Quick summary
Thailand’s cabinet has voted to cut the visa-free stay period from 60 days to 30 days for tourists from 93 countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, all major EU nations, Australia, and New Zealand. Three countries will lose visa-waiver status entirely, though their names have not been released. The change takes effect 15 days after publication in the Royal Gazette — a date that has not yet been set — meaning travelers with long stays already booked are in a live planning window right now.
Travelers already in Thailand or arriving before the Gazette notice is published remain under existing entry conditions. The three unnamed countries facing full waiver removal are the critical unknown still outstanding.
Thailand’s cabinet voted on May 13, 2026 to end the 60-day visa-free programme that has been in place since July 2024, reverting most eligible nationalities to a 30-day ceiling. The Tourism and Sports Minister confirmed the decision publicly, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is now working out the implementation framework. No effective date has been published.
For travelers from North America, Europe, and Australasia, the practical impact is immediate — not because the rule has changed yet, but because anyone booking a stay longer than 30 days today is booking against a policy that may no longer exist by the time they land. The 60-day exemption plus a one-time 30-day extension at immigration, which gave eligible passport holders up to 90 days in-country without a visa, is the arrangement now being dismantled.
The unofficial country list circulating from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms that 54 nationalities will retain 30-day exemption status — down from 57 under the old pre-2024 rules, reflecting the three countries being removed entirely. The United States, Canada, the UK, and most of Europe are on the 30-day list. India drops from visa-free to visa-on-arrival. The three unnamed removals remain unconfirmed.
Travelers already in Thailand when the Gazette notice publishes are protected — they keep their existing permitted stay. Everyone else is planning against a moving target.
What the cabinet decision actually changes — and what it doesn’t
The 60-day visa-free scheme was introduced in July 2024 as a post-Covid tourism stimulus, expanding eligibility from 56 to 93 countries and doubling the permitted stay. The cabinet’s reversal undoes that expansion almost entirely. Under the new framework, the official Thai consulate visa-exemption rules will revert to a 30-day baseline for 54 countries, with a separate 15-day tier for three island-nation passports (Seychelles, Maldives, Mauritius) and a reduced visa-on-arrival list of just four countries.
The one-time 30-day extension — available at Thai immigration offices for 1,900 THB — was tied to the 60-day exemption framework. Whether it survives the rollback in any form has not been confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Travelers who built 90-day itineraries around exemption plus extension should treat that option as unavailable until official guidance says otherwise.
What does not change: the Thai Tourist Visa (TR), available through the eVisa system, still allows a 60-day stay and remains the correct instrument for anyone planning a longer trip. It requires document uploads and a fee, but it is a straightforward application. Long-stay travelers are not locked out of Thailand — they are being redirected to a formal visa channel.
| Category | Before (July 2024–May 2026) | After cabinet decision | Key nationalities affected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard visa-free stay | 60 days | 30 days | US, CA, UK, EU, AU, NZ, Japan, South Korea |
| Countries with exemption eligibility | 93 countries | 54 countries (30-day tier) | 3 countries removed entirely (unnamed) |
| One-time in-country extension | 30 days at immigration (1,900 THB) | Status unconfirmed | All previously eligible nationalities |
| Visa on arrival | 31 countries eligible | 4 countries (Azerbaijan, Belarus, Serbia, India) | India moves from visa-free to VOA |
| 15-day visa exemption tier | Not applicable | 3 countries (Seychelles, Maldives, Mauritius) | Island-nation passports only |
| Effective date | June 1, 2024 | 15 days after Royal Gazette publication (date TBD) | All 93 previously eligible nationalities |
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Why Thailand reversed a policy it introduced less than two years ago
The 60-day expansion was always framed as a temporary recovery measure, not a permanent policy shift. Bank of Thailand data showed that 84% of tourists stay fewer than 15 days, meaning the extended window benefited a narrow slice of arrivals — and that slice, Thai authorities argued, included a disproportionate number of long-stay residents operating without proper status. Tourism arrivals have also been falling: 12.9 million arrivals as of mid-May 2026, down 3.3% year-on-year, with last year’s total of 33 million already down 7% from the prior year.
The July 2024 expansion is the direct precedent here. Thailand moved quickly in both directions — expanding from 30 to 60 days in under a month of announcement, and now reversing that within two years. That speed matters: the 15-day Gazette window means the effective date could arrive faster than travelers expect once the notice is published.
For the ATC audience, the historical pattern is instructive. Thailand has changed visa-exemption policy three times in two years. Anyone building a long-stay itinerary around current exemption rules — without a backup visa application in hand — is taking a planning risk that a Tourist Visa application eliminates entirely. Our earlier coverage of the 2024 60-day expansion for European travelers is now the baseline being reversed.
Steps to take before the Royal Gazette notice lands
The Gazette publication window is open — changes become enforceable 15 days after it appears, and no one outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs knows when that will be. Act on the assumption it could be days, not months.
- Check your trip length today. If your planned stay is 30 days or fewer, you are unaffected by the core change. If it runs 31 days or longer, you need a plan before you book or before you fly.
- Price a Thai Tourist Visa now. The eVisa system (evisa.thaigov.go.th) issues 60-day Tourist Visas with document upload and a fee. Processing times vary by country — check your local Thai embassy or consulate page for current turnaround. Do not wait for the Gazette to start this process.
- Verify your passport’s exact status. The unofficial Ministry of Foreign Affairs list circulating now shows 54 countries on the 30-day tier, but three are being removed and remain unnamed. Confirm your nationality’s treatment on the official Thai consulate visa-exemption page before purchasing any fare.
- Do not assume the 30-day extension survives. The one-time in-country extension was part of the 60-day framework. Its status under the new rules is unconfirmed. Build itineraries that do not depend on it.
- If you are already in Thailand, your current permitted stay is protected until it expires. No action required on entry conditions — but check your exit date against any new Gazette timeline if you plan to re-enter.
Watch: The Royal Gazette publication is the single trigger for everything that follows — effective date, enforcement at Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang, and carrier document-check updates. Monitor the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs announcement page and your local Thai consulate. A second signal worth watching: the Ministry’s confirmation of which three countries lose waiver status entirely, expected in the same implementation notice.
Questions? Answers.
Does this affect travelers who are already in Thailand?
No. Travelers already in Thailand when the Royal Gazette notice is published keep their existing permitted stay until it expires. The new 30-day ceiling applies to arrivals after the effective date, which is 15 days after the Gazette publication at the earliest.
Can I still stay in Thailand for 60 days after this change?
Yes, but not on a visa exemption. The Thai Tourist Visa (TR), available through the eVisa system, still allows a 60-day stay. It requires document uploads and a fee, but it remains a straightforward application. The change removes the exemption-based 60-day stay, not the visa-based one.
Which three countries are losing visa-waiver status entirely?
The Thai government has not named them. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs director-general confirmed three countries will be removed from the 30-day exemption list but declined to identify them publicly. The names are expected in the same Royal Gazette notice that sets the effective date.
What happens to the one-time 30-day in-country extension?
Its status is unconfirmed under the new framework. The extension was tied to the 60-day exemption scheme. Until the Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishes implementation details, travelers should not build itineraries that depend on it being available.
Does this affect travelers from India?
Yes, significantly. India moves from visa-free entry to visa-on-arrival under the new framework — one of only four countries on the reduced VOA list alongside Azerbaijan, Belarus, and Serbia. Indian passport holders who previously entered Thailand without a visa will need to obtain a visa on arrival or apply in advance.
