Thailand

Thailand is a constitutional monarchy of around 72 million people in mainland Southeast Asia, with Bangkok as its capital. One of the region's most visited countries, Thailand has a substantial long-stay and digital nomad community and sits at the intersection of US-China strategic competition due to its independent Foreign Policy posture.

In 2026, Thailand appeared across several independent storylines. On space policy, Thailand is one of a group of countries that signed both the Artemis Accords (US-led) and China and Russia's rival International Lunar Research Station framework, illustrating the limits of the Artemis Coalition's exclusivity across middle powers in the Asia-Pacific. On maritime trade, Thailand was among eleven flag states paying Iran's Hormuz toll in yuan as of 5 April 2026. On UK political finance, Thailand is the country of domicile of Christopher Harborne, who donated £9 million to Reform UK in Q3 2025. On pandemics, Thailand falls within the Southeast Asian surveillance zone for H5N1 and AMR tracking.

On visitor-Visa policy, Thailand's cabinet voted on 19 May 2026 to cut the 60-day Visa-free entry that 93 countries had used since July 2024, reducing most arrivals to a single 30-day stay; the measure would take effect 15 days after Royal Gazette publication, which had not happened as of 23 June 2026. The Destination Thailand Visa (180-day stay, requiring 500,000 baht in savings, roughly €13,000) sits entirely outside the change and remains the priced long-stay route for remote workers and retirees.

On 16 July 2026 the cabinet finalised the restructuring into three tiers, still awaiting Royal Gazette publication: a 30-day exemption for 59 countries and territories, now covering all 27 EU member states; a new 15-day tier for Mauritius and Seychelles; and a Visa-on-arrival tier of 65 countries including Azerbaijan, Belarus and Serbia.