Tourists Affected by Thailand's Visa Changes

14 hours ago, Liquorice said:

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It's the number of days staying as a tourist they're limiting, not the number of VE entries.

I'm assuming that you mean "It's the number of days staying as a tourist without a visa they're limiting, not the number of VE entries."

If you get a SETV for each trip (or a METV) then that 120 day restriction doesn't apply....as I understand it.

9 minutes ago, VBF said:

If you get a SETV for each trip (or a METV) then that 120 day restriction doesn't apply....as I understand it.

Where does that understanding come from?

Prior to announcing the 60 day VE entry was reverting back to it's original 30 day VE entry, Immigration often mentioned the figures of 120-150 days being the limit a tourist should be allowed to stay. A friend who always enters with a TV up to 4 times a year for stays between 4-6 weeks was stopped and questioned regarding the purpose of his visits in both 2024 and 2025. A visa does not guarantee entry, that is at the discretion of the entry clearance officer.

Just my opinion, but it could benefit both Immigration and visitors if they announced a clear concise policy on visiting the Country, such as a limit of 3 months within a 6 month period, or 6 months within a 12 month period, as other Countries have adopted. Regardless you'll never please everybody.

1 minute ago, Liquorice said:

Where does that understanding come from?

Prior to announcing the 60 day VE entry was reverting back to it's original 30 day VE entry, Immigration often mentioned the figures of 120-150 days being the limit a tourist should be allowed to stay. A friend who always enters with a TV up to 4 times a year for stays between 4-6 weeks was stopped and questioned regarding the purpose of his visits in both 2024 and 2025. A visa does not guarantee entry, that is at the discretion of the entry clearance officer.

Just my opinion, but it could benefit both Immigration and visitors if they announced a clear concise policy on visiting the Country, such as a limit of 3 months within a 6 month period, or 6 months within a 12 month period, as other Countries have adopted. Regardless you'll never please everybody.

I honestly cannot remember, but I was always of the opinion that if you enter WITH a visa and have travelled from your home country (so not a disguised border hop) and there's a reasonable time between visits, then you were pretty much certain to get let in.

I certainly agree about "the discretion of the entry clearance officer" and it obviously helps to look presentable and be polite!

The free entry is quite a recent thing. - i have been getting Visa free entry for at least 30 years, is that what you call ‘recent’?? There were times where I cold enter with jus military ID card, it was only when I had to get a passport that I had any issues.

If you enter on 30 day visa exempt I assume there is no reason why you can't apply for a 30 day visa extension. This would avoid the need to do a visa run then only have one more allowed in the year. So what draw backs are there on applying for an extension?

On 5/24/2026 at 11:47 AM, Geoff914 said:

On 5/24/2026 at 8:24 AM, StevieAus said:

The visa exempt (free) has been in place since I first started visiting Thailand which must be close to thirty years ago.

Same here. Been going to Thailand since the early 1980s and can only remember getting a visa on one occasion. May be more, just only remember the one time.

You're both correct but what's under discussion here is the number of days granted in a free VE.

I too have been going to Thailand for decades and in my early days never need a visa for my 2-3 week trips. About 25 years ago i decided to do longer than 30 day trips and have been getting Tourist Visas ever since. It used to be a PITA getting, and sending paperwork, (including actual passport) postal order (or cash) payments and it worked out more expensive when you included the secure postage.

Now it's a 25 minute job online.

I really don't know what all the fuss is about!

On 5/26/2026 at 8:59 AM, sandyf said:

Obviously went over your head.

I was thinking the same thing.

5 hours ago, VBF said:

Now it's a 25 minute job online.

I really don't know what all the fuss is about!

Because its not a 25 minute job online. The files of the bank statements down loaded from he bank were to large to submit. So **** about down loading file compression tools, compress the files, still too big. So print off the bank statements, scan the relevant pages, merge each file into one file the compress the bl00dy file and finally can submit the application. 25 minutes, rubbish. Given I had to print the statements just to scan the damn things I might juts as well submit hard copy. But going digital is great if you ignore the extra work load that the originator has to go through.

3 minutes ago, Geoff914 said:

Because its not a 25 minute job online. The files of the bank statements down loaded from he bank were to large to submit. So **** about down loading file compression tools, compress the files, still too big. So print off the bank statements, scan the relevant pages, merge each file into one file the compress the bl00dy file and finally can submit the application. 25 minutes, rubbish. Given I had to print the statements just to scan the damn things I might juts as well submit hard copy. But going digital is great if you ignore the extra work load that the originator has to go through.

I had none of those issues - my bank statements all downloaded as smallish PDFs 12 to 700kb depending on the bank. I download them monthly as they appear so already had them! They could be uploaded into the visa application. Seemingly our banks are different.

Without looking, I'd guess that the visa page will accept a couple of mb at least. Obviously my passport scan is whatever size I want it to be.

May I constructively suggest that if you have this issue again, a simpler method might be to open each bank statement, either downloaded or on line in a browser, then use Snipping Tool (part of Windows) to get an image of it, then paste that into a Word doc. Then save the Word doc as a PDF if you need to. I've made many a PDF that way.

(If you're using a Mac I assume(!) that there's an equivalent program to Snipping Tool but I don't know Apple)

Another hint is if you're looking at your bank statements in Chrome browser, sometimes the size varies if, instead of downloading it, you "Print to PDF" then save the PDF.

No, when I said 25 minutes, I based it on my personal experience - YMMV it seems. 🤔

So who is this Alex Brady and friends from Ireland? And what's so significant about their planned holiday?

On 5/26/2026 at 2:44 PM, Liquorice said:

Just my opinion, but it could benefit both Immigration and visitors if they announced a clear concise policy on visiting the Country, such as a limit of 3 months within a 6 month period, or 6 months within a 12 month period, as other Countries have adopted. Regardless you'll never please everybody.

Fairly clear on the website https://www.thaiembassy.ch/Content/Embassy/188.html

But then you do have to scroll down.

4 minutes ago, sandyf said:

Fairly clear on the website https://www.thaiembassy.ch/Content/Embassy/188.html

But then you do have to scroll down.

I don't find anything clear and concise regarding the matter on that site.
It's also out of date given the new updated news on changes.
Thai Immigration makes the rules regarding the length of time you can spend in a Country, not Thai Embassies.

Entirely different entities.

14 minutes ago, Liquorice said:

I don't find anything clear and concise regarding the matter on that site.
It's also out of date given the new updated news on changes.
Thai Immigration makes the rules regarding the length of time you can spend in a Country, not Thai Embassies.

Entirely different entities.

It is not out of date until the new changes have royal approval.

You are wrong Thai immigration has no say in visa policy, they only police it. Visa policy, ie Visa Exemption, comes is under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as are the embassies and the evisa website.

Immigration comes under the Ministry of the Interior.

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Some people think that this new visa change will lead to the end of the world.Simply get a 3 month visa in your home country or another 30 at immigration.Many countries/politicians do what suits themselves not us the tourist.

And exactly as i said, nothing changed on the visa end, nothing changed on businesses down south either. Yet BKK post could not help themselves, they just posted another article focusing on Indians stating the same BS 'that the government changed the visa'.

Absolute pathetic, I every time am 1:1 spot on with the future facts and truth, since years. Thailand is permanent cooked.