The Cabinet today endorsed the cancellation of the pre-travel 60-day visa exemption scheme for 93 countries, a privilege granted two years ago, Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul said after the Cabinet meeting.
The measure will also revoke special arrangements for countries enjoying more than one type of visa exemption, he said.
Thailand will revert to the previous 30-day visa exemption scheme, the minister said, adding that the Visa Policy Committee will review visa arrangements on a country-by-country basis to determine the most appropriate visa type for each nation, taking into account both security and economic considerations.
All countries losing the pre-travel 60-day visa exemption will return to their previous visa arrangements, most of which generally allow stays of 30 days.
Surasak told reporters that the government wants to focus on attracting “quality tourists” rather than simply increasing visitor numbers.
The move was approved after authorities found that some foreigners were exploiting the scheme by entering Thailand under the guise of tourism to establish illegal nominee-owned businesses, work without permits, and use the country as a base for transnational crimes, including call-centre scam operations.
When the 60-day policy was introduced in 2024, it was aimed at stimulating the economy and tourism sector.
Statistics from the Tourism and Sports Ministry show that most foreign tourists stay in Thailand for an average of only nine days.
Officials therefore believe that reducing the visa-free period to 30 days will not significantly affect the core tourism market.
Some countries may see their visa-free period reduced further to 15 days, in line with short-term tourism requirements.
In 2024, the 93 countries whose citizens were allowed to stay in Thailand for up to 60 days were:
1. Andorra
2. Australia
3. Austria
4. Belgium
5. Bahrain
6. Brazil
7. Brunei
8. Canada
9. Czech
10. Denmark
11. Estonia
12. Finland
13. France
14. Germany
15. Greece
16. Hungary
17. Iceland
18. Indonesia
19. Ireland
20. Israel
21. Italy
22. Japan
23. Kuwait
24. Latvia
25. Lichtenstein
26. Lithuania
27. Luxemburg
28. Malaysia
29. the Maldives
30. Mauritius
31. Monaco
32. the Netherlands
33. New Zealand
34. Norway
35. Oman
36. the Philippines
37. Poland
38. Portugal
39. Qatar
40. San Marino
41. Singapore
42. Slovak
43. Slovenia
44. Spain
45. South Africa
46. South Korea
47. Sweden
48. Switzerland
49. Turkey
50. Ukraine
51. the United Arab Emirates
52. Great Britain and North Ireland
53. the United States
54. Peru
55. Hong Kong
56. Vietnam
57. Saudi Arabia
58. Bhutan
59. Bulgaria
60. Cyprus
61. Fiji
62. Georgia
63. India
64. Kazakhstan
65. Malta
66. Mexico
67. Papua New Guinea
68. Romania
69. Uzbekistan
70. Taiwan
71. China
72. Laos
73. Macau
74. Mongolia
75. Russia
76. Cambodia
77. Albania
78. Colombia
79. Croatia
80. Cuba
81. Dominica
82. Dominican Republic
83. Ecuador
84. Guatemala
85. Jamaica
86. Jordan
87. Kosovo
88. Morocco
89. Panama
90. Sri Lanka
91. Trinidad and Tobago
92. Tonga
93. Uruguay
