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THAILAND will reduce the visa-free period for travelers from 60 days to 30 days. The changes were made by Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports to address concerns about the risk of abuse of the visa waiver system.
Previously, since July 2024, citizens of 93 countries have the right to travel to the white elephant country without a visa for up to 60 days. However, after the local government issued new rules related to rations for living tourists in the country, the way tourists plan a visit to the Land of Smile will change.
According to Thailand’s Minister of Tourism and Sports, Sorawong Thienthong, said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was concerned about illegal businesses that might occur in Thailand because of a longer stay permit. As a result, there is agreement on the decision to reduce the length of stay to 30 days.
The visa-free policy itself allows travelers to visit Thailand both for the purpose of vacation to tourist attractions, business meetings, urgent or temporary work. Thanks to the policy, visitors can also extend a 30-day stay, allowing them to stay in the white elephant country for 90 days without a visa.
Some parties in the tourism industry say that the reduction will not have a significant negative impact on the sector. Based on data from Forwardkeys, quoted by VN Express, showed only 7% of orders to Thailand in January and February this year for more than 22 nights. Some hotel owners in Phuket, a popular tourist destination, said the policy changes did not affect the accommodation sector because most European tourists usually stay for two weeks.
Meanwhile, the president of the Phuket Tourist Association, Thanet Tantipiriaki, revealed that his members welcomed the government’s latest move after consistently lobbying for the cut. He added that tourism agents are not worried about the regulation because there are still alternative visa options for tourists who want to stay longer.
However, some people are worried that these changes could have a negative impact on the tourism industry. Especially now that Thailand is facing security problems among Chinese tourists following the kidnapping of actor Xing Xing in January and increasing competition from neighboring countries such as Vietnam.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand’s (TAT) deputy governor for international marketing for Africa, the Middle East and the Americas, Firipakorn Cheawsamoot, said about 2,000 tourists from visa-free countries apply for visas every year.
“If the government decides to cut the visa-free stay, it will affect these groups because they have benefited from the stay extension,” he was quoted as saying by VN Express, Friday, (03/21), 2025.
New regulations on residency limits in Thailand are expected to reduce the number of tourist visits as they arise as neighboring countries try to attract travelers with increasingly lax entry policies.
93 visa-free countries up to 60 days in Thailand
At present, there are 93 visa-free countries to be in Thailand for 60 days trimmed to 30 days. These countries include Albania, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bhutan, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, China, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Estonia and Fiji.
Then there are Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Kosovo, Kuwait, Laos, Latvia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, and the Netherlands.
Also New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, San Marino City, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Sweden, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. [sources/photo special]
