Thai Ministry of Interior
Thai ministry whose gazetted announcements cut Visa-free stays to 30 days.
Thailand's Interior Ministry cut Visa-free stays for 60 countries from 60 days to 30 on 15 September 2026, through four announcements gazetted on 31 August that also limit most overland visitors to two exempt entries a year.
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The Ministry of Interior is one of Thailand's largest government ministries, seated in Bangkok. It runs provincial administration, local government and civil registration through the provincial governors and district offices. Under Thailand's Immigration Act of 1979, it also issues the announcements that set which nationalities may enter without a Visa and for how long.
Those announcements take legal effect only once published in the Royal Gazette, which makes the ministry the formal author of Thailand's Visa-exemption list. On 31 August 2026 it gazetted four of them. From 15 September, 60 countries received a 30-day exemption instead of 60 days, Seychelles and Mauritius received 15 days, and overland entries under the exemption were capped at two a calendar year for most nationalities.
The ministry's role matters to anyone planning a long stay in Thailand. Each change to the exemption list arrives as a ministerial announcement rather than a new law, so the rules can shift with a single gazette notice.
The ministry halved visa-free stays
The ministry published four announcements in the Royal Gazette on 31 August 2026, and they took effect on 15 September. Citizens of 60 countries now receive a 30-day exemption instead of 60 days, while visitors from Seychelles and Mauritius receive 15 days.
The gazetted text also adds a rule aimed at border runs. A traveller entering over land may use the exemption only twice in a calendar year, with exceptions for Malaysian, Singaporean, Indonesian, Bruneian and other designated nationals. For long-stay visitors WHO relied on repeated exits to Laos, Cambodia or Malaysia, the ministry's text replaces an informal routine with a hard annual count.
How long can I stay in Thailand without a visa now?
How many times can I enter Thailand by land visa-free?
When did Thailand's shorter visa-free stay start?
