Thailand cut visa-free stays from 60 days to 30 for 60 countries, added a two-entry limit at land borders, and left one important question unsettled: tourism only, or short business visits too. Here is what is confirmed, what is not, and what to do about it.
Royal Gazette published 31 August 2026 · effective 15 September 2026.
Visa exemption is not a treaty. It is a ministerial notification under the Immigration Act, which is why Thailand can change it by announcement. The cabinet approved the change in May 2026; the Royal Gazette published the final version on 31 August 2026, effective 15 September 2026.
Three things moved at once:
Anyone who entered Thailand before 15 September keeps the stay they were granted at the border; the new rules apply to entries from that date.
Who is on the 30-day list? Sixty countries and territories, including all 27 EU member states, the UK, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, India and Switzerland. Two law firms published matching lists. What happens to previously exempt nationalities that are on neither list is not stated in the summaries I could read, so if your passport is not below, check with your Thai embassy rather than assuming.
Source: law-firm summaries of the Royal Gazette notification (Tafapolsky & Smith, Erickson Immigration Group). Check your own passport with the visa requirements checker.
Three sources, three slightly different answers.
For most nationalities, exempt entries at land checkpoints are capped at two per calendar year (1 January to 31 December). That covers the crossings commonly used for quick resets, such as those into Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Malaysia. Passport holders of Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Singapore are exempt from the cap.
Newland Chase reports no annual limit on air arrivals under the 30-day exemption. That does not mean unlimited flights out and back: entry is always at the immigration officer's discretion, the exemption is meant for tourism, and stringing exempt stamps together to live here is exactly the pattern officers ask about. There is no published number to lean on.
The practical result is that the old "run to the border and come back" routine now has a small ceiling by land and an uncertain one by air. If you are spending most of the year here, the legitimate routes are a Tourist Visa (up to 60 days, extendable once) or the DTV for longer stays.
Match the stay, not the habit.
| Your plan | Best route | Key facts |
|---|---|---|
| Holiday up to 30 days, passport on the list | Visa exemption | Free. File the TDAC. Carry onward ticket and proof of funds. |
| Holiday of 31 to 60 days | Tourist Visa (TR) | Around $40, 60 days, extendable once by 30 days. Apply at a Thai embassy before you travel. |
| Several months, remote work | DTV (Destination Thailand Visa) | 180 days per entry over 5 years, 500,000 baht balance test, fee set by each embassy. Since 31 Aug 2026 you need proof of permanent residence where you apply, and some embassies accept only their own nationals and residents. See the complete DTV guide. |
| Business meetings or employment | Non-B visa | Grants entry, not the right to work: a work permit from the Department of Employment is separate. |
| 50 or older, retiring here | Non-OA retirement visa | Different financial and insurance rules. See the visa checker. |
| Passport not on the 30-day list | Ask your embassy | Do not assume the old 60-day rule still applies to you. |
Run your passport through the visa requirements checker → · DTV eligibility checker →
Under the old scheme you could extend a visa-exempt stay once, by 30 days, for 1,900 baht at an immigration office (form TM7). Thai Law Online still describes it that way (the 1,900 baht figure comes only from that source; I could not open the Immigration Bureau fee page). The Washington embassy page says an extension of up to 30 more days is "solely at the discretion of the immigration officer", and Tafapolsky & Smith notes that the new rules themselves do not say. Plan for 30 days, treat an extension as a bonus, and ask at the immigration office well before your stay runs out.
Officers can ask for proof that you will leave within your permitted stay and can refuse entry without an onward ticket. Thai embassies quote 20,000 baht per person as the minimum funds to show (Washington adds 40,000 baht per family). How strictly either is checked varies by officer and airline, so carry both.
The fine is 500 baht per day, capped at 20,000 baht, and overstays beyond 90 days can bring entry bans that start at one year. With a 30-day stamp the margin for miscounting is thinner than it was with 60. Check the "permitted until" date on your stamp at the airport and set a phone reminder a few days before it.
Every foreign arrival still needs the free Thailand Digital Arrival Card, whatever the visa position. It is filed within 72 hours before you arrive, and only on the government portal. Our TDAC walkthrough shows how, and how to avoid the paid look-alike sites.
Enter your nationality, purpose and length of stay to see which route fits.
Staying longer than 30 days to work remotely? See whether you qualify for the 5-year DTV.
The free arrival card every foreign visitor still has to file.
What a month in Thailand really costs in 2026.