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On 31 August 2026, the Royal Thai Government Gazette published a new Notification of the Ministry of Interior re: Prescribing the List of Countries and Territories whose Passport or Travel Document Holders Entering the Kingdom Temporarily for Tourism Purposes are Exempted from Visa Requirements and Permitted to Stay in the Kingdom for Not More Than Thirty (30) Days, which will take effect on 15 September 2026.

Scope of the exemption

Under the revised list, nationals of 60 countries and territories continue to qualify for visa-free entry into Thailand for tourism purposes, for a stay of not more than 30 days:

• Asia-Pacific (13): Australia, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Maldives, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan
• Middle East & Central Asia (11): Bahrain, Georgia, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, the Kyrgyz Republic, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates
• Europe (33): Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom
• Africa (1): South Africa
• Americas (2): Canada, the United States

Bilateral Agreement of Visa Exemption for Ordinary Passport Holders

Thailand also maintains bilateral visa-exemption arrangements with certain countries for holders of ordinary passports, with the applicable permitted stay depending on the relevant agreement:

14 days (2 Countries) : Cambodia, Myanmar (International Airports only)

30 days (9 Countries) : China, Kazakhstan, Macao, Russia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Laos, Monggolia, Timor-Leste

90 days (5 Countries) : Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Korea (RO)

Visa on Arrival (3 Countries) : Azerbaijan, Belarus, Serbia

15-days visa exemption (2 Countries) : Seychelles, Mauritius

Land-Border Entry Limitation

Holders of an exempted passport or travel document who enter Thailand for tourism through a land checkpoint or a border crossing are limited to no more than two entries per calendar year through that route. This restriction does not apply to nationals of Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, or Singapore, or to any other nationality the Minister of Interior may separately designate, as they are exempted from this limit and may enter the Kingdom by land more than two times per calendar year.

Travelers relying on the visa-exemption scheme, should note and confirm their nationality remains listed, particularly if their travel plans include repeated land-border crossings.

For further information or assistance, please contact us at law@ilct.co.th.

Ministry of Interior Updates the List of Visa-Exempt Countries for Tourism [Please download]