Thailand's 60-Day Visa-Free Entry Is About to End

If you've been planning a long, unhurried trip to Thailand this year, there's a deadline forming that isn't official yet but could hit with only two weeks' notice. Thailand's Cabinet approved a plan back in May to scrap the generous 60-day visa-free stay that has applied to 93 countries and territories since July 2024, replacing it with a much stingier framework. As of the most recent reporting, the change still hasn't been published in the Royal Gazette, which means the 60-day rule is technically still alive at the border today. But once that publication happens, the new rules kick in just 15 days later, and nobody outside the Ministry of Interior knows exactly when that will be. Here's what actually changes. Instead of one blanket 60-day exemption for dozens of nationalities, Thailand is moving to a "one country, one privilege" model. Fifty-four countries and territories, including the US, UK, Australia, Japan and most of the EU, will drop to a 30-day visa exemption (extendable once for another 30 days at an immigration office inside Thailand). A smaller group - the Maldives, Mauritius and Seychelles - gets only 15 days. Some nationalities keep better deals under existing bilateral arrangements: South Korea, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Peru retain 90 days, while China, Hong Kong and a few others keep 30 days under reciprocal terms. The change that will sting the most is for Indian travelers. India currently qualifies for the 60-day visa exemption, but under the new framework it loses exemption status entirely and shifts to visa-on-arrival only - one of just four nationalities (alongside Azerbaijan, Belarus and Serbia) left on that list, down from 31 countries today. Given that India is Thailand's third-largest source market, this is being described by immigration analysts as the single biggest individual impact of the whole overhaul. Indian travelers who currently just book a flight and walk in for two months will instead need to plan around a visa-on-arrival counter, carry the right paperwork (return ticket, proof of funds, accommodation details) and accept a shorter default stay. Thai officials have been fairly candid about why this is happening. Tourism Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul and immigration authorities have pointed to a rise in cases of illegal work, nominee business arrangements, long-stay visitors overstaying their welcome for non-tourism purposes, and links to transnational scam and call-center operations run out of the country. The government's language throughout has been about prioritizing "quality tourists" over sheer visitor volume, which is a signal that further tightening on long-stay and repeat-entry travelers may follow this one. So what should you actually do? If you already hold a booking and were counting on the current 60-day exemption - say, for a long work-from-Thailand stint, a multi-city Southeast Asia trip built around a long Thai leg, or simply an extended holiday - there is a real incentive to travel sooner rather than later, since anyone who enters before the new rule takes effect keeps the full stay length they were granted on arrival, even if the rule changes mid-trip. If your trip is flexible and further out, don't panic: a 30-day exemption, extendable to 60, is still workable for the vast majority of tourist itineraries, and only genuinely long-stay plans are affected. If you're an Indian traveler with a Thailand trip on the calendar, start treating this as a visa-on-arrival trip from now on regardless of the exact rollout date - gather your onward ticket, hotel confirmation and proof of sufficient funds, since VOA counters can mean longer queues and stricter document checks than a pure visa-free entry. And regardless of nationality, everyone entering Thailand still needs to complete the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) online within 72 hours of arrival - that requirement is unrelated to this change and stays in place either way. Because the Royal Gazette publication date is genuinely unpredictable, the safest approach for any Thailand trip booked for the next two to three months is to check Thai immigration's official channels or your airline's visa-advisory page within a few days of departure, not weeks in advance. A rule that has been "pending" since May could clear the Gazette with as little as two weeks' warning before it's live at immigration counters. Sources Thailand Visa Update 2026: New 30-Day Rules for Travelers - Insubuy - https://www.insubuy.com/thailand-visa-update-2026-30-day-visa-free-stay/ Thailand scraps 60-day visa-free stay: what changes, who is affected, and what to do - Thaiger - https://thethaiger.com/guides/visa-information/thailand-scraps-60-day-visa-free-stay Thailand to revert visa-free list to 57 countries, scrap 60-day scheme for 93 nations - Khaosod English - https://www.khaosodenglish.com/tourism/2026/04/27/thailand-to-revert-visa-free-list-to-57-countries-scrap-60-day-scheme-for-93-nations/ Thailand updates visa-free rules after scrapping 60-day scheme - The Nation Thailand - https://www.nationthailand.com/news/tourism/40066494 Thai Cabinet approves revision of 60-day visa exemption scheme pending Royal Gazette publication - TAT Newsroom - https://www.tatnews.org/2026/05/thai-cabinet-approves-revision-of-60-day-visa-exemption-scheme-pending-royal-gazette-publication/