Government AffairsThe revised policy will affect visitors from 93 visa-exempt markets.

No more 60-day visa-free policy for Thailand

|
No date has been set for enforcement.
No date has been set for enforcement. Photo Credit: iStock/Boyloso

Thailand has confirmed it will end the 60-day visa-free exemption programme for foreign visitors, a move that will affect travellers from 93 countries.

This includes Australia, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and South Korea, to name a few.

The programme will return to the original visa category, which allow for stays in the kingdom of not over 30 days.

For months, Thai authorities have mulled limiting the 60-day visa-free period, which had been introduced to spur post-Covid tourism recovery.

The new ruling would primarily tackle loopholes that enable cross-border scam operations.

No date has been set for enforcement, although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in a briefing that the changes would come into effect 15 days after the Royal Gazette publishes the announcement.

JDS Travel News JDS Viewpoints JDS Africa/MI