Thailand Visa Exemption 2026: 30 Days from 15 September

It is confirmed and it is imminent. Thailand's 60-day visa exemption ends on 15 September 2026. From that date the standard visa-free stay is 30 days. If you are mid-way through booking a long, slow trip, read this before you pay for anything non-refundable.

What actually changes on 15 September

The Thai Cabinet approved the rollback on 19 May 2026, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand has now confirmed the framework and the start date. The 60-day measure ends the same day the new one begins. What replaces it:

• 30 days for nationals of 60 countries and territories, for tourism and short business visits. The big source markets are all on it — the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, France, Germany and Japan among them.
• 15 days for just two countries: Seychelles and Mauritius.
• Visa on arrival for three: Azerbaijan, Belarus and Serbia.

Note what that means in practice. The old waiver list ran to more than 90 countries and territories; the new 30-day list is 60. The duration is not the only thing being trimmed — so check your own passport against the current list rather than assuming you are still on it.

Already in Thailand? Your stamp is safe

If you entered before 15 September, the permission you were granted at the booth stands. You keep the period of stay already stamped in your passport — the new rules apply to your next entry, not retroactively to the one you are on.

Land borders get a hard cap

The 30-day exemption may generally be used at a land border no more than twice per calendar year. Nationals of Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Singapore are exempt from that limit; everyone else is not. The same twice-a-year cap applies to the 15-day tier.

This is the rule that existed before the 2024 expansion and it is aimed squarely at the border-run cycle. If your plan involved hopping to Laos or Malaysia and walking back in repeatedly, that plan now has a ceiling.

What it costs you

If your trip is longer than 30 days, you have three routes and they price very differently:

• Extend at immigration — 1,900 baht. A single 30-day extension of a visa exemption is still available at an immigration office, taking you to roughly 60 days in total. It remains at the discretion of the officer, so it is not a guarantee. Budget the fee and half a day of queueing.
• A tourist visa before you fly. A 60-day single-entry tourist visa costs roughly £25–£40 depending on your embassy, and is far less stressful than an extension queue in high season. For a trip you already know will run past a month, this is the calmer option.
• The DTV. If you are a remote worker, or coming for a Muay Thai or cooking course, the Destination Thailand Visa is a 5-year multiple-entry visa allowing 180 days per entry, extendable once by another 180. It costs 10,000 baht and carries a financial-proof requirement, but for anyone staying months at a time it is now the sensible route.

What to do now

1. Check the 30-day list for your passport before booking. The list shrank from 90-plus to 60 — duration is not the only change.
2. If your trip runs past 30 days, decide now between the 1,900-baht extension and a tourist visa, and put the cost in your budget rather than discovering it at a counter.
3. If you are crossing a land border, count your entries. Two per calendar year on the exemption, unless you hold a Malaysian, Bruneian, Indonesian or Singaporean passport.
4. Arriving before 15 September? Nothing to do. Your stamp is honoured for the period you were granted.

Add the extension fee or the visa cost into the Entry checklist step of the estimator and you will see straight away whether a longer trip still pencils out.