In July of last year, Thailand increased the entry allowance for most nationals eligible for a visa waiver, doubling the stay duration to 60 days (rather than 30 days as usual), but this is about to be reversed.
It appears that the initial motivation for boosting the allowed time of staying in the kingdom per entry (increase in tourism revenue) wasn’t met, and the only people who maxed this out weren’t tourists but unofficial residents on frequent visa runs.
The government and immigration department have conducted internal studies over nine months, and it appears that they are now ready to revert back to 30-day stamps for most countries on the visa waiver list (with exceptions for those eligible for longer stays, such as South Korea).
While certainly practical for people who spend extended time during the winter months in Thailand, it was never really a realistic expectation that this measure would attract genuine tourists rather than individuals who reside in the country without an appropriate visa.
According to the Bangkok Post, the cabinet is currently discussing ending this practice.
The period of visa-free stays in Thailand is set to be reduced from 60 days to 30 days as related authorities have agreed in principle to the move in an effort to curb the risk of illegal businesses exploiting the visa exemption scheme, according to the Tourism and Sports Ministry.
Tourism and Sports Minister Sorawong Thienthong said the Foreign Ministry acknowledged the issue as it had been widely discussed among all related stakeholders in the past few weeks.
He said they all agreed in principle to reduce the period of stay from 60 days to 30 days for citizens from countries granted a visa exemption under the programme. However, additional details would be discussed before formally announcing the adjustment to the regulation. …
However, tourism operators expressed concern over the extended period as long-haul tourists typically stayed for only 14-21 days on average, while short-haul travellers spent less than two weeks per trip or around seven days on average. …
What a surprise. NOT! The only mind-boggling thing is the constant failure rate of initiatives brought about by the TAT and the Ministry of Tourism & Sports. They come up with the weirdest ideas and almost all of them fail down the line.
That being said until it has been decided on by the cabinet and published in the Royal Gazette, nothing will change for the time being, and visitors will still receive a 60-day visa waiver stamp.
Once that has changed, for visitors who plan to apply for a proper 60-day tourist visa, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has completed the expansion of the e-Visa service to 94 Thai embassies, consulates, and trade and economic offices worldwide since December 2024. Walk-ins and in-person processing are no longer possible at these locations.
The new long-term visas (DTV) are now also available through the eVisa system at a cost of US$400 or local equivalent, valid for 5 years and multiple entry.
The eVisa system works rather well, and making it available at more embassies and consulates worldwide has greatly improved the process and relieved the diplomatic missions of workload and foot traffic.
According to previous reports, by June, Thailand also aims to develop an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) system for foreign nationals eligible for visa exemption and other visas. This will most likely come with a fee, but while it was first reported that it would come into effect by May 2025, no further announcements have been made that would confirm a definitive date.
Meanwhile, Thailand is in negotiation with the EU to open the Schengen countries to a certain period of visa-free travel for Thai citizens as well. This might come to fruition before the end of the year.
Conclusion
Thailand is currently discussing final steps through inter-ministerial channels to reduce the amount of time that visitors who utilize the visa waiver program receive to spend in the country. Visitors would then only receive a 30-day stamp again rather than 60 days, just like it was before July 2024.
The measure to double the allowance to 60 days was not successful to boost genuine tourism and authorities are concerned that it only aides those who live in Kingdom semi-/permanently on tourist visas. Indeed, the country has problems with that especially as there has been plenty of criminal activity recently that involved foreigners. Most of these cases included various types of fraud and Chinese nationals were the most implicated.
We will keep an eye out when there is an update and a definitive decision when new rules kick in. Until then, you can still expect a 60-day entry allowance, though for most tourists and business travelers, that won’t even matter if they leave well before that time runs out.
