Thailand looks set to cut visa-free stays back to 30 days

For the past two years, Thailand has been unusually generous to slow travellers. Since July 2024, passport holders from 93 countries have been able to stay visa-free for up to 60 days – a post-pandemic push designed to revive tourism after years of shuttered borders and quiet beaches. Digital nomads, long-haul retirees and the perennial ‘just one more month’ crowd leaned into it hard. Now, that window looks set to close.

A proposal to cut visa-free stays back to 30 days is expected to go before Cabinet before any formal implementation date is announced. Nothing is official yet, but the policy already feels well on its way.

For most tourists, this changes very little. Government figures show around 90% of visitors leave within 30 days anyway, with the average trip lasting roughly 15 days. A fortnight hopping between Koh Tao and Bangkok rooftop bars or a Chiang Mai café-and-temple stretch still fits comfortably inside the limit.

The people who’ll actually notice are long-stay regulars who’ve quietly built lives around rolling visa-exempt entries. Remote workers, semi-permanent residents and, frankly, a fair few people who were never entirely tourists in the legal sense. 

Authorities have already started tightening enforcement in Phuket, Pattaya and Bangkok, with coordinated inspections targeting nightlife districts, short-term rentals and co-working spaces. None of this arrives in isolation.

Thailand isn't exactly slamming the door, though. The Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) and the E-Tourist Visa still cover stays beyond 30 days, albeit with clearer eligibility requirements and more paperwork. Immigration offices also continue offering a one-time 30-day extension for B1,900.

One extra thing to sort before you fly: the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) is now mandatory at major entry points. Forget it and immigration probably won’t be a quick one.