If you’ve been to Thailand before and assumed the entry process works the same as it did last year, stop. A lot has changed. The Thai government formally approved a significant overhaul of its visa system in May 2026, and if you’re planning a trip — whether it’s a two-week holiday or a six-month digital nomad stint — you need to know what’s new before you book anything.

Here’s a clear breakdown of what changed, who it affects, and what your options are.

The Big Change: 60 Days Is Now 30 Days

For the past couple of years, citizens from 93 countries could enter Thailand without a visa and stay for up to 60 days. That’s over.

As of May 19, 2026, the Thai Cabinet officially ended the 60-day visa exemption program. Most of those same nationalities can still enter without a visa — but the default stay is now 30 days.

This affects travelers from the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, most of Europe, Singapore, Japan, the Philippines, and many others.

The reasoning behind it? Thailand has been dealing with a rise in people using tourist exemptions to work illegally, set up fake businesses, and run scam operations out of tourist hubs. The 60-day window made it too easy. The government wants high-spending, legitimate visitors — not people gaming the system indefinitely.

Important note for anyone already in Thailand: If you entered before the new rules took effect and got a 60-day stamp, you can stay for the full 60 days. The changes apply to new entries only.

How Long Can You Stay Now? A Country-by-Country Breakdown

30-Day Visa Exemption (54 countries)

This covers the majority of Western nations and popular tourist source markets — including the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, UAE, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, the Philippines, and most EU/Schengen countries.

You can extend this once at a local immigration office for an additional 30 days. The fee is 1,900 THB. That gives you a maximum of 60 days total before you need to leave or get a formal visa.

15-Day Visa Exemption (3 countries)

Maldives, Mauritius, and Seychelles now fall into a shorter exemption category. Extensions are very restricted.

Visa on Arrival — Now Only 4 Countries

The Visa on Arrival program has been significantly cut. It used to cover 31 nationalities. It now applies to just four: India, Azerbaijan, Belarus, and Serbia.

Cost is 2,000 THB, payable in cash in Thai Baht only. It’s generally not extendable.

Bilateral Treaties (Unchanged)

Some countries have separate agreements with Thailand that aren’t affected by these changes:

• 14 days (airport arrivals only): Cambodia, Myanmar
• 30 days: China, Hong Kong, Macau, Russia, Laos, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Timor-Leste
• 90 days: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, South Korea

If your country is on one of these lists, your entry terms haven’t changed.

What You Need to Do Before You Fly: The TDAC

Regardless of which category you fall into, you now need to complete a digital arrival card before boarding. The old paper TM6 form you used to fill out on the plane is gone.

It’s called the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC), and here’s what you need to know:

• Submit at tdac.immigration.go.th (this is the only official site — it’s free)
• Must be done within 72 hours before arrival — not earlier, not later
• You’ll need your passport details (MRZ format spelling), flight information, port of entry, accommodation address, and basic health history
• You’ll receive a QR code by email — save it offline in case airport Wi-Fi is slow
• Applies to everyone: tourists, business travelers, and expats with work permits

When you arrive at Suvarnabhumi or Don Mueang, your TDAC data is linked to your passport chip. If you’ve registered, you can clear immigration through automated gates with facial recognition rather than waiting in the manual counter queue — about 70% faster.

A new app called THIM is launching October 1, 2026. It’ll handle the TDAC process plus future features like visa extensions and address reporting (TM30). Worth keeping an eye on.

Watch out for fake sites. Multiple fraudulent websites charge between $20–90 to “process” your TDAC. The real one is free. Go directly to tdac.immigration.go.th and don’t click sponsored search results.

Staying Longer Than 30 Days: Your Options in 2026

Option 1: Extend at Immigration (Simplest)

If you’re on a 30-day exemption and want more time, visit a local immigration office before your stamp expires. One extension of 30 days costs 1,900 THB. Maximum total stay: 60 days.

Option 2: The Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) — Best for Remote Workers and Long-Stayers

If you work remotely, freelance, or want to spend serious time in Thailand, the DTV is now the main legal route.

Here’s what it offers:

• 5-year multiple-entry visa
• 180 days per entry
• Extendable once per year for another 180 days (cost: 1,900 THB at immigration)
• Valid for digital nomads, remote workers, and participants in approved soft-power activities (Muay Thai, cooking schools, medical treatment, etc.)

What it actually costs to qualify: The financial requirement is 500,000 THB in liquid savings (roughly $14,500 USD). And they mean liquid — cryptocurrency and investment portfolios are not accepted.

The bigger change in 2026: embassies are no longer accepting a one-day bank balance screenshot. Most now want to see that the 500,000 THB has been sitting in your account consistently for three to six months before you apply. This is sometimes called a “seasoning rule.”

The visa itself costs 10,000 THB (around $275–400 USD depending on where you apply).

Option 3: Multiple Entry Tourist Visa (METV)

More suited to frequent visitors who aren’t working. 6-month validity, 60 days per entry with a 30-day extension option. Financial proof requirement is much lower — around 40,000 THB ($1,300).

Option 4: Long-Term Resident Visa (LTR)

For highly skilled executives, wealthy retirees, or established investors. 10-year multiple entry, up to 1 year per stay, renewable in-country. Minimum income requirement of $80,000 USD annually (or equivalent wealth).

At the Border: What Officers Are Actually Checking

The enforcement side of these changes is real. Immigration officers now have access to your full entry history for the past 12–18 months. Here’s what can get you flagged or turned away:

Land border entries: You’re now capped at two per calendar year on the visa exemption. A third attempt will be denied. Same-day land crossings (crossing and immediately coming back) are flagged as suspicious.

Too many days in Thailand: If your history shows more than 180 cumulative days per year on tourist exemptions, expect secondary inspection and possible denial.

Cash requirement: Officially, immigration can ask to see 10,000 THB per person (20,000 THB per family) in physical cash. In practice, at Suvarnabhumi Airport the standard enforced is often 20,000 THB per person (40,000 THB per family). Carry cash. Not having it can result in denial of entry.

Onward ticket: You must have a confirmed flight out of Thailand within your permitted stay period. A booking on hold or an unconfirmed itinerary may be flagged.

Overstaying: The fine is 500 THB per day, capped at 20,000 THB. But if you overstay more than 30 days, you’ll face a re-entry ban ranging from 1 to 10 years. It’s not worth it.

What This Means If You’re a Regular Thailand Visitor

If you go to Thailand for a typical 1–2 week holiday, almost nothing about this affects you. The average tourist stay is around 9 days. You’ll clear in on a 30-day exemption, have the TDAC sorted before you fly, and be fine.

If you’ve been doing longer stays — using visa runs or back-to-back exemptions to live in Thailand without a proper visa — that’s now being systematically shut down. The land border cap, the cumulative stay monitoring, and the stricter financial checks for the DTV are all aimed squarely at this group.

The message from the Thai government is clear: you’re welcome to visit, and welcome to stay long-term through the right channels. The days of indefinitely extending a tourist stay through clever border hops are over.

Quick Reference Summary

The short version: Thailand is still very much open for tourism, just on clearer terms. Get your TDAC done before you fly, carry some cash for the border check, and if you’re planning a long stay, sort out the right visa before you land rather than trying to figure it out once you’re already there.