Thailand’s revised visa-exemption framework took effect on September 15, 2026, ending the 60-day exemption that had applied to 93 countries and territories, according to Thaiger, corroborated by CNA. In its place, 60 nationalities — including Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, most EU member states, Japan and Singapore — now receive a 30-day visa exemption on arrival. Mauritius and Seychelles receive a 15-day exemption. The change is based on a Ministry of Interior notice published in the Royal Gazette on August 31, 2026, and applies according to entry date, not booking date.
Visa on Arrival, previously available more broadly, has been cut to just three nationalities — Azerbaijan, Belarus and Serbia — with a 15-day stay and a 2,000 baht fee. Citizens of Uzbekistan lose both the former visa exemption and Visa on Arrival eligibility; Armenian citizens lose Visa on Arrival. Countries with separate bilateral stay agreements are unaffected and retain their existing terms — for example, 30 days for China, Hong Kong and Vietnam, and 90 days for South Korea and Brazil.
Travellers entering under the new 30-day exemption can extend their stay once, by 30 days, at an immigration office, for a 1,900 baht fee (form TM.7); the extension is at the discretion of immigration officers, not automatic. A new cap also applies to land-border crossings: nationals of Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Singapore entering under the exemption by land are now limited to twice per calendar year. The Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) remains mandatory and free for all visitor categories, regardless of which exemption or visa route they enter under.
The practical effect is a shorter default stay window for most Western and EU nationalities (30 days instead of 60), a narrower Visa on Arrival list, and a twice-yearly cap on land-border entries for neighbouring-country nationals using the exemption route.
References
Thaiger – Thailand’s new visa rules start today: Full guide for tourists and expats
