Thailand has reduced the length of visa-free stays for tourists from more than 90 countries from 60 days to 30 days, in a move aimed at curbing crime involving foreign nationals, officials announced on Tuesday.
The change ends a 60-day visa exemption that was in place for 93 countries, including the UK, US, Australia, and Europe's Schengen area. Under the new rules, visitors will be granted a 30-day visa exemption, with the number of eligible countries or territories reduced from 57 to 54, according to Mungkorn Pratoomkaew, director-general of the foreign ministry's consular affairs department. The specific list of eligible countries has not yet been released.
Government spokesperson Rachada Dhanadirek said that while tourists provide economic benefits, the previous scheme allowed some people to exploit it. Frequent incidents involving tourists committing crimes such as shoplifting and indecent exposure have drawn public attention, along with concerns about foreigners overstaying and illegally operating businesses without permits. Thai authorities have also cited transnational criminal groups abusing immigration laws.
Tourists will be able to renew their visa once by visiting an immigration office, but the renewal will be at the discretion of officers, and tourists must explain why they are staying longer. The 60-day stay was previously automatic.
Thailand relaxed its visa rules in 2024 to boost tourism after the Covid pandemic, but visitor numbers have not returned to pre-pandemic levels. Foreign arrivals fell 3.45% year-on-year in the first four months of 2026, with UK arrivals down 22.8% to 85,059 tourists. The tourist arrival target for 2026 has been revised down from 35 million to 32 million.
