Thailand's Cabinet has approved significant visa policy changes to attract more tourists, digital nomads, students, and retirees, as part of a larger economic stimulus plan. On February 10, Deputy Government Spokesperson Aiyarin Phanrit announced the endorsement of proposals from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including a package of short, medium, and long-term visa measures. This initiative includes both active policies and new updates under consideration.

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Currently, nationals from 93 countries can enter Thailand for up to 60 days without a visa under a special arrangement known as Por.60, which covers tourism, business, and short-term work visits. Furthermore, citizens from 31 countries can obtain a Visa on Arrival (VoA) at select immigration checkpoints, with an additional eight countries expected to be added to this scheme soon.

Two new visa categories have been introduced to support long-stay and skilled foreign visitors. The Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) is tailored for remote workers like digital nomads and those involved in cultural activities such as Thai boxing and cooking. Additionally, the Non-Immigrant ED Plus visa allows foreigners to study or study while working part-time, under specific conditions.

In the medium term, the Ministry plans to revise long-stay visa criteria for retirees to attract expats who can support sectors like real estate and health tourism. Efforts to streamline existing visas are ongoing, reducing 17 visa codes to seven, set to be fully implemented by August 31.

The Visa Policy Committee, reinstated by the Prime Minister, is evaluating the 60-day exemption scheme due to concerns over misuse for illegal work or activities in neighboring countries. Upcoming meetings will further address these issues, with the Ministry set to present findings.

Officials assert that these visa updates are crucial for balancing tourism growth with national security and economic development, reported The Thaiger.

Key Takeaways

• Thailand's new visa policies target tourists, digital nomads, and retirees.

• Nationals from 93 countries can now visit for up to 60 days without a visa.

• Two new visas cater to remote workers and students, boosting economic prospects.

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  Adapted by ASEAN Now · The Thaiger · 11 Feb 2026

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Hopefully get rid of the 90 day report and adress notification after holidays... A few foreigners will not follow the rules but the majoritity always do.. we are not criminals, and even Thai criminals don't report every 90 days at the rehabilitation centre.. So why foreigners must???

Anutin is coming for us 😭.

The big spenders are also the retirees who have bought property in Thailand and come to stay only a few months in winter. This segment of foreigners must get a visa that is valid longer and more simple to submit. They should give say 10 year multiple entry and submission would need only to show freehold or leasehold contract with pension statement and nothing else and no more red tape or 90 day reporting etc etc. Because if not, these wealthy retirees are now selling their property in Thailand and moving to Vietnam or elsewhere in Asia to spend the winter months. Up to you..

Apparently, pensioners are the main threat to national security. 😀

2 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Efforts to streamline existing visas are ongoing, reducing 17 visa codes to seven, set to be fully implemented by August 31.

But no mention of what these 17 visa codes are and how they will affect people?

Did they reprint the story from 2024? I cannot see anything new here compared to the changes in 2024.

2 hours ago, Dmitry2222 said:

Apparently, pensioners are the main threat to national security. 😀

After 20 years in Thailand, I have to say I can hardly recall any expat retirees ever causing any trouble or committing any crimes....

Sure, I guess there have been a few, retirees who have made some trouble but overall it's hardly even a drop in the crime bucket...No joke.

5 hours ago, SingAPorn said:

The big spenders are also the retirees who have bought property in Thailand and come to stay only a few months in winter. This segment of foreigners must get a visa that is valid longer and more simple to submit. They should give say 10 year multiple entry and submission would need only to show freehold or leasehold contract with pension statement and nothing else and no more red tape or 90 day reporting etc etc. Because if not, these wealthy retirees are now selling their property in Thailand and moving to Vietnam or elsewhere in Asia to spend the winter months. Up to you..

There are also people like me, who stay for only a few months per year every winter, who have not necessarily bought property in Thailand, and who don't work or ever think about working in Thailand. You know, just a simple, longish touristic visit. I wish there was a long-term tourist visa category for such visits. For instance, they could offer a 4-month stay visa (maybe extendable inside Thailand by another month). And, to prevent the abuse of it (for instance by people who might work illegally under such stay), they can say that once the visa expires (or once you exit the country), you must wait for at least 6 months before you can enter Thailand again.

Sadly, this will probably not happen, so such people will have to continue relying on the 60-day visa exempt (plus its extension) or the e-visa.

The penny has finally dropped, the Chinese dream isn’t going to happen and Vietnams tourism is growing rapidly, perhaps a change of attitude might also speed things up a bit.

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) is tailored for remote workers like digital nomads and those involved in cultural activities such as Thai boxing and cooking.

This DTV needs reconsidering. Why do people who own businesses, are retired or married need to appear at immigration once a year and re-apply under scrutiny while a digital nomad and can simply come in and out of the country as many times as they like for 5 years? Not to mention more onerous financial requirements and re-entry permits if you dare to leave the kingdom.

I live there and fully intend to stay and spend my money, then they changed the rules to not just proving you had the funds but putting it in a Thai bank, That along with the outrageous paperwork and rules you have to follow was the last straw.

Land of ever changing goal posts. Yea, a place I want to spend my golden years...

Very weak, unimaginative proposals. I didn't see much at all that's going to attract more retirees. They need to do an overhaul of the whole retirement visa program to make it much easier and more attractive to get more retirees to choose Thailand over other countries retirees might be considering. Absolutely no need for both O and O/A retirement visas. Combine them into one with no health insurance requirement. Eliminate 90 day reporting--absolutely no need for it at all. Reduce the paperwork for yearly reporting and make t much easier, especially the financials.

Retirees bring a lot of foreign money into the economy and support lots of locals, plus big industries, such as housing construction, that have lots of related industries. Thailand should be going out of its way to attract more retirees, not drive them to countries with easier visas.

"In the medium term, the Ministry plans to revise long-stay visa criteria for retirees to attract expats who can support sectors like real estate and health tourism. Efforts to streamline existing visas are ongoing, reducing 17 visa codes to seven, set to be fully implemented by August 31"

HERE WE GO AGAIN, THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAIL, EITHER BUY UP BIG ON A CONDO OR INVESTMENTS OR THE LESS RICH RETIREES WILL BE TOLD TO LEAVE..

I THINK THE O VISAS LOOK VERY VULNERABLE NOW EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE THE MOST POPULAR, THEY DO NOT SQEEZE ENOUGH CAPITAL OUT OF RETIREES..

4 hours ago, harada said:

The penny has finally dropped, the Chinese dream isn’t going to happen and Vietnams tourism is growing rapidly, perhaps a change of attitude might also speed things up a bit.

Considering you can't stay in Vietnam for longer than 90 days, Thailand is still way ahead for retirees and those that are married and wish to work legally here, Vietnam poses no competition in that area

4 minutes ago, Johno57 said:

HERE WE GO AGAIN, THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAIL, EITHER BUY UP BIG ON A CONDO OR INVESTMENTS OR THE LESS RICH RETIREES WILL BE TOLD TO LEAVE..

I THINK THE O VISAS LOOK VERY VULNERABLE NOW EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE THE MOST POPULAR, THEY DO NOT SQEEZE ENOUGH CAPITAL OUT OF RETIREES..

Why do you feel the need to shout? Seems you really have no clue and are just trying to incite some anger.

That one phrase talking about bolstering the health sector makes me wonder if they are going to try push to make expats on retirement visas buy health insurance again. I think they tried doing that once, but mostly backed off on it.

6 minutes ago, baansgr said:

Considering you can't stay in Vietnam for longer than 90 days, Thailand is still way ahead for retirees and those that are married and wish to work legally here, Vietnam poses no competition in that area

I am in Thailand on a retirement visa. I just got back from yet another trip to Vietnam, and I really loved it - even more than before. So even though I own a condo in Bangkok, here's what I plan to do: I'm going to live in Vietnam on these 90-day visas, and return to Thailand for a few weeks every 90 days and stay in my condo. That solves the Vietnam retirement visa problem for me - until Vietnam can come up with a full-year retirement visa.

13 hours ago, farang51 said:

Did they reprint the story from 2024? I cannot see anything new here compared to the changes in 2024.

It does feel like a re-hash of the stories from 2024 but it seems the Cabinet had a meeting on 10th Feb where they acknowledged/endorsed the progress made since 2024 and confirmed they were going ahead with the plans for "Longer Term" measures, though no details behind what these are...

https://visasnews.com/en/thailand-government-consolidates-its-visa-policy-and-considers-adjustments/

3 minutes ago, SamSpade said:

It does feel like a re-hash of the stories from 2024 but it seems the Cabinet had a meeting on 10th Feb where they acknowledged/endorsed the progress made since 2024 and confirmed they were going ahead with the plans for "Longer Term" measures, though no details behind what these are...

https://visasnews.com/en/thailand-government-consolidates-its-visa-policy-and-considers-adjustments/

Bangkok Post is reporting 60 day VE will be reduced back to 30....

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/general/3195519/shorter-visafree-stays-on-the-cards

9 minutes ago, BangkokHank said:

That solves the Vietnam retirement visa problem for me - until Vietnam can come up with a full-year retirement visa.

Methinks that, if they do, it will be something in the line of LTR, M2H, etc..

5 minutes ago, Upnotover said:

Bangkok Post is reporting 60 day VE will be reduced back to 30....

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/general/3195519/shorter-visafree-stays-on-the-cards

Which would make total sense..

18 minutes ago, BangkokHank said:

I am in Thailand on a retirement visa. I just got back from yet another trip to Vietnam, and I really loved it - even more than before. So even though I own a condo in Bangkok, here's what I plan to do: I'm going to live in Vietnam on these 90-day visas, and return to Thailand for a few weeks every 90 days and stay in my condo. That solves the Vietnam retirement visa problem for me - until Vietnam can come up with a full-year retirement visa.

A lot of expense and inconvenience but horses for courses.

25 minutes ago, Johno57 said:

"In the medium term, the Ministry plans to revise long-stay visa criteria for retirees to attract expats who can support sectors like real estate and health tourism. Efforts to streamline existing visas are ongoing, reducing 17 visa codes to seven, set to be fully implemented by August 31"

HERE WE GO AGAIN, THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAIL, EITHER BUY UP BIG ON A CONDO OR INVESTMENTS OR THE LESS RICH RETIREES WILL BE TOLD TO LEAVE..

I THINK THE O VISAS LOOK VERY VULNERABLE NOW EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE THE MOST POPULAR, THEY DO NOT SQEEZE ENOUGH CAPITAL OUT OF RETIREES..

Thailand is the complete opposite of the UK or EU or USA where immigrants are given LOADS of free stuff and even given free money every month for being freeloaders doing nothing...

Expats in Thailand are given zero benefits....Expats don't cost Thailand anything..

Expats are a win win for Thailand and the Thai economy...

So in other words, they've done nothing.

There are no hard facts in this article about how they're making retirement visas easier.

Spoiler alert, nothing will change.

I actually used an agent this year because Jomtien immigration is a hell hole and the staff has gotten nasty to foreigners.

The less contact I have with this people the better. It's become a bad joke.

I do suspect they are going to go after the 800k retiree segment this time, probably introduction of a private agency and much higher deposit requirements.

55 minutes ago, SamSpade said:

It does feel like a re-hash of the stories from 2024 but it seems the Cabinet had a meeting on 10th Feb where they acknowledged/endorsed the progress made since 2024 and confirmed they were going ahead with the plans for "Longer Term" measures, though no details behind what these are...

https://visasnews.com/en/thailand-government-consolidates-its-visa-policy-and-considers-adjustments/

Thanks, that is a much better article than the one in the first post!

Thai govt keeps aiming for the "wealthy", but they are completely missing the mark. Considering the dodgy Thai infrastructure and the lack of higher end of places to stay or live, (which normally do not come close to what foreigners consider high end), the truly wealthy can and will stay elsewhere. Most "resorts" in Thailand are not resorts, and most homes do not measure up. So, why would the super wealthy stay?
Thai govt should look at retirees on a more limited budget and make the whole retirement visa process easier and more attractive. I think the 800k sitting in a Thai bank is not helpful, and for them to approve the 65k per month is not guaranteed.
They also need to enforce their criteria without "leaving it up to the officer's discretion". This policy creates a system that is wrought with fraud and payoffs. I do agree with a mandate for foreigners to be required to have health insurance, because I've seen too many cases of expats with high hospital bills they can't pay. But requiring 800k baht per person, sitting in a bank makes no sense. Especially if the foreigner has insurance.
I was trying to find numbers of retirees in Thailand, but apparently, Thailand doesn't track this accurately. There are so many possibilities to encourage retired foreigners while making the system even better for Thailand, but they are not even thinking of best solutions. They're still stuck on nonsensical, massive amounts of paperwork, and rules that are difficult to accomplish (like getting a Thai bank account before you can extend your visa, BUT you can't get an account without the visa!).
They are shooting themselves in the foot.

2 hours ago, BangkokHank said:

I am in Thailand on a retirement visa. I just got back from yet another trip to Vietnam, and I really loved it - even more than before. So even though I own a condo in Bangkok, here's what I plan to do: I'm going to live in Vietnam on these 90-day visas, and return to Thailand for a few weeks every 90 days and stay in my condo. That solves the Vietnam retirement visa problem for me - until Vietnam can come up with a full-year retirement visa.

Someone needs to do a condo share website where you can alternate your Bangkok condo with someone who has an HCM condo and wants to do the same. No money to change hands, and you never even have to see each other... I kinda expected it to happen just to bypass the new 180 day/yr tax law in Thailand.

1 hour ago, BadSpottedDog said:

Thai govt keeps aiming for the "wealthy", but they are completely missing the mark. Considering the dodgy Thai infrastructure and the lack of higher end of places to stay or live, (which normally do not come close to what foreigners consider high end), the truly wealthy can and will stay elsewhere. Most "resorts" in Thailand are not resorts, and most homes do not measure up. So, why would the super wealthy stay?
Thai govt should look at retirees on a more limited budget and make the whole retirement visa process easier and more attractive. I think the 800k sitting in a Thai bank is not helpful, and for them to approve the 65k per month is not guaranteed.
They also need to enforce their criteria without "leaving it up to the officer's discretion". This policy creates a system that is wrought with fraud and payoffs. I do agree with a mandate for foreigners to be required to have health insurance, because I've seen too many cases of expats with high hospital bills they can't pay. But requiring 800k baht per person, sitting in a bank makes no sense. Especially if the foreigner has insurance.
I was trying to find numbers of retirees in Thailand, but apparently, Thailand doesn't track this accurately. There are so many possibilities to encourage retired foreigners while making the system even better for Thailand, but they are not even thinking of best solutions. They're still stuck on nonsensical, massive amounts of paperwork, and rules that are difficult to accomplish (like getting a Thai bank account before you can extend your visa, BUT you can't get an account without the visa!).
They are shooting themselves in the foot.

What total BS:
guess u have never been to Bangkok, Phuket or Samui

"Someone needs to do a condo share website where you can alternate your Bangkok condo with someone who has an HCM condo and wants to do the same"
search Time share Thailand
here i did it for you:
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=time+share+thailand&atb=v372-1&t=chromentp&ia=web