Thailand tourist visa and entry rules: exemption, TDAC and extensions
Most visitors need no visa at all, but everyone needs the TDAC arrival card. Here is what the 2026 rules actually give you, and what is about to change.
The short answer: as of August 2026, most visitors do not need a Thailand tourist visa at all. Passport holders from 93 countries and territories enter visa-exempt and receive a 60-day stamp on arrival, under the scheme in force since 15 July 2024. You can extend that once, by 30 days, at a local immigration office. The Cabinet has approved cutting the stay to 30 days and trimming the country list, but the change has not been published in the Royal Gazette and is not yet in force. Until it is gazetted, 60 days stands.
- 60 days visa-exempt on arrival
- 30 days one extension per entry
- TDAC mandatory for every arrival
- 5,000 THB METV, 6 months of entries
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Two things still apply to everyone. Every foreign visitor must complete the TDAC digital arrival card online before travelling, and anyone planning more than about 90 days as a tourist needs a proper visa, either the tourist visa (TR) or the multiple entry METV. Both are covered below.
The TDAC digital arrival card
Since 1 May 2025, every non-Thai national arriving by air, land or sea must submit a Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) before entering the country. It replaced the old TM.6 paper card handed out on planes. You fill it in online at the official portal, tdac.immigration.go.th, within 3 days before arrival, counting the arrival date itself.
The card is free on the official portal, so ignore any site that charges for it. The only exemptions are aircraft and ship crew, and transit passengers who never pass through immigration. Everyone else needs it, whatever visa or exemption they enter on, and airlines increasingly check for it at the gate. File it when you check in for your flight and you are inside the window.
Visa exemption: 60 days on arrival
The visa exemption is what most readers of this page will actually use. Nationals of 93 countries and territories, including the UK, US, EU states and Australia, get 60 days per entry with no visa and no fee, per the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announcement effective 15 July 2024. The same announcement allows entry for business engagements, so meetings and conferences are fine on an exempt entry.
You can extend the 60 days once, by 30 days, at any immigration office for 1,900 THB, which takes a typical exempt stay to 90 days. The extension is discretionary, not automatic, so arrive at the office with a clean passport record and patience.
Entry counts are where people get caught. At land borders, immigration applies a limit of 2 visa-exempt entries per calendar year, a rule dating from December 2016. Reports on whether the cap is still uniformly applied have conflicted since late 2025, and no official text was sightable when we checked in August 2026, so treat it as live and expect enforcement to vary by checkpoint. Arrivals by air face no fixed cap, but frequent back-to-back entries invite questions at the desk.
A small number of nationalities enter under bilateral agreements instead of the exemption scheme, with their own periods. Japan’s separate 30-day business entry route is one example from the same MFA announcement.
One honest note on paperwork. Airlines enforce onward-travel requirements more strictly than Thai immigration does, so book a departing flight within your permitted stay before you fly. Cash-on-hand rules also exist on the books, but current official figures are unverified, and checks at the border are rare in practice.
The Thailand tourist visa (TR) and METV
The single entry Thailand tourist visa, category TR, is applied for before you travel through the Thai e-visa system. It costs 1,000 THB as a baseline, charged in local currency by the embassy handling it (£30 in London), and is valid for 3 months. Validity is the window in which you can enter, not the stay itself. Each entry gives you 60 days, extendable once by 30 days for 1,900 THB, the same as an exempt entry.
Because it is single entry, leaving Thailand uses the visa up. Exit mid-stay without a re-entry permit and the remaining days are forfeit.
The multiple entry tourist visa, the METV, costs 5,000 THB (£150 in London) and is valid for 6 months. Each entry gives 60 days, and you can enter as often as you like within the validity, so with extensions and border runs it supports the best part of 9 months of Thai time.
With the exemption giving the same 60 days, fewer people need a TR than before, honestly. The TR is for nationalities outside the 93-country exempt list, and for anyone who wants a visa in the passport for airline or peace-of-mind reasons. The METV is the one with a real case: repeat visitors who will keep coming back across a 6-month window, without wondering whether the entry cap or an officer’s discretion catches them.
Visa on arrival
The visa on arrival (VOA) is a different, narrower thing, for nationalities that are not on the exemption list. Under the list in force from July 2024 it covers 31 countries and territories, with India the largest. It costs 2,000 THB, paid at the checkpoint, and gives a single entry of 15 days for tourism only.
A VOA is effectively non-extendable. Immigration grants at most a 7-day extension (1,900 THB), and only for necessity or medical-type reasons, so plan the trip to fit 15 days. An e-VOA pre-application option exists for some arrival airports, but the current eligible airport list is unverified.
Note the same caveat as the exemption. The Cabinet has approved cutting the VOA list from 31 countries to 4 (India, Azerbaijan, Belarus and Serbia), but that change was also not in the Royal Gazette as of August 2026 and is not in force. If your nationality relies on the VOA, check the current list shortly before you book.
Extending your stay as a tourist
Every tourist extension runs through the same desk. You file form TM.7 at an immigration office, pay 1,900 THB and, on a visa-exempt or TR entry, receive 30 more days. One extension per entry, added to your current stamp.
There is a lesser-known and better version. If you are visiting your spouse or children who are Thai nationals, immigration can grant a one-time extension of up to 60 days instead, under Immigration Bureau Order 327/2557. Bring the marriage or birth certificates that prove the relationship.
After the extension, that entry is finished. The choice is a border run for a fresh entry, with the caps above in mind, or an upgrade to a proper long-stay visa. Our visa services guide covers extensions, re-entry permits and 90-day reporting in detail; reporting only applies once you have been in the country 90 consecutive days, which a tourist rarely reaches.
Do not let the maths slide into overstay. Staying past your stamp means fines and, past certain thresholds, re-entry bans, and the consequences are laid out in our overstay guide. The 1,900 THB extension is always cheaper than the alternative.
Planning a longer stay? If Thailand is becoming more than a holiday, tell us what you have in mind and a visa specialist will map your options, from tourist extensions to long-stay visas. Check my options
When tourism is not enough
This page covers stays measured in weeks. If yours is measured in years, stop stacking tourist entries and pick the visa built for your situation. Remote workers with foreign employers should look at the 5-year DTV visa. Studying Thai or another course puts you on an education visa, and short courses can start on a tourist entry. Over 50 with savings or a pension, see the retirement visa. Married to a Thai national, the marriage visa. High earners and investors can skip the queue entirely with the 10-year LTR visa.
One compliance line, because it is the most-asked question we get: working remotely on a tourist entry is not permitted. If you are working while in Thailand, even for a foreign employer, the DTV exists precisely for you.
What to do next
Check whether your passport is on the exemption list, and confirm the current stay length close to your travel date, since the approved 30-day cut will take effect 15 days after it is gazetted. File your TDAC within 3 days of arrival, book an onward flight inside your permitted stay, and sort travel insurance before you fly. If 90 days will not be enough, start on the long-stay pages above before your entries start attracting questions.
Thailand tourist visa FAQ
How long can I stay in Thailand without a visa?
60 days per entry, as of August 2026, if you hold one of the 93 exempt passports, plus one 30-day extension for 1,900 THB. A Cabinet-approved cut to 30 days is pending Royal Gazette publication and is not yet in force.
What is the TDAC and do I need it?
The Thailand Digital Arrival Card, mandatory for all foreign arrivals by air, land and sea since 1 May 2025. You submit it free at tdac.immigration.go.th within 3 days before arrival, including the arrival date. Only crew and non-immigration transit passengers are exempt.
Can I extend my stay as a tourist?
Yes, once per entry. File TM.7 at an immigration office with 1,900 THB for 30 more days. If you are visiting a Thai spouse or your Thai children, a one-time 60-day extension applies instead.
How many times can I enter Thailand visa-exempt per year?
By air there is no fixed cap, though frequent entries draw scrutiny. At land borders a 2-entries-per-calendar-year limit has applied since December 2016, with enforcement that varies by checkpoint. The border officer always has discretion to refuse entry.
Do I need proof of onward travel or funds?
Airlines check onward tickets more reliably than immigration does, so have one. Funds requirements exist on the books but official current figures are unverified, and spot checks are rare.
When is a tourist visa worth it instead of visa exemption?
Mainly when your passport is not on the exemption list, or when you want the METV. The single entry TR gives the same 60 plus 30 days as an exempt entry; the 5,000 THB METV earns its fee by allowing repeated 60-day entries across 6 months.
Which countries get visa on arrival?
31 countries and territories under the list in force from July 2024, India being the largest. The VOA costs 2,000 THB at the checkpoint for a 15-day, tourism-only stay. A cut of the list to 4 countries is approved but not yet gazetted.
Can I work remotely in Thailand on a tourist entry?
No. Tourist entries do not carry work rights, even for a foreign employer. The DTV visa is the legal route for remote workers.
Can I convert a tourist entry to a long-stay visa in Thailand?
In defined cases, yes. Retirement and marriage applicants, among others, can convert in-country at immigration rather than flying home to apply. The individual visa pages linked above cover who qualifies.