Thailand shortens visa-free stay to 30 days

The period of visa-free stays in Thailand is set to be reduced from 60 days to 30 days in an effort to curb the risk of illegal businesses exploiting the visa exemption scheme, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.

Minister of Tourism and Sports Sorawong Thienthong said the issue had been widely discussed among all related stakeholders in the past few weeks, and they all agreed in principle to reduce the period of stays from 60 days to 30 days for citizens from countries granted a visa exemption under the programme.

However, further details will be discussed before such adjustments to the regulation are formally announced.

Since July 2024, the Thai government has allowed passport holders from 93 countries to enter Thailand for tourism purposes for a period not exceeding 60 days. This had earlier been granted to citizens of 57 countries.

However, tourism operators expressed concern over the extended period as long-haul tourists typically stayed for only 14-21 days on average, while short-haul travellers spent less than two weeks per trip or around seven days on average.

The Association of Thai Travel Agents earlier raised this concern with the ministry as there is a growing number of foreigners illegally working or conducting business activities in the country, while the Thai Hotels Association believed this was partly to blame for the increase in the number of condos being illegally rented out to guests on a daily basis.

The ministry’s Permanent Secretary Natthriya Thaweevong said the ministry has instructed the Tourism Department to enforce the Tourism Business and Tourist Guide Act more seriously.

The special joint operational center operated by six agencies, including the Tourism Department and Tourist Police, has consistently investigated illicit activities taking place in Phuket and five other popular tourism-related areas, namely Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Hua Hin, Koh Samui and Bangkok, she noted.

Natthriya said the department revoked the licences of 40 companies in 2024 as they were found guilty of secretly changing the authorized directors and the proportion of directors and shareholders.