It's Official: 60 days drop to 30 for Thailand visa-exempt arrivals on Sept. 15

Thailand will cut its visa-exempt entry allowance from 60 days to 30 days on Sept. 15, reversing a temporary expansion implemented earlier this year.

Rollback to 30-day entry limits

The government published the revised entry rules in the Royal Gazette on Aug. 31, following Cabinet approval on May 19. Under the updated framework, visitors arriving without a prearranged visa will receive an initial 30-day stay stamp rather than the 60-day permission granted under the preceding order.

The reduction affects passport holders from 60 countries and territories, including:

• The United States, Canada and Australia

• The United Kingdom and most European Union member states

• Japan, South Korea, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan

Authorities restructured the entry scheme under a "one country, one entitlement" principle to eliminate overlapping bilateral agreements, curb visa-run loops and route border screening through the Thailand Immigration Bureau system, the Public Relations Department confirmed.

Border enforcement and extension costs

Travelers entering Thailand before Sept. 15 will keep the full duration recorded on their initial entry stamp. Anyone passing through immigration checkpoints on or after the mid-month cutoff will receive the shorter 30-day stamp and must carry documentation for onward transit within that timeframe.

Remote workers and travelers using visa exemptions for rolling stays will face tighter turnarounds and higher maintenance costs. While local immigration offices routinely process a single 30-day extension for 1,900 THB ($56), nomads planning multi-month stays should consult country-by-country breakdowns to arrange formal consular visas rather than relying on back-to-back border runs.