{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1751757,
        "msgid": "many-unruly-tourists-push-thailand-to-trim-visa-free-stay-to-30-days-1779545758",
        "date": "2026-05-20 14:20:31",
        "title": "Many Unruly Tourists Push Thailand to Trim Visa-Free Stay to 30 Days",
        "author": "",
        "source": "CNBC",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Regulation",
        "summary": "Thailand has scrapped its 60-day visa-free policy for foreign tourists, effective 15 days after Royal Gazette publication, in response to concerns over abuse of residence permits. Indonesia and several other countries still enjoy 30-day visa-free entry, while a shortened visa-on-arrival scheme is introduced for a few states and a 15-day visa-free option is offered to select countries.",
        "content": "<p>Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - The Thai government has officially ended\nthe 60-day visa-free policy for foreign tourists. The decision was taken\nby the Thai Cabinet on Wednesday, 20 May 2026, amid concerns over rising\nabuse of residence permits by foreigners.<\/p>\n<p>Citing the Bangkok Post, Thai Minister of Tourism and Sports Surasak\nPhancharoenworakul said the new rules will revert the immigration system\nto what it was before the 60-day visa-free programme was introduced.<\/p>\n<p>Previously, the 60-day visa-free policy had been in place in Thailand\nsince July 2024 to boost the tourism sector\u2019s recovery after the\nCovid-19 pandemic. However, the government judged that policy produced\nunintended effects, including a rise in foreigners staying longer to\nconduct illegal businesses or engage in criminal activity.<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, the Thai government emphasised that travellers already\nin Thailand or who entered before the new rules take effect will be able\nto stay in accordance with the visa permissions granted until\nexpiry.<\/p>\n<p>Director-General of the Department of Consular Affairs, Ministry of\nForeign Affairs, Mungkorn Pratoomkaew, said the new rules will take\neffect 15 days after official publication in the Royal Gazette of\nThailand.<\/p>\n<p>Under the latest rules, the 60-day visa-free facility will be\nwithdrawn for all 93 countries and territories that had previously\nenjoyed it.<\/p>\n<p>Indonesia Still Enjoys 30-Day Visa-Free Entry<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, Indonesian travellers still remain eligible for a\n30-day visa-free entry into Thailand.<\/p>\n<p>Besides Indonesia, the same facility also applies to several other\ncountries including Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, Australia,\nthe United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the United States.<\/p>\n<p>Thailand also introduces a 15-day visa-free scheme for certain\ncountries, and simplifies the visa-on-arrival system. For visa on\narrival, the number of eligible countries has been reduced from 31 to\njust four: Azerbaijan, Belarus, Serbia, and India.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, some countries retain special arrangements through\nbilateral agreements with Thailand. For instance, China, Russia,\nVietnam, and Laos still enjoy 30-day visa-free entry. South Korea, along\nwith Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Peru, still enjoy 90-day visa-free\nentries.<\/p>\n<p>Foreign Tourists to Thailand Decline<\/p>\n<p>The Thai government also disclosed that the number of foreign\ntourists continues to fall. As of 17 May 2026, foreign tourist arrivals\nwere down 3.3% year on year to 12.9 million visitors.<\/p>\n<p>For 2025, total foreign visitors to Thailand declined by 7% to 33\nmillion people. The National Economic and Social Development Council\neven forecasts the figure to drop back to 32 million visitors this\nyear.<\/p>\n<p>The Thai government said the new visa policy will take into account\nvarious factors, including security, reciprocity between nations, and\nthe future economic impact.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/many-unruly-tourists-push-thailand-to-trim-visa-free-stay-to-30-days-1779545758",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}