Thai Cabinet Reduces Visa Free Entry To 30 Days For Most Nationalities, Some Visa Waivers Pulled

Key Points:

• The Thai cabinet has decided to reduce visa-free entry for most eligible countries from 60 days back to the original 30 days, with three countries losing visa waiver privileges entirely; the effective date will be 15 days after publication in the Royal Gazette.
• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will implement a new framework limiting each country to a single visa exemption category, reducing 30-day visa exemption eligibility from 57 to 54 countries, and introducing a 15-day exemption and streamlined visa-on-arrival scheme for select countries.
• The 60-day visa-free program, introduced post-Covid to boost tourism, is being ended due to concerns about misuse, though evidence suggests criminal activity is unrelated to visa length; genuine tourists can still apply for longer tourist visas through the eVisa system.
• Tourist arrivals to Thailand have declined recently, with the National Economic and Social Development Council forecasting 32 million arrivals in 2024, down from 33 million in 2023, and most tourists typically stay fewer than 15 days, limiting the impact of the visa policy change on short-term visitors.
• The government is reviewing the overall visa framework for possible simplification, and while the exact countries losing visa-free status remain unnamed, bilateral visa agreements with certain countries will continue to allow varying visa exemption periods.