Staying 60 days in Thailand without a visa is still possible
Since 15 September 2026, Thailand’s visa exemption has been halved to 30 days for 60 countries. However, travellers can still reach 60 days by paying for a 30-day extension at an immigration bureau—no guarantees and subject to approval.
Nationals of the 60 listed countries and territories may still spend up to two months in Thailand after 15 September 2026, but they must follow a two-stage process and a new requirement.
Confirmation printed by Thai embassies
The detail is posted on the Royal Thai Embassy in Washington’s dedicated visa-exemption page, updated 17 September 2026. It states that visitors are admitted « for up to 30 days period of stay and can be extended for another period not exceeding 30 days».
The Royal Thai Embassy in Brussels echoes the rule in almost identical wording: entry « for up to 30 days (possible to extend 30 days more at the Thai Immigration) ».
The announcement was overlooked because it stayed on embassy pages instead of the Thailand Tourism Authority’s 1 September press release, which only mentioned the 30-day entry cap and daily entry limits. Likewise, the London embassy’s 8 September notice stuck to the entry duration; the extension clause appears only in the more detailed consular pages usually checked once the first headline has been read.
What « at the discretion of the officer » means in practice
Washington’s page makes the extension conditional: « Extension of stay is solely at the discretion of the immigration officer ». That is not a disclaimer: no traveller has an automatic right to the extra 30 days.
As a result, a 60-day stay can no longer be booked end-to-end as it was before 15 September. An outward ticket set for the 58th day now depends on a decision that has yet to be made—and cannot be guaranteed. Travellers who need a firm departure date should apply for a tourist visa in advance rather than rely on the extension.
How to apply: TM.7 form and 1 900 THB
The paperwork must be filed before the initial 30-day visa-free window closes, at any Thai immigration bureau. The official form is TM.7—Application for Extension of Temporary Stay.
The fee is fixed nationwide: the item « request to extend temporary stay in the Kingdom » is listed at 1 900 THB €49.54 per applicant. Provincial bureaus in Samut Prakan and elsewhere confirm the same charge and it does not vary by office.
The foreign national may obtain only one extension. The total possible stay under the visa-free regime is therefore capped at 60 days.
Entry requirements unchanged by the reform
Two financial checks were not altered. Washington’s embassy still requires visitors admitted under the exemption to show funds of 20 000 THB €521.44 per person, or 40 000 THB €1,042.88 for a family.
The same page notes that holders of emergency, provisional or temporary passports issued to citizens of countries covered by the 30-day rule are accepted by immigration authorities provided the document remains valid for at least six months on the return trip to the holder’s home country.
Which nationalities fall under which regime
The new 30-day visa-free period (extendable to 60 days) covers nationals of 60 countries and territories, ranging from Australia and Brazil to France, Japan, Canada, South Africa, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Kyrgyzstan and Taiwan.
Three other regimes operate alongside it, each with different entitlements:
Seychelles and Mauritius: 15 days, no extension.
Azerbaijan, Belarus and Serbia: visa on arrival issued at designated entry points, fee 2 000 THB €52.14 (no right to further stay in-country).
Cambodia, Myanmar: 14 days; China, Vietnam, Russia, Kazakhstan, Hong Kong, Macao, Laos, Mongolia and Timor-Leste: 30 days; Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru and South Korea: 90 days.
The extension policy published by the embassies applies strictly to the visa-free exemption. Nationals using any other entry route must observe the conditions of their own regime.
Overland border crossings: two entries every calendar year
The post-15 September limit of two visa-free entries per calendar year via land borders remains in force and interacts with the new extension option. Flights are exempt from the count. Travellers who previously relied on quick « visa-runs » to reset the clock can now use the paid 30-day extension instead; it preserves their entry allowance while lengthening the current stay.
A specialist in regulatory monitoring and a content destination expert, she analyzes daily changes in entry formalities to turn complex administrative processes into practical guides. Her role blends ground-level expertise with technical precision to ensure the reliability of the information provided to travelers.
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