Thailand sets September 15 start for 30-day visa-free stays

Thailand has locked in the date. Four Interior Ministry rules went into the official record on 31 August 2026. They take effect 15 days later, so the new tourist entry rules start on 15 September 2026. VisasNews summarized the published lists and the end of the special 60-day visa-free scheme.

This is a news summary, not legal advice. Match your passport to the live Thai government lists before you fly.

What changed

• The 60-day tourist stamp ends. The July 2024 special exemption for 93 countries and territories is repealed from 15 September 2026.
• Most big passport groups get 30 days. The new tourist visa-free list covers 60 countries and territories. That includes the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and much of Europe.
• Two countries get 15 days. Mauritius and Seychelles sit on a shorter tourist exemption. Maldives is on the 30-day list instead.
• Visa on arrival shrinks hard. Only Azerbaijan, Belarus, and Serbia stay on the VoA list. India moves onto the 30-day visa-free list instead.
• Land borders get a yearly cap. Visa-free land entries are generally limited to twice per calendar year. Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore are carved out of that land limit. Air arrivals are not under that same two-entry cap.
• A 30-day extension can still be asked. Cabinet guidance still points to one in-country extension of up to 30 days, if immigration approves it. That is not the same as the old automatic 60-day stamp.

What you still need

• A passport that sits on the 30-day, 15-day, VoA, or a separate bilateral deal. Bilateral deals (for example some 90-day and 30-day country pairs) were not cancelled by these four notices.
• Tourism purpose under the new 30-day list. The old wording that nodded at some short work or business activity is not kept in the same way.
• If you enter before 15 September, you keep the stay stamp you already got. Your time does not snap down to 30 days overnight.
• For stays beyond a tourist window, you still need a real long-stay route such as Thailand LTR, work, study, or family papers.

Who this affects

• Tourists and remote workers from the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and other former 60-day passports who planned two free months on arrival.
• People who hop Thailand by land from neighboring countries and relied on many visa-free entries in one year.
• Nomads comparing Thailand with Malaysia, Vietnam, or Indonesia for short bases.
• Anyone who assumed Visa on Arrival would stay wide. Most old VoA nationalities need another route now.

What to do next

1. Read the VisasNews rundown of the published rules, then confirm your passport row on Thailand’s official visa and e-visa pages before you book.
2. If you need more than a tourist month, open our Thailand LTR guide and the Thailand country page.
3. Still choosing a Southeast Asia base? Compare Malaysia vs Thailand or Thailand vs Vietnam.

News summary only, not legal advice. The start date is 15 September 2026. Check Thai immigration and your embassy if your plans run past one tourist month.