Thailand will restrict visa-exempt entry to tourism only, from September 15, ending the previous allowance for short-term business engagements and urgent or ad-hoc assignments.

The former 60-day visa-exemption arrangement is being replaced by a 30-day tourism-only stay. Foreigners travelling to Thailand specifically for business meetings, contract work or urgent assignments should no longer assume they can enter without first arranging the appropriate visa.

The change was published in the Royal Gazette on August 31 and takes effect 15 days later. Thailand's Government Public Relations Department confirmed on September 4 that visa-exempt entry under the revised system is for tourism only.

Short business visits now need planning

Thailand introduced the 60-day exemption on July 15, 2024, allowing nationals of 93 countries and territories to enter for tourism, short-term business engagements or urgent and ad-hoc work. Eligible visitors could also seek an extension of up to 30 days, subject to immigration approval.

That framework is now being withdrawn. The replacement 30-day exemption covers 60 countries and territories, while Mauritius and Seychelles will receive separate 15-day tourism exemptions.

For expats, overseas companies and frequent business travellers, the practical effect is likely to be felt most by those making brief work-related trips. This could include consultants on a one-week assignment, engineers sent to install equipment, conference speakers, and visitors travelling to attend meetings, sign contracts or conduct similar business activity.

Anyone entering for these purposes from September 15 may need to obtain a Non-Immigrant B visa before travel. A work permit may also be needed, depending on the activity.

Urgent assignments remain unclear

One unresolved question concerns Thailand's urgent-work notification process, which previously allowed certain necessary and urgent assignments for up to 15 days.

Immigration advisory firm Newland Chase said it remains unclear whether applications for an Urgent Work Permit can be made by people arriving under the new 30-day tourism exemption. The Department of Employment has yet to provide clarification.

Until that guidance is issued, foreigners with short-notice assignments in Thailand face uncertainty if they rely on visa-exempt entry. Those with work-related travel already booked may wish to confirm their visa and work-authorisation requirements before flying.

Existing arrivals keep their permitted stay

The rule change is not retrospective. Foreigners who arrive before September 15 under the existing exemption can remain until the date stamped in their passport, with the current rules applying to their stay.

For those planning a business-related visit after that date, travelling before the deadline may avoid the immediate change. Even then, the safest course is to obtain suitable visa and work authorisation rather than relying on the exemption for short-term business or urgent assignments.

Extension rules have not changed

Travellers on the 30-day exemption can still apply for one extension of up to 30 additional days at any immigration office, for a fee of 1,900 baht. That makes the practical maximum stay on a visa exemption 60 days, down from 90 days under the old 60-day scheme with its extension.

Caps visa-exempt land border entries at two a year

From September 15 most nationalities will continue to be able to can use the exemption at a land checkpoint twice a calendar year, and no more. Air arrivals are not affected by the counting.

Four nationalities are exempt from the cap. Malaysians, Bruneians, Indonesians and Singaporeans may keep crossing by land without a limit.

The same twice-a-year ceiling covers the new 15-day exemption given to Seychelles and Mauritius.

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7 September 2026

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Important clarification.

You can imagine someone coming here for a meeting or to perform some engineering function that might need a week's visit. How easy would it be to get a visa to do that? If it was some urgent repair would it cause delay?

Way to go Thailand, go on and implement even more restrictions, why don't you?

why? you had enough from tourism income? you have other sources of revenue to fill up the voids that your draconian measures will create?

Edited 5 hours ago5 hr by ezzra

29 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

Important clarification.

You can imagine someone coming here for a meeting or to perform some engineering function that might need a week's visit. How easy would it be to get a visa to do that? If it was some urgent repair would it cause delay?

I can also imagine a guy getting refused entry for attempting to visit his wife/gf/family members.

This is quite a disturbing ruling!

Great we want to attract Foreign Investment, Next Week, we are restricting VOA to Tourism only.

Do they just spin a wheel and choose what to mess up next?

Looks like the entire Thai government is busy shooting themselves in their feet. It is hard to predict what negative consequences this will have for corporate incentive travel, regional meetings, etc etc but it will be massive. I come from the corporate world and Thailand always was a favorite detination for such events. Typically such events involve 100s of people and hotelnights. I am afraid this is going to change massively and not in a good way.

I await to read the precise details and observe their implementation.

Certainly, the details presented above, if strictly implemented, are going to negatively impact (international) conference events in Thailand and international researchers visiting Thailand for short-term research trips.

And the Indians coming to attend weddings, is that tourism?

It's quite obvious that not enough thought has gone into this and the potential ramifications have not been thought through. The local economy is anemic right now so why on earth would they need more foreign investment, and why would they want to make it easier for investors to place their money here? Anutin. What can one say?

I’m quite surprised by this.

Business people visit Thailand all the time for a myriad of purposes, be it for one on one client meetings or the much coveted convention/seminar business sought after by countries around the world.

I’m not aware of any of these business people causing trouble, getting drunk, fighting, sex in public etc, in Thailand. So that presumably isn’t the reason for the change.

I suppose it’s possible that there is some kind of grey area as to whether any of them are doing business in Thailand and need a work permit. Struggling a bit to see how that might apply to 99% of the business travel that I can think of. And AFAIK there has been no high profile cases denouncing foreigners for travelling to Thailand on business and not having a work permit.

Scratching my head a bit for the reason, I guess there’s a possibility that this is an extension of the whole company with nominee shareholders initiative. Perhaps someone in authority decided some of the foreigners owning and running hotels and/or developing buildings on land for eventual sale, weren’t living in the Kingdom per se, but just visiting now and then to review the running of a hotel or progress on building projects. If so, this order seems like a sledgehammer to crack a nut because it appears to scoop up a lot of legitimate business travel within its scope.

So a bit of a surprise to me. Perhaps there will be further clarification on what is and isn’t permissible in due course, or, maybe it will be a case of suck it and see and the red lines of permissible activity will be defined by real life cases.

12 minutes ago, marin said:

Corporate incentive travel rarely lasts 30 days. I really dont see what you are on about. What events last one month?

Because as I read the article, a visit for a 2/3 day work related seminar may not be classed as tourism. Therefore every participant may require a non exempt B visa.

If you are a speaker at such an event, the possibility of requiring a work permit raises its head.

“Thailand will restrict visa-exempt entry to tourism only, from September 15, ending the previous allowance for short-term business engagements and urgent or ad-hoc assignments.”

The article isn’t so much about the length of travel as to the reason for travel.

Edited 2 hours ago2 hr by wensiensheng

It is amazing that any of Thailand’s bureaucracy can walk, given how often they keep shooting themselves in the foot.

So clearly they think this is a vector for fraud or illegal working but then why are they still giving people the full 5 year DTV which is the most obvious way to work illegally in Thailand.

QSNCC, BITEC and IMPACT are going to suffer for this.

Thailand is open for business and investment....

And what prevents them from simply entering as "tourists?" That is an honest question, not sarcasm.

1 minute ago, JustinTyme said:

And what prevents them from simply entering as "tourists?" That is an honest question, not sarcasm.

They no doubt will do that and in reality, I suspect that 99.9% of the time it will be fine for single visits.

For those business people who make regular visits, to see clients or see suppliers, they might be subject to questioning as to why they are such regular “tourists”.

A high profile convention gathering might attract significantly more attention if immigration decided to target the event itself, rather than individuals as they arrive. I see little possibility of immigration doing that.

Overall I suspect that there will be clarification that conferences, seminars and the like are ok for tourism. or at the very least, a blind eye will be turned.

The trouble is, whilst small enterprises might be happy to tell its employees to enter tourism as the purpose of their visit, multi national companies with shareholders and HR departments might not be willing to operate in grey areas.

9 minutes ago, JustinTyme said:

And what prevents them from simply entering as "tourists?" That is an honest question, not sarcasm.

Presumably Immigration looking at the ticket booking would be fairly obvious (who paid?).

Or if you arrived in business class wearing a jacket and tie.

Hotels with booked corporate events could easily be raided and all attendees VISAs checked.

The current PM once called us dirty and smelly. Another PM once told the parents of a foreign girl murdered in Thailand that they could make another one. Another PM (it might have been the same one I've just mentioned) said that only ugly women should wear a bikini after a foreigner was raped. TAT do not mention this in their tourist literature.

Why does Thailand keep encouraging potential visitors to go elsewhere? First those who are in a position to stay long-term and spend money, and now they're trying to kill off the highly lucrative conference market and making it a hassle for any other business people to come. There has long been a mindset among Thais that it is the best country in the world and that people will come no matter what. They won't. Meanwhile, I'm sure that neighbouring countries are appreciative of suicidal Thai policy.

33 minutes ago, wensiensheng said:

They no doubt will do that and in reality, I suspect that 99.9% of the time it will be fine for single visits.

For those business people who make regular visits, to see clients or see suppliers, they might be subject to questioning as to why they are such regular “tourists”.

A high profile convention gathering might attract significantly more attention if immigration decided to target the event itself, rather than individuals as they arrive. I see little possibility of immigration doing that.

I don't recall ever working for a company that would send one of us on an assignment or to a convention where we didn't have the legally required visa. I'm sure that happens all the time, but not by a reputable company. The kind that Thailand wants to attract.

44 minutes ago, wensiensheng said:

They no doubt will do that and in reality, I suspect that 99.9% of the time it will be fine for single visits.

For those business people who make regular visits, to see clients or see suppliers, they might be subject to questioning as to why they are such regular “tourists”.

A high profile convention gathering might attract significantly more attention if immigration decided to target the event itself, rather than individuals as they arrive. I see little possibility of immigration doing that.

Overall I suspect that there will be clarification that conferences, seminars and the like are ok for tourism. or at the very least, a blind eye will be turned.

The trouble is, whilst small enterprises might be happy to tell its employees to enter tourism as the purpose of their visit, multi national companies with shareholders and HR departments might not be willing to operate in grey areas.

Thanks, but this only multiplies the confusion because what you are saying is Immigration is in the “motive business.”  It is not enough to be wealthy, no criminal record, well educated, clean, and sober … now it is “God forbid you attend a trade show.”  I have lived in Thailand long enough to know that if you stare into a fun house mirror long enough, the twisted distorted images begin to make their own “twisted reality.”  This is simply another “reload, shoot other foot” exercise I guess.

42 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Presumably Immigration looking at the ticket booking would be fairly obvious (who paid?).

Or if you arrived in business class wearing a jacket and tie.

Hotels with booked corporate events could easily be raided and all attendees VISAs checked.

Thanks, but this only multiplies the confusion because what you are saying is Immigration is in the “motive business.”  It is not enough to be wealthy, no criminal record, well educated, clean, and sober … now it is “God forbid you attend a trade show.”  I have lived in Thailand long enough to know that if you stare into a fun house mirror long enough, the twisted distorted images begin to make their own “twisted reality.”  This is simply another “reload, shoot other foot” exercise I guess.

2 hours ago, J Branche said:

Great we want to attract Foreign Investment, Next Week, we are restricting VOA to Tourism only.

Do they just spin a wheel and choose what to mess up next?

I think some bright spark somewhere in the government thought "I know as we are facing expensive tariffs courtesy of the USA let us make it more difficult to conduct foreign business"

You really could not make it up

22 minutes ago, impulse said:

I don't recall ever working for a company that would send one of us on an assignment or to a convention where we didn't have the legally required visa. I'm sure that happens all the time, but not by a reputable company. The kind that Thailand wants to attract.

True. I guess before this announcement potentially those companies needn’t have bothered with a visa for a number of attendees, now they do.

I can see the logic that business travel isn’t tourism, but still puzzled as to why make the change now.

Unless it’s all linked in with the nominee shareholder thing, is it such a hot button?

Edited 44 minutes ago44 min by wensiensheng

6 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

Thailand will restrict visa-exempt entry to tourism only, from September 15, ending the previous allowance for short-term business engagements and urgent or ad-hoc assignments.

I realize this type announcement will cue the "Don't they realize ...??" comments. But like some of the other recent changes they have maybe decided that the meeting-type exception entry was being used too often for nefarious non-meeting purposes.

Edited 43 minutes ago43 min by JerryM

1 hour ago, NorthernRyland said:

So clearly they think this is a vector for fraud or illegal working but then why are they still giving people the full 5 year DTV which is the most obvious way to work illegally in Thailand.

Is there evidence that the DTV is or was being abused more than the 60-day visa exempt for the citizens of more than 90 countries?

If applying for a DTV in your home country, or a country where you have legal residence while providing a police check is too hard, too expensive, or just plain inconvenient, then maybe the DTV wasn't meant for you. More so if your are over 50 or married to a local.

48 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

The current PM once called us dirty and smelly. Another PM once told the parents of a foreign girl murdered in Thailand that they could make another one. Another PM (it might have been the same one I've just mentioned) said that only ugly women should wear a bikini after a foreigner was raped. TAT do not mention this in their tourist literature.

And yet, after all these egregious slights and xenophobic insults, you are still here, whining about it.

1 minute ago, NanLaew said:

Is there evidence that the DTV is or was being abused more than the 60-day visa exempt for the citizens of more than 90 countries?

If applying for a DTV in your home country, or a country where you have legal residence while providing a police check is too hard, too expensive, or just plain inconvenient, then maybe the DTV wasn't meant for you. More so if your are over 50 or married to a local.

It's still too new to know probably but we wouldn't have access to that information unless immigration is keeping it and makes it public.

Maybe the home country change is going to fix the potential fraud problems because they can verify the paperwork more easily since they read the native language and there aren't corrupt agents firing paperwork.

Up to now though I see people getting those because have a some online business selling T-shirts or something silly like that. Now those people get in theory unlimited visa runs to live in thailand for 5 years and try to make extra money on the side if their online business doesn't make enough money.

It's just an obvious vector for illegal working and that doesn't even get into the soft power category which is truly crazy they ever allowed for 5 years in the first place.

21 minutes ago, JustinTyme said:

Thanks, but this only multiplies the confusion because what you are saying is Immigration is in the “motive business.”  It is not enough to be wealthy, no criminal record, well educated, clean, and sober … now it is “God forbid you attend a trade show.”  I have lived in Thailand long enough to know that if you stare into a fun house mirror long enough, the twisted distorted images begin to make their own “twisted reality.”  This is simply another “reload, shoot other foot” exercise I guess.

Well I think it’s true that immigration is in the motive business to the extent that an individuals reason for visiting Thailand should match their visa type, or reason for visa free entry.

I guess people will either say the reason for their visit is tourism, or they will get the required visa for business entry coupled with a work permit if so required.

Most business travel is scheduled in advance, I guess there may be instances where the loss of the urgent business category may cause some issues.