Thailand is cutting visa-free stays for Australian travellers from 60 days to 30 days as part of a wider tightening of the country’s entry settings.
The change will affect travellers from more than 90 countries, including Australia, and unwinds one of Thailand’s biggest post-COVID tourism sweeteners. Thai officials say the move is aimed at visa misuse and crimes involving foreign nationals, rather than any specific country.
Thailand remains visa-free for standard short stays, but the automatic two-month window for Australian travellers is being scrapped.
Cabinet approved the end of the 60-day visa-free program on Tuesday, with Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul confirming the rules for countries covered by the scheme will return to the immigration settings in place before the longer stay began, according to the Bangkok Post.
Australia appears on the unofficial Ministry of Foreign Affairs list of 54 countries and territories set to receive a 30-day visa exemption after the 60-day scheme is abolished, alongside New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Singapore, Japan and Malaysia.
The exact start date has not been announced. Mungkorn Pratoomkaew, Director-General of Thailand’s Consular Affairs Department, said the changes will take effect 15 days after an official announcement is published in the Royal Gazette.
Travellers already in Thailand, or arriving before the new measures begin, will be allowed to remain under their existing visa conditions until their permitted stay expires.
Why Thailand is pulling it back
Thailand introduced the 60-day exemption in July 2024, doubling the previous 30-day stay and expanding eligibility to 93 countries as it worked to rebuild international visitor numbers after COVID.
That longer window is now being wound back after authorities raised concerns about foreigners using visa-free stays to run businesses, put down roots or engage in criminal activity. The Bangkok Post reported Thai authorities had been signalling those concerns for months.
ABC News reported the crackdown follows high-profile arrests of foreigners linked to drug offences, sex trafficking and businesses including hotels and schools allegedly operating without proper permits. Thailand’s foreign minister has described the visa reduction as part of a crackdown on transnational crime.
Government spokesperson Rachada Dhanadirek said tourists had boosted the Thai economy, but the current scheme had also allowed some people to exploit it, according to ABC News.
Mungkorn said the changes are also designed to address reciprocity, security issues and policy duplication, with multiple exemption schemes creating confusion among tourists.
What advisors need to watch
For Australian travel advisors, the trade impact sits with any Thailand itinerary that pushes beyond 30 days.
That means extended Phuket stays, wellness retreats, long family visits, remote-work stints in Bangkok and wider Southeast Asia trips using Thailand as the anchor all need a closer visa check before clients lock in flights, accommodation or touring.
Thailand attracts around 800,000 Australians for tourism and business each year, according to DFAT data cited by ABC News.
University of Queensland tourism sustainability academic Ya-Yen Sun told ABC News the changes could reduce some travellers’ willingness to choose Thailand over nearby countries with similar destination appeal and less visa friction. She said Australians staying more than 15 nights contributed 35 per cent of Thailand’s total tourism receipts, based on Tourism Research Australia data.
A crackdown as arrivals soften
Thailand’s foreign tourist arrivals were down 3.3 per cent year on year to 12.9 million as of 17 May. Arrivals fell seven per cent to 33 million last year, and the National Economic and Social Development Council forecasts a further decline to 32 million this year, according to the Bangkok Post.
The new framework will also cut the 30-day visa exemption list from 57 countries to 54, with three countries yet to be named. The 60-day exemption will be revoked for all 93 countries and territories previously covered by the expanded scheme.
Three countries will be eligible for a 15-day visa exemption, four countries will be eligible for visa on arrival, and several bilateral agreements will continue separately, including 30-day exemptions for China, Hong Kong, Macau, Laos, Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Timor-Leste and Vietnam.
