Opinion & Analysis
# Thailand information The new Thai visa exemption regulations have been released, and Chinese travelers will be exempted from visa exemption for 30 days.
People who travel to Thailand for tours, family visits, business trips, short-term study tours, or short-term stays should recheck their entry categories and length of stay. Especially for those who plan to stay in Thailand for more than 30 days, it may be necessary to prepare a suitable visa in advance, rather than just staying for a long time without a visa.
# Thailand information The new Thai visa exemption regulations have been released, and Chinese travelers will be exempted from visa exemption for 30 days.
On May 21, 2026, Thailand updated the visa exemption and visa on arrival rules for 2026.Previously open to 93 countries and regions, the 60-day visa-free stay policy will be canceled.According to the classification currently announced, mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macao are included in the category of "30-day reciprocal visa exemption".In other words, Chinese travelers can still enter Thailand visa-free in the future, but they can no longer press "60-day visa-free" to arrange their travel.
According to the Consular Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, the Thai Cabinet approved the adjustment of visa exemption and visa on arrival measures on May 19, 2026.The core of this adjustment is to reorganize the entry preferences of different countries and regions in Thailand. The principle is "one country or region, only one visa facility is retained", avoiding multiple visa-free, visa-on-arrival or other entry preferences for the same country at the same time.
The measures also need to be announced by the Thai Ministry of Interior and published in the Royal Gazette of Thailand.According to the Thai instructions, the # new rules will take effect 15 days after publication in the Royal Gazette. The effective date shall still be subject to the official announcement of Thailand. This revision mainly includes several changes: the cancellation of the 60-day visa exemption policy for 93 countries and regions; the reduction of the 30-day tourist visa exemption list from 57 countries and regions to 54; the addition of the 15-day tourist visa exemption category, which applies to 3 countries and regions; the substantial reduction of the visa on arrival list from 31 countries and regions to 4; and the fact that in principle only one Thai visa convenience is retained for each country or region.
Thailand had previously introduced a 60-day visa waiver to stimulate tourism and the economy.However, after the implementation of the policy, the Thai side began to worry about some foreigners taking advantage of the longer stay period to illegally work in Thailand, engage in fake business, grey business, and even involve in transnational crime.
Thailand's Minister of Tourism and Sports has also said that most of the affected countries will return to the original entry rules, and the stay in many countries will be restored to about 30 days.The Thai side said that in the future, it will consider both safety and economic factors, and will not only look at the number of tourists, but will place more emphasis on so-called "high-quality tourists".
For those already in Thailand, the new rules will not have an immediate retroactive impact.
In other words, # those who have already entered Thailand in accordance with the existing visa waiver rules # or who entered before the new rules officially came into effect # can continue to stay in Thailand until the expiration of the current permit period in accordance with the stay period obtained at the time of entry. After the new regulations come into effect, foreign travelers need to apply for the corresponding visa to enter the country in accordance with the adjusted visa exemption, reciprocal visa exemption, visa on arrival, or through the Thai e-Visa system.
According to the currently published classification: 30-day tourist visa exemption will apply to 54 countries and regions; 15-day tourist visa exemption will apply to Seychelles, Maldives, Mauritius; arrival visas will only be reserved for Azerbaijan, Belarus, Serbia and India;
90-day visa waiver for Argentina, Peru, Chile, Brazil and South Korea;
The 14-day reciprocal visa waiver applies to Cambodia and Myanmar, of which Myanmar is restricted to air travel.
The relevant part of China is the most critical.
Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau are included in the 30-day reciprocal visa exemption category, the report said.The so-called "reciprocal visa exemption" means that the other country or region allows Thais to enter the country visa-free, and Thailand also grants corresponding visa exemption.
The 30-day reciprocal visa waiver list currently reported includes: Mainland China, Hong Kong, Russia, Laos, Macau, Timor-Leste, and Kazakhstan.
However, there is one more detail to note: the report says that the category covers 9 countries and regions, but only 7 are actually listed.Therefore, the final complete list and implementation criteria shall still be subject to the official announcement of the Thai Royal Gazette and the on-site implementation of the Thai Immigration Department. The most direct impact of this adjustment on Chinese tourists is that they can no longer simply press "Thailand visa-free 60 days" to plan their trip.
People who travel to Thailand for tours, family visits, business trips, short-term study tours, or short-term stays should recheck their entry categories and length of stay.Especially for those who plan to stay in Thailand for more than 30 days, it may be necessary to prepare a suitable visa in advance, rather than just staying for a long time without a visa.
On May 21, 2026, Thailand updated the visa exemption and visa on arrival rules for 2026.Previously open to 93 countries and regions, the 60-day visa-free stay policy will be canceled.According to the classification currently announced, mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macao are included in the category of "30-day reciprocal visa exemption".In other words, Chinese travelers can still enter Thailand visa-free in the future, but they can no longer press "60-day visa-free" to arrange their travel.
According to the Consular Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, the Thai Cabinet approved the adjustment of visa exemption and visa on arrival measures on May 19, 2026.The core of this adjustment is to reorganize the entry preferences of different countries and regions in Thailand. The principle is "one country or region, only one visa facility is retained", avoiding multiple visa-free, visa-on-arrival or other entry preferences for the same country at the same time.
The measures also need to be announced by the Thai Ministry of Interior and published in the Royal Gazette of Thailand.According to the Thai instructions, the # new rules will take effect 15 days after publication in the Royal Gazette. The effective date shall still be subject to the official announcement of Thailand. This revision mainly includes several changes: the cancellation of the 60-day visa exemption policy for 93 countries and regions; the reduction of the 30-day tourist visa exemption list from 57 countries and regions to 54; the addition of the 15-day tourist visa exemption category, which applies to 3 countries and regions; the substantial reduction of the visa on arrival list from 31 countries and regions to 4; and the fact that in principle only one Thai visa convenience is retained for each country or region.
Thailand had previously introduced a 60-day visa waiver to stimulate tourism and the economy.However, after the implementation of the policy, the Thai side began to worry about some foreigners taking advantage of the longer stay period to illegally work in Thailand, engage in fake business, grey business, and even involve in transnational crime.
Thailand's Minister of Tourism and Sports has also said that most of the affected countries will return to the original entry rules, and the stay in many countries will be restored to about 30 days.The Thai side said that in the future, it will consider both safety and economic factors, and will not only look at the number of tourists, but will place more emphasis on so-called "high-quality tourists".
For those already in Thailand, the new rules will not have an immediate retroactive impact.
In other words, # those who have already entered Thailand in accordance with the existing visa waiver rules # or who entered before the new rules officially came into effect # can continue to stay in Thailand until the expiration of the current permit period in accordance with the stay period obtained at the time of entry. After the new regulations come into effect, foreign travelers need to apply for the corresponding visa to enter the country in accordance with the adjusted visa exemption, reciprocal visa exemption, visa on arrival, or through the Thai e-Visa system.
According to the currently published classification: 30-day tourist visa exemption will apply to 54 countries and regions; 15-day tourist visa exemption will apply to Seychelles, Maldives, Mauritius; arrival visas will only be reserved for Azerbaijan, Belarus, Serbia and India;
90-day visa waiver for Argentina, Peru, Chile, Brazil and South Korea;
The 14-day reciprocal visa waiver applies to Cambodia and Myanmar, of which Myanmar is restricted to air travel.
The relevant part of China is the most critical.
Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau are included in the 30-day reciprocal visa exemption category, the report said.The so-called "reciprocal visa exemption" means that the other country or region allows Thais to enter the country visa-free, and Thailand also grants corresponding visa exemption.
The 30-day reciprocal visa waiver list currently reported includes: Mainland China, Hong Kong, Russia, Laos, Macau, Timor-Leste, and Kazakhstan.
However, there is one more detail to note: the report says that the category covers 9 countries and regions, but only 7 are actually listed.Therefore, the final complete list and implementation criteria shall still be subject to the official announcement of the Thai Royal Gazette and the on-site implementation of the Thai Immigration Department. The most direct impact of this adjustment on Chinese tourists is that they can no longer simply press "Thailand visa-free 60 days" to plan their trip.
People who travel to Thailand for tours, family visits, business trips, short-term study tours, or short-term stays should recheck their entry categories and length of stay.Especially for those who plan to stay in Thailand for more than 30 days, it may be necessary to prepare a suitable visa in advance, rather than just staying for a long time without a visa.