme	2 per calendar year (some ASEAN nationals exempt)
Visa on Arrival countries	31	3

What you need at the border

Thai embassy guidance updated for the new scheme lists what immigration officers can ask for on arrival:

A passport valid for at least six months.
Proof of onward travel within 30 days of arrival. The London embassy states this explicitly. A return flight on day 45 does not meet it, even if you plan to extend.
Proof of accommodation, at least for the first part of the stay.
Proof of funds if asked. The amounts set by the Ministry of Interior announcement, as published by TAT, are 10,000 baht per person or 20,000 baht per family for transit, Visa on Arrival and "certain visa-exempt cases", and 20,000 baht per person or 40,000 baht per family for Tourist and Non-Immigrant visas; children under 12 are exempt. Some embassies quote more for visa-exempt tourists: the Washington embassy says 20,000 baht per person or 40,000 baht per family, and the London embassy says officers may ask to see 20,000 baht per person. The final decision rests with the immigration officer, so carrying 20,000 baht per person (or the equivalent, or a bank card and recent statement) covers either reading.
The Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC), submitted online within three days before arrival, for every entry. It is free and is not a visa.

Checks are discretionary. Most air arrivals are waved through, but the officer has the final say and can interview you.

How to extend your 30 days

The extension is applied for inside Thailand, not at an embassy. The Royal Thai Embassy in Washington says the 30-day stay "can be extended for another period not exceeding 30 days", and that extension is solely at the immigration officer's discretion.

Go to an immigration office before your stamp expires. In Bangkok, visa-exempt extensions have long been handled at the office in the IT Square mall in Lak Si; elsewhere use the provincial office (for example, Jomtien for Pattaya, or Chiang Mai, Phuket and Krabi offices).
Bring the TM.7 form (available at the office or from the Immigration Bureau website), your passport, copies of the photo page, entry stamp and TDAC/arrival record, and one recent passport photo.
Pay 1,900 baht in cash.
Check the new date in your passport before you leave the counter.

Only one 30-day extension is available per visa-exempt entry. After that you must leave. Overstaying carries a fine of 500 baht per day, capped at 20,000 baht, and longer overstays can lead to a re-entry ban, so do not let the date slip.

Exemption plus extension, or a Tourist Visa?

Option	Initial stay	Extension	Possible total	Best for
Visa exemption	30 days	Up to 30 days (1,900 baht)	60 days	Trips under a month, or flexible plans
Tourist Visa (TR), single entry	60 days	Up to 30 days (1,900 baht)	90 days	Anyone who already knows they want 5+ weeks

The TR visa costs money and needs an online application several weeks ahead, but it removes two risks: being refused boarding because your onward ticket is beyond day 30, and relying on a discretionary extension. Fees differ by embassy, so check the e-Visa portal for your country.

What travelers report

The new rule is weeks old, but Thailand ran an almost identical 30-day exemption before July 2024, and travelers' experiences from that period are the best guide to how it works in practice.

Extensions are routine, but it is a queue. A traveler who logged the Bangkok IT Square office on iOverlander reports a well-organised ticket system but a cap of about 300 applicants a day and a lunch break from 12 to 1, so arrive early with photocopies and a photo to avoid paying for them on site.
The stamp includes your arrival day. In an ASEAN NOW thread from 2023, forum regulars explained that arrival and departure days both count, so a 30-day stamp from 8 May runs to 6 June. Experienced members said the 30-day extension of a visa-exempt entry is very rarely refused.
Land crossings get more scrutiny. The same thread's original poster, entering at Nong Khai after an earlier refusal at a Cambodian border, describes tough questioning and having to show cash, an onward ticket and a hotel booking before being admitted and told to get a visa next time.
Back-to-back air entries can be questioned too. In a 2022 ASEAN NOW discussion, one member reports being stopped at Suvarnabhumi after short Singapore trips and told they needed a proper visa; it took about an hour to be let through. Another long-time poster notes that you do not need an onward flight to apply for the extension itself, only to enter.

Treat these as individual experiences; officer practice varies by checkpoint and over time.

Common mistakes

Booking a return flight after day 30. Airlines can deny boarding if you cannot show onward travel within the permitted stay. If you plan to extend, hold a cheap refundable or changeable onward ticket inside 30 days, or get a TR visa.
Counting 30 nights, not 30 days. Day one is your arrival day. Read the date on the stamp.
Planning a land-border "visa run" chain. Two land entries per year is a hard cap for most nationalities, and repeated short exits attract questions at airports too.
Using the exemption for work or business. The new exemption is for tourism only. Meetings, conferences and short assignments now need the right visa.
Arriving with no cash or proof of funds. It is rarely checked, but when it is, you need it on the spot. Use an ATM inside the airport and decline dynamic currency conversion; see the guide to avoiding ATM fees and DCC.
Paying "visa agents" at the border. The exemption is free and the extension is done by you at an immigration office. Touts offering to speed things up are a known scam; see travel scams in Southeast Asia.
Forgetting the TDAC. It must be filed for every entry, including returns from a side trip to Laos or Cambodia.

Bottom line

For a typical two-to-four-week holiday, nothing much changes: you arrive, get 30 days, and leave. For longer trips, the 60 days you used to get on arrival now means 30 days plus a discretionary extension costing 1,900 baht, with an onward ticket inside the first 30 days. If you already know you want more than a month, apply for a Tourist Visa before you fly. Check your own nationality against the official list, since bilateral agreements and the 15-day tier still apply to some passports, and rules can change again with little notice.