Thailand 30-Day Visa Exemption (2026): What Changed

For two years, Thailand let most Western passport holders stay 60 days without a visa. That ended on 15 September 2026. The new rules were published in the Royal Gazette on 31 August and apply to everyone arriving from the 15th. If you were planning a few months in Chiang Mai or anywhere else on visa-free entries, here’s what changed and what to do instead.

What changed

• 30 days, not 60. Nationals of 60 countries and territories — including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, India and all 27 EU countries — now get 30 days visa-free. Seychelles and Mauritius get 15 days.
• Tourism only. The old scheme also covered things like short business meetings. The new exemption is for tourism — if you’re coming for anything else, get the right visa.
• Fewer visa-on-arrival nationalities. Visa on arrival now covers only a handful of countries, and some nationalities lost visa-free entry entirely. If you used to rely on either, check your passport’s status before you book.
• Bilateral deals are unchanged. Countries with their own agreement with Thailand — South Korea and Brazil (90 days), for example — keep their terms.
• Already here? If you entered before 15 September on the 60-day rule, you keep the stay you were given. Leave and come back, and you get the new 30 days.

Extending the 30 days

You can usually extend once, by up to 30 days, at a Thai immigration office. Bring your passport, a TM.7 form, a passport photo and copies of your passport pages; the fee is 1,900 THB. It’s often done the same day — but it is at the officer’s discretion, not automatic. In practice that makes about 60 days the most you should plan around on a single visa-free entry.

The new two-a-year land-border cap

This is the change that hits long-stayers hardest. From 15 September 2026, visa-exempt entries through a land-border checkpoint are capped at two per calendar year. Nationals of Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Singapore are excluded. There’s no fixed number for air arrivals, but immigration has been turning away travellers whose passports show a run of back-to-back visa-exempt entries — officers look at your whole travel history, not just this trip.

On top of that, the Thailand–Cambodia land borders have been closed since June 2025, which takes the classic Poipet run off the table. Our guide to visa runs in 2026 covers what still works.

Don’t forget the TDAC

Every foreign arrival needs a Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC), filed online before you land — within 72 hours of arrival. It’s free on the official government site; skip any website that charges for it.

If you want to stay longer than a month or two

• DTV (Destination Thailand Visa): the main route for remote workers — up to 5 years, multiple entry, up to 180 days per stay (extendable once), fee about 10,000 THB. You need at least 500,000 THB in funds. Since 31 August 2026 you must apply in your country of nationality or permanent residence, with a criminal record certificate.
• Tourist visa (TR): applied for in advance via the Thai e-Visa site — the option if you want a longer look-around than the exemption allows. Check the stay length for your passport when you apply.
• Education (ED), LTR and Privilege: routes via study, higher-income or retirement criteria, or a paid membership.

What this means for renting

Thirty days isn’t enough to justify a lease. If you’re arriving visa-free to look around, book a month-to-month place, and only sign a longer lease once a DTV or another long-stay visa is in hand. If you’re splitting the year across countries, the free Southeast Asia loop planner checks each stay against its limit — and Border Watch can email you the next time Thailand’s rules change. For the rest of the region, see our Southeast Asia visa guide.