Thailand's cabinet has approved scrapping its generous 60-day visa-exempt stay, returning most visitors to 30 days visa-free amid concerns over misuse of the longer window.
Cover image: the Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok — photo by Nawit science, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Thailand is reining in one of the most generous visa-free policies in Asia. The country's cabinet has approved a major change to its visa-exemption scheme, discontinuing the 60-day visa-exempt stay introduced in 2024 and returning most travellers to a 30-day visa-free entry.
The decision, approved on 19 May 2026, affects visitors from dozens of countries that had enjoyed the extended window — including the United States, United Kingdom, EU member states, Canada, Australia and Japan. For the typical tourist on a two- or three-week holiday, the practical impact is limited; for long-stay visitors, digital nomads and frequent border-hoppers, it is significant.
Why Thailand is tightening up
Thai authorities have been candid about the rationale. The generous 60-day window, officials said, was being misused — used by some visitors for unauthorised employment and other non-tourism activities that the visa-exempt scheme was never designed to permit. Pulling the stay back to 30 days is intended to close that gap while keeping Thailand open and accessible to genuine tourists.
It is a balancing act familiar to many popular destinations: maximise the economic benefit of easy access for short-stay leisure visitors, while limiting the unintended use of liberal entry rules for long-term residence or work.
What changes for travellers
The headline numbers tell the story:
- Before: up to 60 days visa-free for eligible nationalities.
- After: a return to 30 days visa-free for most travellers.
- Longer stays: those wanting more time will need to use appropriate visa channels or extensions rather than relying on the visa-exempt entry.
For most holidaymakers, 30 days is more than enough. The travellers most affected are those who had restructured longer stays — remote workers, retirees on extended visits and others — around the 60-day allowance.
Part of a wider regional trend
Thailand's move fits a broader 2026 pattern of destinations recalibrating entry rules. Around the world, governments are tightening or repricing access — from new visa fees to digital arrival systems — as they balance tourism revenue against concerns over overstays, unauthorised work and border control. The era of ever-loosening entry rules is giving way to more selective, conditional access.
The bottom line
Thailand remains one of the world's most welcoming destinations, and 30 days visa-free is still a generous allowance by global standards. But the rollback of the 60-day scheme is a clear signal: even tourism-dependent economies are drawing firmer lines around how their open-door policies can be used. Long-stay visitors should plan their 2026 trips accordingly.
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