Thailand Cuts Visa-Free Stay to 30 Days from 15 September 2026
On 31 August the Royal Gazette published four announcements from Thailand's Ministry of Interior that scrap 60-day visa-free entry. From 15 September 2026 the standard visa-free stay will be 30 days. The government's plans had been known since May, but the rules did not change until they appeared in the official gazette, and border officers kept stamping 60 days. Now the change has a date and an exact text.
What has changed at a glance
Visa-free stay: was 60 days, now 30. For Russia this means a return to the period set by the 2005 bilateral agreement.
Coverage: was 93 countries, now 60. The previous scheme covered 93 countries and territories. The new 30-day visa-free list has exactly 60 entries.
Visa on arrival: was about thirty countries, now three. Azerbaijan, Belarus and Serbia remain.
15-day visa-free entry: two countries left. Seychelles and Mauritius.
Land borders: the limit is now written into the document. No more than two visa-free entries per calendar year through land border checkpoints.
Date: 15 September 2026. The announcements take effect fifteen days after publication.
The announcements appeared in Volume 143, Special Issue 207 Ngor, pages 28 to 34. All four were signed on 26 August by Anutin Charnvirakul, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, following Cabinet approval on 14 July 2026.
Who gets 30 days: the full list
The official list contains exactly 60 countries and territories. We give them in the order of the document, grouped by region.
Europe: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, plus Georgia, Turkey and Ukraine.
Asia and Oceania: Australia, Bhutan, Brunei, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, the Maldives, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan.
Middle East: Bahrain, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE.
The Americas and Africa: Canada, the USA, South Africa.
Note India and the Maldives. In the May version of the decision, India was moving to visa on arrival and the Maldives to the 15-day group, and some media still report it that way. In the published text, India is number 23 and the Maldives number 37, both in the main list. The reason for the difference is simple: in July the government revised the May version, and it is the July version that takes effect.
The same announcement cancels the two previous 30-day visa-free lists, dated 4 March 2019 and 21 June 2022. In other words, the list has not been added to but replaced in full.
Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Belarus
Russia and Kazakhstan are not in the list of 60 countries, and this is not an oversight. Both countries have bilateral visa waiver agreements with Thailand, while the published announcements cover only Thailand's unilateral decisions and do not affect treaties. The 2005 agreement with Russia gives 30 days, so Russian citizens lose only the 2024 increase to 60 days, and visa-free entry itself stays.
Russia: 60 days become 30 under the 2005 agreement, and the 30-day extension remains.
Kazakhstan: 60 days become 30 plus an extension, also under a bilateral agreement.
Ukraine: 60 days become 30, and the country is included in the new list as number 57.
Belarus: no change. Visa on arrival for 2,000 baht or an e-visa arranged in advance.
Who keeps 60 days
If you entered before 15 September, your stay is not recalculated: the stamp you received at the border on entry applies. Arrive on 10 September with 60 days and you can stay until early November without any worry. Permitted stays are not shortened retroactively.
If you already have an autumn trip planned, the difference between 14 and 15 September is exactly thirty days of legal stay.
The rumour about two entries a year: what is true now
In January, a claim circulated in chat groups that Thailand had limited visa-free entries to two a year. At the time Thai immigration denied it, and we looked at where the rumour came from: there was no fixed limit, only stricter checks on people making back-to-back entries.
Now the rumour has turned out to be half true. The published announcement does introduce a limit, but a narrow one: no more than two visa-free entries per calendar year through land border checkpoints. Citizens of Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Singapore are exempt, as is anyone else the minister may specify. The restriction does not apply to arrivals by air, as the document refers only to land borders.
The TDAC digital arrival card, however, remains mandatory for everyone, however you enter the country. You complete it online, free of charge, no earlier than 72 hours before your trip.
The 30-day extension
A visa-free stamp can still be extended once for another 30 days at an immigration office. The fee is the standard 1,900 baht, the decision is up to the officer, and approval is not guaranteed. The maximum visa-free stay is now 30 plus 30 days instead of the previous 60 plus 30.
This makes no difference to a holiday, but the 'fly in for three months visa-free' plan no longer works. If you spend the season in Thailand, you will need to sort out your visa before you fly: long-term visa options, with their requirements and fees, are covered in our guide to Thai visas.
What this means for the Pattaya property market
Shorter visa-free stays do not reverse demand for property: people do not buy a condo for the sake of a tourist stamp, and buyers from Russia consistently rank among the leading foreign buyers of Thai condos. What changes is the pace of trips. Thirty days is enough to view a shortlist of properties and close a deal, but you can no longer put off the decision counting on a second month. So it makes sense to narrow down your options before you fly and choose properties in advance.
Landlords should note a knock-on effect. A winter visitor renting for three to six months now arrives on a long-term visa rather than counting on extending a visa-free stay locally, which means they book earlier and plan the season well ahead.
Frequently asked questions
How many days can Russians stay from 15 September 2026?
Thirty days under the 2005 bilateral agreement, plus a one-off extension for another 30 days at immigration for 1,900 baht. Ending visa-free entry for Russia altogether is not on the table: only the 2024 increase to 60 days is going.
What happens if I arrive before 15 September?
The stamp you get on entry applies. Entering on 14 September still gives you 60 days, while entering on 15 September gives you 30. Stays are not revised retroactively.
Do I need a visa for a two-week holiday?
No. For a tourist trip of up to 30 days you do not need to arrange anything if your country is on the list. The only requirement is the free TDAC arrival card, completed no earlier than 72 hours before departure.
Source
Royal Gazette (Ratchakitcha), issue of 31 August 2026, Volume 143, Special Issue 207 Ngor, pages 28-34: four announcements by Thailand's Ministry of Interior, taking effect on 15 September 2026.
