Transcript of the above video: 

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing the Visa Exemption in Thailand. What is the Visa Exemption? For those who are unaware, it is possible for those from about 93 countries to enter Thailand without a Visa. You can basically get on a plane if you have a certain passport, for example many of the folks we deal with have British or American passports, basically they get on a plane, they come to Thailand and presently they will be stamped in for 60 days. In the past, the standard Visa Exemption was 30 days. They upped that to 60 days about 18 months ago - maybe a little less than that - and we have been dealing with that ever since, but it looks like that may be changing. 

I have made videos on this in the past. A further update was warranted after reading a recent article from The Chiang Rai Times, that is chiangraitimes.com, the article is titled: Thailand Changes Travel Rules for 2026. Quoting directly: Visa-free Entry May Drop from 60 Days to 30 Days. Quoting further: "Over the past two years, passport holders from 93 countries, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, India, and many EU nations, have been allowed to enter Thailand without a Visa for up to 60 days. That policy, expanded in July 2024, made Thailand one of the easiest places to visit in Southeast Asia. As of March 2026, the 60-day Visa-free entry remains in place. Visitors from eligible countries can arrive with a valid passport, complete the Thailand Digital Arrival Card, and receive permission to stay for up to 60 days. They can also request a 30-day extension for 1,900 baht. However, Thai authorities have proposed reducing the Visa Free stay to 30 days. Officials raised the idea in early 2026 after concerns that some visitors were using long Visa-free stays to work illegally, run unlicensed businesses, or take jobs from local workers in busy tourism areas such as Phuket and Pattaya."

Yeah, I have talked about this at length in many other videos, and on top of this, a former Deputy Director of the National Intelligence Agency and a former officer with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has voiced the same concerns. When hearing those things from that echelon of the policy-making apparatus, it's a good idea to listen up and perk up your ears because we are looking at a likely situation wherein we could see major changes to Thai travel policy, immigration policy specifically. Quoting further: "Tourism and Immigration Officials have argued that the most regular tourists stay only two to three weeks. Because of that, they say the 30-day limit would not affect most vacationers. The 30-day extension would still remain, so travelers could still reach 60 days in total if needed."

So again, it would be a reversion back to the old 30/30. You got 30 on arrival, and it could be extended by 30 days in-country. Quoting further: "Current status of the Visa-free proposal. Right now, no change has taken effect. The 60-day Visa-free stay is still active, and the government has not announced an official launch date for any reduction." Yeah, it remains to be seen. 

That said, as I have discussed in videos recently, we have a new Parliament convening. Now as the late great Barry Kenyon who used to write for the Pattaya Mail before his untimely passing, he basically surmised that under this new Parliament it was likely that we would see a new Immigration Bill, a new Immigration Act brought forth. Bearing in mind, the current Thai Immigration Act is from 1979, and candidly it is kind of starting to show its age a little bit. On top of that, we've had all of these different visas - effectively made up out of whole cloth, depending on which visa you are talking about - and it's not exactly in line with the actual laws, the actual provisions of the Act. I have pointed that out in many other videos, I'm not going to get into that here. But I don't think it's outside the realm of possibility at all that we could see major changes made to Thailand’s Immigration Laws in this upcoming Parliament. 

Now that said, it remains to be seen. However, this issue with the Exemptions, has been talked about for a little while now. The momentum on this feels like, and all I can do is speculate, so it just seems to me, but based on prior experience, it looks to me like there is a serious momentum behind the idea of reducing the 60-day Exemption stamp back down to 30 days. However, actual implementation of that remains to be seen, so we will certainly be keeping you updated on this channel as the situation evolves.