BANGKOK, Thailand — The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is advising foreign visitors that new 30-day and 15-day visa exemption categories, together with updated Visa on Arrival eligibility, will take effect on Sept. 15, 2026. The new framework will replace Thailand’s current 60-day visa exemption measure, which will end on the same date. The related Ministry of Interior announcements were published in the Royal Gazette on Aug. 31, 2026. From Sept. 15, travellers previously covered by the 60-day visa exemption will instead be subject to the applicable 30-day visa exemption, 15-day visa exemption, Visa on Arrival or other relevant entry arrangements, depending on their nationality.
Under the new framework, holders of passports or travel documents from 60 countries and territories will be eligible for visa exemption for tourism, with a permitted stay of up to 30 days.
The 60 countries and territories are Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bulgaria, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Malaysia, Maldives, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Türkiye, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and United States of America.
For entry through land-border immigration checkpoints, travellers using the 30-day visa exemption may generally enter Thailand under this exemption no more than twice per calendar year.
This limit does not apply to nationals of Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Singapore, or to other nationalities as may be designated by the Minister.
A 15-day visa exemption will apply to holders of passports or travel documents from Seychelles and Mauritius. Travellers entering through land-border immigration checkpoints under this exemption may generally do so no more than twice per calendar year, except for nationalities designated by the Minister.
Visa on Arrival will apply to holders of passports or travel documents from Azerbaijan, Belarus and Serbia. Separate bilateral and related entry arrangements will continue to apply where relevant, providing visa exemption periods of 90, 30 or 14 days, depending on the applicable agreement or arrangement. The TAT advises travellers to check the entry conditions that apply to their nationality before travelling to Thailand. The update was first published on May 21, 2026, following Cabinet approval to revise the 60-day visa exemption measure, and was updated on July 16, 2026, following Cabinet approval of further details of the country-specific visa exemption and Visa on Arrival framework. (TAT)
