Thailand plans visa-free stay cuts for foreigners
Thailand plans to reduce visa-free stays for foreign visitors, cutting the current 60-day allowance to match actual tourist behavior, with most visitors staying only nine days on average.
BANGKOK — 11 May 2026, Thailand's Ministry of Tourism and Sports is preparing to scrap extended visa-free stays for foreign visitors by reducing permitted lengths of stay in line with traveller behaviour. Data shows most tourists stay in Thailand for an average of only nine days; believed to have no significant impact on the Thai tourism market.
Speaking on 11 May 2026, Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul said the proposal was being prepared for submission to the Cabinet.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will draft the full details of the plan, which would shorten permitted stays for travellers from 93 countries currently eligible for 60-day visa-free entry.
Surasak said the revised stay periods would be tailored to each country and aimed at matching actual tourist behaviour while helping authorities tackle criminals entering Thailand under the guise of tourism.
As studies found that foreign visitors to Thailand stayed for an average of just over nine days, he said. Visitors from Norway recorded the longest average stay at 21 days, meaning a 30-day visa period would still be sufficient for most travellers. He added that visitors entering Thailand for other purposes, such as internships or medical treatment, could apply for alternative visa categories suited to their needs.
Surasak said he was confident the reduction in permitted stays would not affect Thailand's overall foreign tourism market.
The minister clarified that the government would continue pushing ahead with plans to impose an entry fee on foreign tourists. The preliminary rate has been set at 300 baht per person per visit, mainly targeting arrivals by air, with the revenue earmarked for Thailand's tourism promotion fund. He expressed confidence that the plan would go ahead.
