Thailand might cut visa-free stays back to 30 days — here's what we know

Thailand's Cabinet just reviewed cutting visa-free stays back to 30 days after expanding them to 60 days not that long ago. They're citing "illegal activities and national security concerns" but haven't gotten specific about what that actually means.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry submitted a report about this on February 10, and now it's under official review. No final decision yet, but when Thai officials start talking security concerns, things usually move pretty fast.

What this means if you have trips planned

Don't panic yet — this is still in review mode. But here's what you need to know:

If you're already in Thailand on a 60-day stamp, you're fine. This would affect new arrivals, not people already here.

If you regularly do visa runs, this makes life more complicated. Instead of 60-day stamps each time, you'd be back to 30 days.

If you need longer than 30 days guaranteed, tourist visas from Thai consulates abroad still give you 60 days regardless of what happens to visa-free entry. You can also extend once you're in Thailand for ฿1,900 ($54).

Why this is happening

Thailand does this swing between "we need more tourists" and "maybe too many tourists" pretty regularly. The 60-day visa-free period was supposed to boost tourism and make Thailand more competitive with other Southeast Asian countries.

But Thai immigration already tracks how much time you spend in the country, even on visa-free entries. If you're doing back-to-back 60-day stays, you're already on their radar.

Cutting it back to 30 days might be their way of managing people who are essentially living in Thailand on tourist entries. That said, this affects everyone — including genuine short-term tourists who just wanted a longer vacation without visa paperwork.

The timing question

No word on when this might happen if they go through with it. Thailand sometimes gives a few weeks notice for visa changes, sometimes less. The tourism industry would probably push back hard on short notice since people have trips booked.

But given that they're citing security concerns, they might move faster than usual.

What to do now

Keep watching official announcements, but don't change your plans yet. This is still just a review.

If you need more than 30 days and want to be safe, getting a proper tourist visa from a Thai consulate is always an option. Takes a bit more paperwork but gives you 60 days guaranteed.

The government will probably decide this pretty quickly once they finish reviewing. That's how visa policy changes usually work here — they don't sit on these decisions for months.

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Source: Thailand to slash visa-free stay from 60 to 30 days amid security concerns