Thailand will cut visa-free stays from 60 days to 30 days for travellers from 60 countries and territories from September 15, 2026, under revised entry rules that affect passport holders from across the GCC.
The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain are all included in the new 30-day visa-exemption scheme, alongside countries including India, the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Canada and major European markets.
Thailand’s Department of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed that its revised visa exemption and Visa on Arrival arrangements for ordinary passport holders will take effect from September 15, 2026.
The changes end the special 60-day visa-exemption scheme that covered 93 countries and territories and replace it with a 30-day tourist visa exemption covering 60 countries and territories.
Travellers entering Thailand under the existing 60-day visa-exemption arrangements before the new rules take effect may remain for the period of stay granted to them on entry.
The previous 60-day scheme was introduced in July 2024.
All six GCC countries appear on Thailand’s new 30-day visa-exemption list.
Passport holders from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain will therefore remain eligible to enter Thailand without obtaining a tourist visa in advance, but the standard permitted visa-free stay will fall to a maximum of 30 days under the new system.
The change applies to arrivals from September 15.
The 60 countries and territories covered by Thailand’s new 30-day tourist visa-exemption arrangement are:
- Australia
- Austria
- Bahrain
- Belgium
- Bhutan
- Brunei Darussalam
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Fiji
- Finland
- France
- Georgia
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- India
- Indonesia
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyz Republic
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Malta
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Oman
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Qatar
- Romania
- Saudi Arabia
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Africa
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- Türkiye
- Ukraine
- UAE
- United Kingdom
- United States
The final list differs from earlier versions of the policy outlined while the changes were still being developed.
Thailand is also introducing restrictions on repeated visa-exempt entry through land-border checkpoints.
Travellers using the 30-day tourist visa exemption at qualifying land-border crossings will generally be permitted to enter no more than twice per calendar year.
Nationals of Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Singapore are exempt from that restriction. The rules also allow the Minister to designate nationals of other countries who may enter through land-border checkpoints more than twice in a calendar year.
Separate arrangements will apply to Mauritius and Seychelles. Passport holders from the two countries will be eligible for visa-free tourist stays of up to 15 days under the revised system.
Thailand is also reducing the number of nationalities eligible for Visa on Arrival, with Azerbaijan, Belarus and Serbia included under the new arrangements.
The Cabinet approved revisions to the country’s visa-exemption and Visa on Arrival schemes as part of a wider overhaul of entry privileges.
The Thai government has previously said the review took into account national security, tourism and economic interests, reciprocity, the need to reduce overlapping visa privileges and the availability of Thailand’s e-Visa system.
The Ministry of Interior measures were subsequently published in the Royal Gazette, allowing the new arrangements to take effect from September 15.
For UAE and other GCC travellers planning longer stays in Thailand, the key change is therefore the reduction in the standard visa-free period from 60 days to 30 days for arrivals from September 15, 2026.
