Most Western travellers enter Thailand visa-free for tourism. The big 2026 change: on 19 May 2026 the Cabinet approved cutting the visa-free stay from 60 to 30 days for most nationalities, a measure that takes legal effect only once published in the Royal Gazette. Everyone must complete the free Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) online within 72 hours before arrival, and a 300-baht entry fee is planned for 2026. The arrival card is free; sites charging for it are scams.
Thailand’s entry rules changed meaningfully in 2025 and 2026, and a lot of older advice online is now wrong. If you read a blog saying you get 60 days visa-free, or that there is a paper form to fill on the plane, it is out of date.
Here is the current picture, in plain terms. Always confirm the specifics for your nationality on official sources close to your travel date, since these rules are moving.
Do you need a visa?
For a standard tourism trip, most Western nationalities do not need a visa arranged in advance. Citizens of the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, and EU countries such as France, Germany and Spain can enter under the visa exemption scheme, getting a stamp on arrival.
This applies to tourism only. If you plan to work, study or stay long term, you need the correct visa arranged before you go.
The 60-to-30-day change
This is the update that catches people out. In July 2024 Thailand extended the visa-free stay to a generous 60 days. On 19 May 2026, the Cabinet approved rolling that back: the visa-free stay is set to revert to 30 days for most nationalities, under a tiered framework. The change becomes law only after publication in the Royal Gazette, so at the border the 60-day rule may still apply until then.
A few countries keep longer allowances under separate bilateral treaties, but the safe assumption for most travellers is now 30 days. If your trip runs longer, plan for a tourist visa or an extension rather than assuming the old 60 days still applies. Because the change is recent and not yet fully in force, double-check your nationality’s current limit on an official source before booking a longer stay.
| Traveller | Typical visa-free stay (2026) |
|---|---|
| Most EU, UK, US, Canada, Australia | 30 days (once gazetted; 60 until then) |
| A few bilateral-treaty countries | 60 or 90 days |
| Staying longer / working | Visa required in advance |
The digital arrival card (TDAC)
Since 1 May 2025, every foreign arrival must complete the Thailand Digital Arrival Card, the online form that replaced the old paper TM6 card. Key facts:
- Complete it within 72 hours before arrival, online.
- It is free on the official immigration website. Any third-party site charging a fee is a scam, and there are many.
- You get a QR-code confirmation. Save it and, ideally, screenshot it so you can show it offline at immigration.
It takes a few minutes. Do it a day or two before you fly, from wherever you have a connection, and keep the confirmation handy.
The new entry fee
For 2026, Thailand has approved a 300-baht tourist entry fee, about 8 euros, for air arrivals, with rollout expected around mid-2026 and the charge likely bundled into the airfare rather than collected at the counter. It is modest, but new, so budget for it and do not confuse it with the free arrival card. The two are separate: the card costs nothing, the entry fee is a genuine government charge. Confirm whether it is live for your travel dates.
Passport and proof rules
Standard requirements apply, and they are worth checking before you go.
- Passport valid for at least six months beyond your arrival date.
- Proof of onward travel may be requested: a flight out of Thailand within your permitted stay.
- Proof of funds can be asked for, though it is rare in practice for exemption arrivals.
Airlines sometimes check onward tickets at check-in, so have yours accessible on your phone.
Staying longer
If 30 days is not enough, you have options. You can apply for a tourist visa in advance for a longer initial stay, or extend your permission once inside Thailand at an immigration office, typically for an extra 30 days for a fee. Repeated back-to-back visa-free entries by land are increasingly scrutinised, so do not rely on quick border hops to reset your stay.
- Confirm your nationality’s current visa-free limit; assume 30 days.
- Complete the free TDAC within 72 hours of arrival, official site only.
- Save the TDAC QR code offline as a screenshot.
- Budget for the planned 300-baht entry fee, separate from the free card.
- Check your passport has six months’ validity and have onward travel to hand.
Getting entry-ready
Almost all of this now happens on your phone: completing the arrival card, saving the QR code, showing onward travel, checking the latest rules. That is easiest when you already have a connection rather than relying on airport Wi-Fi that may not cooperate.
Set up a eSIM for Thailande before you leave, and you can complete the card, pull up your documents and step through immigration without a hitch. Orange’s negotiated roaming agreements connect you to the local 4G/5G networks the moment you land, with 24/7 support and a 100% refund if you never use it.
Handle every entry step from your phone, connected on arrival
