Thailand Cuts Visa-Free Stay to 30 Days from 15 September 2026
On 31 August the Royal Gazette published four announcements from Thailand's Interior Ministry that repeal the 60-day visa exemption. From 15 September 2026 the standard visa-free stay is 30 days. The government's intention had been known since May, but until publication in the official gazette nothing changed at the border and arrivals kept receiving 60 days. Now there is a date and an exact text.
What Changed, In Short
Length of stay: 60 days becomes 30. For Russians this is a return to the term set by the 2005 bilateral agreement.
Coverage: 93 countries becomes 60. The old scheme covered 93 countries and territories; the new 30-day list holds exactly 60 entries.
Visa on arrival: around thirty countries becomes three. Azerbaijan, Belarus and Serbia remain.
The 15-day exemption is down to two countries. Seychelles and Mauritius.
Land borders: the cap is now written into the text. No more than two visa-free entries per calendar year through land checkpoints.
Date: 15 September 2026. The announcements take effect once fifteen days have passed from publication.
The notices appeared in Volume 143, Special Issue 207 Ngor, pages 28 through 34. All four were signed on 26 August by Anutin Charnvirakul, Prime Minister and Interior Minister, under a Cabinet approval dated 14 July 2026.
The Full 30-Day List
The official list runs to exactly 60 countries and territories, grouped here by region in the order given in the document.
Europe: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, 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.
Americas and Africa: Canada, the United States, South Africa.
India and the Maldives deserve a note. In the May draft India was moved to visa on arrival and the Maldives to the 15-day tier, and some outlets still report it that way. In the published text India sits at number 23 and the Maldives at number 37, both in the main list. The explanation is simple: the government revised the May draft in July, and it is the July version that takes effect.
The same announcement repeals the two previous 30-day lists, dated 4 March 2019 and 21 June 2022. The list is replaced outright, not amended.
Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Belarus
Russia and Kazakhstan are absent from the list of 60, and that is not an oversight. Both hold bilateral visa waiver agreements, while these announcements govern Thailand's unilateral schemes and leave treaties untouched. The Russian agreement of 2005 grants 30 days, so what disappears for Russian nationals is the 60-day layer added in 2024, not the waiver itself.
Russia: 60 days becomes 30 under the 2005 agreement, with the 30-day extension still available.
Kazakhstan: 60 days becomes 30 plus extension, also under a bilateral agreement.
Ukraine: 60 days becomes 30, listed at number 57.
Belarus: no change, visa on arrival at 2,000 baht or an e-visa arranged in advance.
Who Keeps 60 Days
Anyone admitted before 15 September keeps the stay stamped at the border on entry. Land on 10 September with sixty days and you are fine into early November; permitted stays are not recalculated retroactively. For an autumn trip already booked, the difference between the 14th and the 15th is exactly thirty days of legal stay.
The Two-Entries Rumour: What Is True Now
In January a claim circulated that Thailand had capped visa-free entries at two per year. Immigration denied it at the time, and we explained where the rumour came from: there was no fixed cap, only closer scrutiny of travellers entering back to back.
That picture is now half true. The published announcement does introduce a cap, but a narrow one: no more than two visa-free entries per calendar year through land checkpoints. Nationals of Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Singapore are exempt, as is anyone the minister designates. Air arrivals are not covered; the text speaks only of land borders.
The TDAC digital arrival card remains mandatory for everyone regardless of how they enter, filed online no earlier than 72 hours before travel, free of charge.
Extending the 30 Days
The visa-exempt stamp can still be extended once for another 30 days at an immigration office. The fee is the standard 1,900 baht and approval rests with the officer, so nothing is automatic. The ceiling is now 30 plus 30 days instead of 60 plus 30.
A holiday is unaffected, but three months on a visa exemption no longer adds up. Anyone spending a season in Thailand will need to settle the visa question before departure; the long-stay options, with requirements and fees, are covered in our Thailand visa guide.
What It Means for the Pattaya Market
The cut does not reverse housing demand: nobody buys an apartment for the sake of a tourist stamp, and Russian buyers remain among the leading foreign purchasers of Thai condos. What changes is the rhythm of trips. Thirty days is enough to work through a shortlist and close a deal, but there is no second month to fall back on, so it pays to narrow the list before departure and line up viewings in advance.
Landlords should note a related effect. Tenants taking three to six months now arrive on a long-stay visa rather than counting on a local extension, which means they book earlier and plan the season further ahead.
FAQ
How long can Russians stay from 15 September 2026
Thirty days under the 2005 bilateral agreement, plus a single 30-day extension at immigration for 1,900 baht. Removing the waiver entirely is not on the table; only the 60-day layer from 2024 goes away.
What happens if I arrive before 15 September
The stamp issued on entry stands. Arriving on 14 September still means 60 days, arriving on 15 September means 30. Nothing is recalculated after the fact.
Do I need a visa for a two-week holiday
No. Nothing to arrange for a tourist trip of up to 30 days if your country is on the list. The only requirement is the free TDAC arrival card, filed no earlier than 72 hours before departure.
Source
Royal Gazette (Ratchakitcha), issue of 31 August 2026, Volume 143, Special Issue 207 Ngor, pages 28 to 34: four announcements of Thailand's Ministry of Interior, effective 15 September 2026.