Sixty Days, Still. Thailand's Approved 30-Day Cut Has Not Taken Effect Yet - Here's What's Actually True Right Now
In short
You land at Suvarnabhumi. No visa sticker needed. That stamp currently gives you sixty days, not thirty - Thailand's Cabinet approved cutting the standard exemption to 30 days on 19 May 2026, but the change only takes effect 15 days after Royal Gazette publication, still pending as of 22 August 2026 (per the Tourism Authority of Thailand and KPMG's GMS Flash Alert). Until then, 60 days (extendable by a further 30 at Immigration's discretion) remains the real rule for air arrivals.
What's changing
Thailand's Cabinet approved replacing the 60-day visa-exemption framework with a tiered structure on 19 May 2026 - roughly 54 nationalities moving from 60 to 30 days, and a smaller group to 15 days. But Cabinet approval is not the same as the rule being live: Thai law requires Royal Gazette publication, with the new rule taking effect 15 days after that publication. As of this update, no Gazette publication date has been confirmed, so the current 60-day exemption remains officially in force at Thai immigration checkpoints. Confirm the live status before finalising travel plans, since publication could occur at any point and this page will be updated when it does - in the meantime, treat "60 days now, 30 days once published" as the accurate picture, not "30 days already."
Who is affected
Short-trip tourists from visa-exempt countries - fine if your plan fits inside the allowed stay and you have proof of onward travel.
Anyone planning 60-90+ days, remote work, retirement, or repeat back-to-back entries - the exemption is the wrong tool. You need a tourist visa, DTV, retirement, or another purpose-built category before travel.
Agents and schools quoting "just enter exempt then convert" - conversion paths have tightened; plan the correct visa from the start.
What you should do
Before you book flights: confirm your nationality's current exemption length on mfa.go.th and your airline's boarding rules. If the trip is longer than a holiday, run our free eligibility check - we'll map the right visa and whether you should apply offshore or in-country (where still permitted).
Check how this affects you