Thai Cabinet Revokes 60-day Visa-free Entry Scheme

By Kenny Teng

BANGKOK, May 19 (Bernama) -- Thailand’s Cabinet on Tuesday decided to revoke the 60-day visa-free entry scheme for visitors from more than 90 countries and territories, reverting to the previous visa regulations.

Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul said the decision also applies to countries granted multiple visa exemption privileges, which will likewise be cancelled and restored to the former criteria.

“As for the proposed new visa criteria, the Visa Policy Committee will review each country individually to determine the most appropriate visa arrangement, taking into account both security and economic considerations,” he told reporters after the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

Surasak said countries affected by the cancellation of the 60-day visa-free stay would revert to their previous visa arrangements, most of which allowed stays of around 30 days.

However, he did not specify when the revised policy would take effect.

Separately, the director-general of the Department of Consular Affairs at Thailand’s Foreign Ministry, Mungkorn Pratoomkaew, said the revised framework would enforce a stricter policy allowing only one visa exemption scheme per country or territory to eliminate overlapping privileges.

“The changes are intended to address a combination of factors, including reciprocity, security concerns and policy duplication, as multiple exemption schemes have caused confusion among tourists,” he said.

He added that the new regulations would come into effect 15 days after publication in the Royal Gazette.

For many years, Thailand allowed nationals from 56 countries to enter without a visa for stays of up to 30 days.

In July 2024, the visa exemption period was extended to 60 days and expanded to cover 93 countries and territories.

-- BERNAMA