Tourists Affected by Thailand's Visa Changes

1 hour ago, Kandinski said:

The whiners are likely the 2 week a year only filling time untill the annually event. Remember far to well the paper mill which, for me applying at an embassy in a country different from passport was PIA.

You're probably right, which makes it ironic inasmuch as the "2 weeks a year" visitors have NEVER needed visas and still don't!

22 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Brady and friends, who planned to explore Thailand for five weeks, now face restricted travel plans.

Planning a trip from Ireland in the near future, I'd be more worried about jet fuel than about visas. They could just apply for a tourist visa online.

18 hours ago, fobuff said:

I will be in Thailand from 1 July 2026 to 31 August 2026.

I bought my tickets in January 26 and I was hoping for 60 day on arrival.

Yesterday, I applied for a 60 day tourist visa via the immigration web site.

Option 2. Buy a very cheap one way ticket out of Thailand on July 27... and stay in Thailand. Go to immigration and obtain 30 day extension.

have you recovered from the dreaded visa application process yet ? was it really as bad as people seem to think? god it must have been awful , nearly bad enough to put you off coming never mind its all over now no more need to deal with the authorities

Or so you thought , !! but as 1st of july to 31 August is actually 62 days you will still exceed your 60 day visa so will have to apply for a 30 day extension anyway or make a deliberate short overstay i would not expect any leniency in the current climate

5 hours ago, riverhigh said:

It's understandable that tourists who bought their tickets in January of this year for a 4 to 8 week holiday are frustrated. They were expecting "visa- sh&t" free holiday. They acted in good faith and did nothing wrong. They purchased return tickets within the 2 month period. These people are genuine travellers. There should be a system implemneted to accomodate these travellers with a two month visa. Just my opinion.

there is already a system for a 2 month visa its very simple , one just applies on line, its called a "tourist visa" its been around for decades, and is specially designed for genuine travellers just like the ones you mention

did you not know?

5 hours ago, Spider5511 said:

Super easy. If having a child 5 years at once, renewable up to age 18 but by that time it's permanent residency. Zero income requirements, not need to even learn the language or do any exam, for entire EU valid (chavez law).

Digital nomad visa Europe again, per year, only around 1200 euro startup income monthly with under a year proof.

Then now the schengen visa, previously limited to 90 days per time, with 90 days breaks, now can become extended times of 180 days at once and more.

If being married, do need to learn the language and pass a exam for 5 year + passport eventually, but also just <2000 euro monthly income proof of the european husband. Less in spain or portugal, maybe 1200-1400 euro.

So would you approve of having to learn Thai to stay here long term, ?

Malaysia Kuala Lumpur well come you..............It's anachronistic what the Thais did, putting Westerners in a bureaucracy.

I alway visit Kuala Lumpur instead to pay monthly Thai visa.

Just a pain, we come to Thailand for 2 months every year & have been for 10 years, now we have to go back to the laborious job of filling out visa applications

What a pain, this year it was easy, oh well it won't stop us from coming

23 hours ago, Sir Dude said:

It's not really a big deal and won't affect many or much, just makes things a little more inconvenient for those who were using the 60-day visa on arrival for other ends than tourism... 30 days is way enough for a normal impromtu tourist and if not, then get an actual tourist visa and plan it properly.

I agree, but I as a snowbird am wondering if the Thai Embassies around the world are ready for the onslaught of hundreds of people wanting a Tourist Visa 60 days ??

And, will the immigration office queues triple in length with people asking for an extension ?

They couldn’t handle it before ! So those 2 points might cause chaos for the tourists and a bad reputation for Thai tourism.

Not funny when you have sunk a few million into your beach side condo.

As an example, the French Paris embassy cannot handle the present situation. Some people have left for thailand without their visas after having waited weeks. No amount of begging helps.

When we had the Monaco, Marseille and Lyon offices it was fine. Since all the closures and online Visas it’s catastrophic.

Getting a visa is so simple and cheap and lasts 60 days...what's all the hoo ha about...?

14 hours ago, jimmybcool said:

Easy enough to get a 60 day VISA online for a few shekels so not a huge problem.

Why do people keep saying how easy it is to get a 60 day visa. I could not submit my application due to the stupid size limit on files. In then end the only way I get the bank statements submitted was to scan each relevant page leaving out the pages of guff from the bank. Then merge 3 scans from one bank statement. Then compress the file. Then repeat for months 2 and 3. As you say, so easy. In the end I decided not to travel but for other reasons.

I took advantage of the 60 day exempt this trip since it was available, but booked only 30 days for this November trip given the advance talk that it was going to reduce. 30 days twice a year is enough for me moving forward since I relocated next door, grateful I can still do that without the need for a visa.

Not sure there is anyone in power with the bandwidth to improve the actual product, changing visa length, type or conditions every few years seems to be the limit of their abilities. The major negatives I see are institutional problems affecting locals just as much as tourists. Reading that foreigners are a problem all the time is a deflection and frankly tiresome.

On 5/22/2026 at 4:55 PM, cjinchiangrai said:

Bangkok Buddy is visa fraud service, not a visa run service. People with the correct visas do not need visa runs.

Easy for you to say the above. You are old and have your young wife in tow. Wonder how you fared with the ladies back home :) You can get a retirement visa or a visa based on marriage. Not so easy if your 45 and unmarried.

2 hours ago, Grahamlil said:

Just a pain, we come to Thailand for 2 months every year & have been for 10 years, now we have to go back to the laborious job of filling out visa applications

What a pain, this year it was easy, oh well it won't stop us from coming

In am like you. Retired now so can actually go on holiday for more than 2 or 3 weeks. Except Thailand throws a spanner in the works. It is so easy to get a 60 day visa, no it isn't. Endless merging files, compressing files to get below the submission limit. Of course had it been the old way submitting hard copy then dead easy. I don't get why anybody who dares to want to go to Thailand to 2 months or heaven forbid three months and use Thailand as a base for exploring other countries now you can't because only 2 visa free entries a year. This fixation that a tourist is somebody who goes on holiday for 2 weeks to align with the factory shut down went out of fashion in the 1950s

2 hours ago, Grahamlil said:

Just a pain, we come to Thailand for 2 months every year & have been for 10 years, now we have to go back to the laborious job of filling out visa applications

What a pain, this year it was easy, oh well it won't stop us from coming

Get your whingeing correct. 'What a pain' then 'this year was easy', well won't stop us from coming'.

What is your job, to make filling a Visa form laborious?

4 hours ago, Caldera said:

Planning a trip from Ireland in the near future, I'd be more worried about jet fuel than about visas. They could just apply for a tourist visa online.

I got 2 thumbs down when I mentioned this. LOL

I would like to see the UK reciprocate these visa rules!

Unfortunately kier and our government are to busy chasing rent boys!

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no exempt visa for cambodia and vietnam but much easyer to get a visa online for these country,thailand online visa they ask you a lot of documentssssssssssss,not easy to do that for many peoples,and old peoples to who are not good with computer

3 hours ago, wil iam not said:

Get your whingeing correct. 'What a pain' then 'this year was easy', well won't stop us from coming'.

What is your job, to make filling a Visa form laborious?

The fact that when you provide all the data that they want the files sizes are too big and you can't submit the application is a real pain. I would be interested to know how you achieved the application so easily.

4 hours ago, atpeace said:

Easy for you to say the above. You are old and have your young wife in tow. Wonder how you fared with the ladies back home :) You can get a retirement visa or a visa based on marriage. Not so easy if your 45 and unmarried.

Improper use of a visa is still fraud, regardless of what I might be doing.

What a low life country, just trying to get your 1900 baht. I have said it before, Thailand is the underbelly of SE Asia.

13 hours ago, Spider5511 said:

Super easy. If having a child 5 years at once, renewable up to age 18 but by that time it's permanent residency. Zero income requirements, not need to even learn the language or do any exam, for entire EU valid (chavez law).

Digital nomad visa Europe again, per year, only around 1200 euro startup income monthly with under a year proof.

Then now the schengen visa, previously limited to 90 days per time, with 90 days breaks, now can become extended times of 180 days at once and more.

If being married, do need to learn the language and pass a exam for 5 year + passport eventually, but also just <2000 euro monthly income proof of the european husband. Less in spain or portugal, maybe 1200-1400 euro.

Nope: https://nomadsembassy.com/digital-nomad-visas-europe/

12 hours ago, Cabradelmar said:

The VER went to 60 days mid-2024, and for the entire year of 2025 tourist numbers actually dropped 7% (to 33m). And for 2026 TAT is projecting about the same (30-34m arrivals). But in 2019 when the VER was 30 days, THA saw 40 million tourist (the most ever). All this anecdotal clutching and whining from select people is ridiculous. If you really NEED to visit for more than 30 days get a METV. Its not that difficult. And don't worry about Thailand, because regardless of the VER, tourist (30+ million) will always flock here.

Yes but the Thais were obviously expecting it to grow and here we are in 2026 with fewer tourists than 2019. I suppose in this day and age to run an economy on negative growth takes guts but may be for the planet it is good that Thailand's tourist industry shrinks. I guess Vietnam is loving it. The number one country in SE Asia for companies to go to as well. How is Thailand's GDP doing?

6 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

Nope: https://nomadsembassy.com/digital-nomad-visas-europe/

Stop posting your BS links perhaps and do proper research rather than pulling some hobo blog. Anyone knows you are the most ignorant of all members on this site. As i specific and clearly stated Germany does not have a legal minimum, it is around 1200 euro.

Europe has various visa's ranging from higher established workers with 2-3K incomes to special talent, to startup visa's to specific professions to much more. It is not a cry show like Thailand is, one would assume a old fart from Europe, which you are, would know that.

Having said that, even with the 2-3K broad requirements, that are still less requirements + no 15K USD funds, than Thailand asks, for a country that offers you nothing but to spend money. And where wages are 14,000 baht average.

Only alternative Thailand has outside the failed DTV visa with pathetic requirements is the SMART Visa, which they now largely cancelled too and had also pathetic requirements earning 200-300-500K baht a month.

All this is the only real truth there is, if it comes to people not being able to establish a long-term visa, entirely logical too with the nonsense paperwork requirements on top. Meanwhile the rest of the world offers up to permanent residency hassle free.

In paraguay they even give you options for permanent 6-8% taxes or 0% for 12 years and then 10% or something, with permanent residency after just 2 years for the entire family, mortgage options, ownership entirely, on just 2K income for a family. This is the best ongoing deal that is active to take on, the Portugese 500K golden deal is already filled and no longer for new people.

A paraguayan passport gives Schengen and USA access so if Thailand continues whining, I will get one for the wife while enjoying a tax free life for a decade there, stashing away another 250K.

11 hours ago, Geoff914 said:

Yes but the Thais were obviously expecting it to grow and here we are in 2026 with fewer tourists than 2019. I suppose in this day and age to run an economy on negative growth takes guts but may be for the planet it is good that Thailand's tourist industry shrinks. I guess Vietnam is loving it. The number one country in SE Asia for companies to go to as well. How is Thailand's GDP doing?

Thailand has been the sick-man of ASEAN for some time now. GDP growth fluctuates between 1.5% to 3% annually, and lags regional peers. But tourism is only 8.5% of total GDP. Clearly, tweaking VER has not worked. What really ails the THA economy is lack of real growth industries and a labor force that is largely under educated. Tourism will not save them. Selfishly, i'd like to see fewer tourist (30m is a good number). Or, at least better tourist (which Vietnam - where I'm at now - is finding is not always guaranteed or easy). The real winners when people plant themselves in one place for 60+ days are Airbnb and Lotus grocery stores. Not necessarily hotels and restaurants.

48 minutes ago, Cabradelmar said:

Thailand has been the sick-man of ASEAN for some time now. GDP growth fluctuates between 1.5% to 3% annually, and lags regional peers. But tourism is only 8.5% of total GDP. Clearly, tweaking VER has not worked. What really ails the THA economy is lack of real growth industries and a labor force that is largely under educated. Tourism will not save them. Selfishly, i'd like to see fewer tourist (30m is a good number). Or, at least better tourist (which Vietnam - where I'm at now - is finding is not always guaranteed or easy). The real winners when people plant themselves in one place for 60+ days are Airbnb and Lotus grocery stores. Not necessarily hotels and restaurants.

Yeah dream one with such delusional false figures, anyone including academics pointed out that including informal economy the truth is that it for real thais their real economy, not the 20 elite families that make up most GDP and keep all profits for themselves, that it is 30% while another 20% is grey economy in general. To even say this while covid was a clear demonstration of the consequences, delusional.

Easy to forget too, that if it was not up to some unique foreigners in Thailand, hundreds of thousands of Thais were net fed daily. We are the very backbone of whatever economy is left for ordinary thais. Even businesses that are not direct tourism, rely on tourism cashflow. There was barely any shops open, they barely exist in general. It's all the same <deleted> everywhere: central mall, top charoen, tops, 7/11, pharmacy, 20 baht shop. They not even have this existing in their economy.

If they really implement the 30 days + 2 times a year limit, they will destroy it permanent, we will go lower than in covid. Most tourist businesses even depend on the long stayers, that is what pays their fixed costs, the high seasons pay the profits.

The last remaining will move on and not look back again. Future changes are too late. I just got back Vnam, they not even know low seasons.

7 hours ago, Spider5511 said:

Stop posting your BS links perhaps and do proper research rather than pulling some hobo blog. Anyone knows you are the most ignorant of all members on this site. As i specific and clearly stated Germany does not have a legal minimum, it is around 1200 euro.

Europe has various visa's ranging from higher established workers with 2-3K incomes to special talent, to startup visa's to specific professions to much more. It is not a cry show like Thailand is, one would assume a old fart from Europe, which you are, would know that.

Having said that, even with the 2-3K broad requirements, that are still less requirements + no 15K USD funds, than Thailand asks, for a country that offers you nothing but to spend money. And where wages are 14,000 baht average.

Only alternative Thailand has outside the failed DTV visa with pathetic requirements is the SMART Visa, which they now largely cancelled too and had also pathetic requirements earning 200-300-500K baht a month.

All this is the only real truth there is, if it comes to people not being able to establish a long-term visa, entirely logical too with the nonsense paperwork requirements on top. Meanwhile the rest of the world offers up to permanent residency hassle free.

In paraguay they even give you options for permanent 6-8% taxes or 0% for 12 years and then 10% or something, with permanent residency after just 2 years for the entire family, mortgage options, ownership entirely, on just 2K income for a family. This is the best ongoing deal that is active to take on, the Portugese 500K golden deal is already filled and no longer for new people.

A paraguayan passport gives Schengen and USA access so if Thailand continues whining, I will get one for the wife while enjoying a tax free life for a decade there, stashing away another 250K.

You stated Europe, not Germany.

I made 200K + a month while working

On 5/23/2026 at 8:38 AM, jippytum said:

It mainly effects Tourists who do not wish to pay to obtain the correct visa.

The free entry is quite a recent thing. Long term residents will remember jumping through hoops to obtain the correct visa from nearby countries.

The freebie tourists have had lt too easy for too long. A change is overdue.

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

On 5/22/2026 at 9:18 PM, redwood1 said:

Yes it is a very big deal, because not one decent or honest reason has been given yet for the change,,,,Is this going to stop the Russians from having sex on the beach....Nope....Or stop any other crime for that matter....Nope.....I guess some people are just fine with being fed nonsense reasons...

It's going to put them on overstay much earlier and, apparently, with the use of AI in public areas to identify overstayers, it's going to cut their potential criminal careers short. https://aseannow.com/topic/1394111-phuket-ai-cameras-catch-two-overstayers/

On 5/23/2026 at 11:34 AM, Cabradelmar said:

The VER went to 60 days mid-2024, and for the entire year of 2025 tourist numbers actually dropped 7% (to 33m). And for 2026 TAT is projecting about the same (30-34m arrivals). But in 2019 when the VER was 30 days, THA saw 40 million tourist (the most ever). All this anecdotal clutching and whining from select people is ridiculous. If you really NEED to visit for more than 30 days get a METV. Its not that difficult. And don't worry about Thailand, because regardless of the VER, tourist (30+ million) will always flock here.

The drop from 40 million to 33 million is entirely explained by the drop in the Chinese from 11 million to 4 million in the same time period. Security worries, weak home economy and a drive to encourage their own domestic tourism explain that. They were never the target for the visa free increase from 30 to 60 days.

The drop from 40 million to 33 million is entirely explained by the drop in Chinese from 11 million to 4 million in the same time period. Security worries, weak domestic economy and a drive for domestic stay at home tourism by their government explain that. They were never likely to drive an increase due to the visa free change given their short average stay.

If you actually look at the country by country detail for the relevant period you will see that long haul markets like the US, UK, Germany, France and others all increased after the visa free extension. I'd argue they were target and although their increase may not have been significant in the grand scheme of things, they did actually increase.