Thailand's New Visa Exemption Rules from 15 September 2026: Who Gets 30 Days, Who Needs a Visa

Thailand’s visa exemption framework changed on 15 September 2026. Four announcements by the Ministry of Interior, published in the Royal Gazette on 31 August 2026 (Volume 143, Special Issue 207 Ngor), took effect fifteen days later. Together they repeal the 60-day visa-free scheme that had applied since July 2024 and replace it with a shorter, narrower set of rules.

This guide sets out exactly what the new framework says, which nationalities fall into which group, what has not changed, and what to do if 30 days is not enough for the stay you have in mind. Where a rule depends on your own passport, we say so, and we link to the official portals at the end so you can check the current text yourself.

The new framework at a glance

Category	Who	Stay on arrival
30-day visa exemption	60 countries and territories	30 days
15-day visa exemption	Seychelles, Mauritius	15 days
Visa on Arrival	Azerbaijan, Belarus, Serbia	Per Visa on Arrival terms
Visa required in advance	21 nationalities previously covered by the 60-day scheme	Apply on the Thai e-Visa portal before travelling
Bilateral visa-waiver agreements	China, Russia, Brazil, Argentina and others	Unchanged, set by each agreement

The 60-day exemption no longer exists for anyone. If you are used to arriving and receiving two months, you now receive one, or in some cases nothing without a visa.

The 30-day visa exemption: the full list of 60

Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, 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, United States of America.

Travellers on this list are admitted for 30 days per entry. The stamp or digital record you receive on arrival is what counts, so check it before you leave the immigration counter.

The 15-day exemption and Visa on Arrival

Nationals of Seychelles and Mauritius receive a 15-day exemption.

Visa on Arrival is now limited to nationals of Azerbaijan, Belarus and Serbia. Under the previous framework the Visa on Arrival list was far longer. If your nationality was on it and is not among these three, you now need a visa before you travel.

21 nationalities that now need a visa in advance

These countries were covered by the 60-day exemption and are not on any of the new lists: Albania, Andorra, Colombia, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Kosovo, Mexico, Monaco, Morocco, Panama, Papua New Guinea, San Marino, Sri Lanka, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay and Uzbekistan.

If you hold one of these passports, apply for a Tourist Visa on the official Thai e-Visa portal while you are outside Thailand, and allow processing time before your flight. This list is compiled from the new announcements against the previous exemption list; the e-Visa portal shows the authoritative position for each nationality, so confirm there before booking.

Bilateral agreements are not affected

The new announcements govern Thailand’s unilateral exemption scheme. Visa-waiver agreements signed with individual countries continue to apply on their own terms. In practice this means:

• Chinese nationals continue to enter under the China-Thailand mutual visa-exemption agreement in force since 1 March 2024: 30 days per entry, with a cumulative limit of 90 days in any 180-day period. Nothing changes for Chinese passport holders on 15 September.
• Russian nationals continue under their bilateral arrangement, currently 30 days.
• Brazilian and Argentine nationals continue under agreements that grant 90 days.

If your country has a bilateral agreement with Thailand, that agreement decides your stay, not the 30-day list above.

What changes for UK nationals

British passport holders were on the 60-day scheme and are now on the 30-day list. For a two-week holiday nothing is different. For a longer trip, a period of remote work, a medical stay, or time spent looking at property and neighbourhoods before committing to a long-stay visa, the difference is real: one month instead of two, and the option of one further month at immigration rather than an assumed 90 days.

The sensible response is not to plan around border runs. It is to match the visa to the purpose of the stay before you travel, which is where the long-stay routes below come in.

What changes for Chinese nationals

In terms of permitted stay, nothing. The bilateral 30-day exemption continues exactly as before. The practical requirements that apply to every arriving foreigner still apply: the Thailand Digital Arrival Card must be submitted before arrival, and immigration officers may ask for a return or onward ticket and evidence of funds.

The land-border rule: twice per calendar year

Travellers using the 30-day exemption at a land border may generally do so no more than twice in a calendar year. Nationals of Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Singapore are exempt from this cap, and the Minister of Interior may designate further exceptions. The 15-day exemption carries a similar restriction.

Arrivals by air are not subject to a numerical cap under the announcements, but immigration officers retain full discretion. Repeated tourist entries can still be questioned, and entry can still be refused if an officer believes the exemption is being used for a purpose it was not designed for.

Extending a 30-day stay at immigration

A traveller admitted under the 30-day exemption may apply at an immigration office, before the permitted stay ends, for an extension of up to a further 30 days. The government fee is 1,900 baht. Approval is at the officer’s discretion; paying the fee does not guarantee it. Travellers admitted for 15 days, or under Visa on Arrival, should not assume the same routine extension is available to them.

If you entered Thailand before 15 September

The new rules do not shorten permission that was already granted. Someone admitted for 60 days on 14 September keeps the full 60 days stamped on entry. The new framework applies to entries on or after 15 September 2026.

What has not changed at the border

• The Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) remains mandatory for almost every non-Thai national arriving by air, land or sea, whatever the visa type. It is free and is submitted at tdac.immigration.go.th within the three days before arrival, including the arrival day.
• A return or onward ticket within your permitted stay may be requested.
• Evidence of funds may be requested. For Visa on Arrival the stated amount is 10,000 baht per person or 20,000 baht per family.

Visa-free entry has never meant document-free entry, and under the new framework officers have been reminded to check.

Long-stay visas are not touched by this change

The announcements amend the tourist exemption and Visa on Arrival framework only. They do not cancel any valid visa or alter the permitted stay attached to other categories. If you already hold one of the following, your position is unchanged:

• Destination Thailand Visa (DTV): five-year validity, 180 days per entry, for qualifying remote workers and participants in Thai soft-power programmes.
• Retirement visas (Non-Immigrant O and O-A) for those aged 50 and over.
• Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa: ten-year route administered through the Board of Investment.
• Non-Immigrant B with a work permit, and Non-Immigrant ED for students.

If 30 days is not enough

You have three broad options, and the right one depends on why you are coming.

1. Apply for a Tourist Visa before you travel. A single-entry Tourist Visa obtained through the Thai e-Visa portal gives 60 days per entry, extendable by 30 days at immigration. The Multiple-Entry Tourist Visa (METV) is valid for six months with 60 days per entry. This is the direct replacement for anyone who relied on the old 60-day exemption for holidays or family visits.
2. Use the 30-day extension once. Enter on the exemption, then apply at immigration for the further 30 days. This suits a single trip of up to two months, provided you accept that the extension is discretionary.
3. Get the visa that matches your purpose. Remote work points to the DTV. Retirement points to the Non-O or O-A route. Employment needs a Non-B and work permit. Study needs a Non-ED. These take preparation, but they remove the question of days entirely.

What no longer works is treating the exemption as a way to live in Thailand in 60-day blocks. The land-border cap, the shorter window and the discretion officers have at air entry all point the same way.

How Gateway Siam helps

We work with British and Chinese nationals who want to stay in Thailand for longer than a tourist exemption allows, whether that means a Tourist Visa for a two-month trip or a DTV, retirement or LTR route for a real move. We confirm which rule applies to your passport, prepare the documents in the form the officers expect, and manage the application through the e-Visa portal or the relevant Thai office. Every case starts with a free assessment, after which you receive a fixed fee in writing before any work begins. Government and embassy fees are itemised separately at cost.

The official texts behind this guide are published by the Ministry of Interior in the Royal Gazette, summarised by the Tourism Authority of Thailand, and applied at the border by the Immigration Bureau. The e-Visa portal shows the current position for each nationality. Check those sources for your own case; rules of this kind can be adjusted again by ministerial announcement.