Quick summary
Thailand’s Cabinet approved the cancellation of its 60-day visa exemption on 19 May 2026, replacing it with a 30-day limit for travelers from 54 countries, including Australia, New Zealand, the United States, the United Kingdom, and most of Europe. The change takes effect 15 days after publication in the Royal Gazette — not from the cabinet approval date. Travelers planning stays beyond 30 days will need a visa.
Some Thai embassy websites still display the old 60-day rule, creating a dangerous information gap. The effective date, which embassy pages to trust, and what to do if your trip exceeds 30 days are all covered below.
Thailand has formally reversed one of its most traveler-friendly visa policies. On 19 May 2026, the Thai Cabinet approved the cancellation of the 60-day visa exemption that had been in place since July 2024 — cutting the permitted stay to 30 days for nationals of 54 countries, including Australia, New Zealand, the US, and the UK. A separate group of 3 countries drops to just 15 days.
The new rules are not yet in force. They take effect 15 days after publication in the Royal Gazette, which had not occurred at time of publication. That gap matters: travelers departing before the Gazette date enter under the old 60-day framework. Those arriving after it do not.
The practical impact is immediate for anyone planning an extended stay. Itineraries over 30 days — common among slow travelers, remote workers, and retirees using Thailand as a base — now require a visa strategy, not just a return ticket. The “I’ll figure out an extension once I’m there” approach becomes significantly riskier under the revised framework.
Australian and New Zealand travelers flying to Thailand from Australasia are directly in scope. Anyone with flights already booked for stays beyond 30 days should act before the Gazette publication date, not after.
What the cabinet decision actually changes
Thailand’s Thailand visa exemption revision published by the Public Relations Department confirms the cabinet approved the repeal of the 60-day scheme across all 93 previously covered countries and territories. The replacement framework is not a single blanket rule — it splits affected nationalities into tiers.
Most Western passport holders land in the 54-country group receiving 30 days. A smaller group of 3 countries receives only 15 days. The Visa on Arrival list has also been revised, though the specific country-by-country breakdown requires verification against the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ current published list for your passport.
| Category | Previous allowance | New allowance | Key nationalities |
|---|---|---|---|
| 54-country group | 60 days | 30 days | Australia, New Zealand, US, UK, most of Europe |
| 3-country group | 60 days | 15 days | Specific nationalities — verify with Thai MFA |
| Visa on Arrival | Previous list | Revised list | Country eligibility changed — check current list |
| Stays over 30 days | Extendable under 60-day entry | Visa required | All affected nationalities |
The stated rationale from Thai officials is misuse — extended stays involving unauthorized work or business activity, and frequent border-run patterns that effectively converted a tourist exemption into a long-term residency workaround. Al Jazeera’s reporting confirms the government is also tightening repeat-entry treatment under the revised framework, which affects frequent border-crossers beyond just the stay duration change.
Here is the critical information gap: some Thai embassy and consulate websites still display the 60-day figure. The 30-day visa-free stay change confirmed by BBC News is a national policy update — local embassy pages may lag by days or weeks. Relying on an outdated consulate page is how travelers end up with the wrong expectation at the immigration counter.
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Why this reversal hits long-haul travelers hardest
Thailand expanded visa-free stays from 30 to 60 days in July 2024 — a deliberate move to attract longer-stay tourists spending more per visit. Less than two years later, that policy is being unwound. The reversal is a direct consequence of the scheme being used in ways it wasn’t designed for.
For Australian and New Zealand travelers — who represent a significant share of long-haul leisure visitors to Thailand — the 60-day window had become a planning assumption. A month in Chiang Mai, two weeks on the islands, a week in Bangkok: that itinerary no longer fits inside a visa-exempt entry. It now requires either a tourist visa applied for before departure, or a shorter trip.
The same applies to US and UK travelers who built extended itineraries around the 60-day buffer. Remote workers who treated Thailand as a base under the exemption face the sharpest adjustment — the 30-day limit removes the flexibility that made the country viable without a formal visa. For flight options to Thailand from Australasia, the booking calculus now includes visa processing time as a real variable.
Extension rules under the new framework have not been explicitly confirmed in the cabinet announcement. Travelers should not assume the old extension pathway — a 30-day in-country extension at Thai Immigration — remains unchanged. That requires separate verification.
Steps to take before your Thailand departure
The Royal Gazette publication date is unknown — which means the effective date of the 30-day rule is unknown — and embassy websites are actively displaying conflicting information. Every traveler with Thailand plans in the next 90 days needs to verify independently.
- Check the Thai MFA directly: Go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs national page, not your local Thai embassy website. The MFA page reflects the current national policy. Embassy pages may lag by weeks during a transition.
- Verify within 72 hours of ticketing: Check again immediately before departure. The Gazette publication could happen any day, and the 15-day clock starts from that date — not from when you last checked.
- If your stay exceeds 30 days, apply for a visa now: Tourist visas for Thailand are available through Thai embassies and consulates. Processing times vary by country — allow at least 2 weeks. Do not book nonrefundable flights for a 45-day trip on the assumption that extensions will cover the gap.
- Carry onward travel proof regardless: A printed or digital return ticket and confirmed accommodation booking. Border scrutiny increases during policy transitions even before new rules formally apply.
- If you’re already in Thailand: The cabinet decision governs future arrivals. Travelers currently admitted under the 60-day exemption should verify any extension rights with Thai Immigration before their current permitted stay expires — do not assume the old extension pathway is unchanged.
Watch: The Royal Gazette publication date. Once published, the 30-day rule takes effect in exactly 15 days. Monitor the Thai MFA page and set a calendar reminder to recheck if your departure falls within the next 60 days.
Questions? Answers.
Will travelers already inside Thailand on a 60-day visa exemption be affected?
Entry-rule changes in Thailand have historically governed future arrivals, not travelers already admitted. If you entered before the Royal Gazette publication date, your permitted stay should reflect the conditions at the time of entry. However, if you plan to extend your stay at Thai Immigration, verify that extension rights remain unchanged under the new framework — the cabinet announcement did not explicitly confirm extension policy. Contact Thai Immigration directly before your current permitted stay expires.
Can I still extend a 30-day visa-exempt stay inside Thailand?
The cabinet announcement does not explicitly confirm whether in-country extensions remain available under the new 30-day framework. Previously, travelers could extend a visa-exempt stay by 30 days at a Thai Immigration office for a fee. That pathway may still exist, but it cannot be assumed until confirmed by Thai Immigration or the MFA. If your trip may exceed 30 days, applying for a tourist visa before departure is the lower-risk option — tourist visas typically allow 60 days with a possible 30-day extension.
My local Thai embassy website still shows 60 days — which is correct?
The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs national page is the authoritative source during a policy transition. Local embassy and consulate websites are updated independently and may continue displaying the old 60-day rule for days or weeks after the Royal Gazette publishes the new rules. Do not rely on your local embassy page. Check the MFA directly at mfa.go.th and recheck within 72 hours of your departure date.
Does this affect travelers who visit Thailand multiple times per year?
Yes, and potentially more significantly than single-trip visitors. Thai officials cited misuse of the visa-free scheme — including frequent border runs — as a driver of the policy change. Reporting from Al Jazeera indicates Thailand is tightening repeat-entry treatment under the revised framework. Travelers who regularly exit and re-enter Thailand to reset their visa-exempt stay should not assume that pattern remains viable. The specific repeat-entry rules have not been fully detailed in the cabinet announcement and require verification with Thai Immigration.
Do I need a visa for a trip under 30 days to Thailand?
No — if your nationality is in the 54-country group (which includes Australia, New Zealand, the US, and the UK), you will still enter Thailand visa-free for stays up to 30 days, once the new rules take effect after Royal Gazette publication. The change only removes the additional 30 days that were added in July 2024. Short-stay tourists are not required to obtain a visa. Carry proof of onward travel and accommodation, as border checks may be stricter during the policy transition period.
