How Long Can You Stay In Thailand Without A Visa
If you’re going on a holiday to Thailand, you’ll need to know whether you’ll need a visa or you can enter Thailand with just a Visa-Exempt.
And in most cases, depending on the duration of your stay, you don’t even need a visa.
In this article, I share how long you can stay in Thailand without a visa, what to think about before you leave, and important things to keep in mind so you don’t get into any trouble along the way.
Whenever I go to Thailand, I always go for about 1 month and I book a return ticket from the Netherlands to Thailand. In my case, since I’m from the Netherlands and stay under 30 days, I get a visa exemption.
This is a stamp on my passport allowing me to stay for a maximum duration of 30 days.
A visa exemption is something most tourists will get, depending on the country you’re from.
Below I’ve listed a full list with every country, whether or not the country is allowed into Thailand with an exemption, and for how long you can then stay.
So all you have to do is look up your country and check the information next to it. Just to make it easier for you. I will do my very best to keep this list fully updated and you can always reach out to me if you have any questions about this.
Just FYI, I don’t like to think of myself as an expert, just a Thailand lover such as yourself and I share my personal experience here and do my very best to help you wherever possible.
The table below is updated up until April, 2nd 2024.
Based on information from the Thai Embassy
| Country | Visa-Exemption yes/no | # of Visa-free days |
|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Albania | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Algeria | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Andorra | yes | 30 days |
| Angola | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Antigua and Barbuda | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Argentina | yes | 90 days |
| Armenia | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Australia | yes | 30 days |
| Austria | yes | 30 days |
| Azerbaijan | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Bahamas | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Bahrain | yes | 30 days |
| Bangladesh | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Barbados | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Belarus | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Belgium | yes | 30 days |
| Belize | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Benin | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Bhutan | no | 15 days (apply for Visa On Arrival) |
| Bolivia | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Botswana | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Brazil | yes | 90 days |
| Brunei | yes | 30 days |
| Bulgaria | no | 15 days (apply for Visa On Arrival) |
| Burkina Faso | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Burundi | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Cabo Verde | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Cambodia | yes | 14 days |
| Cameroon | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Canada | yes | 30 days |
| Central African Republic | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Chad | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Chile | yes | 90 days |
| China | yes | 30 days |
| Colombia | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Comoros | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Congo, Republic of the | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Costa Rica | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Cote d’Ivoire | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Croatia | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Cuba | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Cyprus | no | 15 days (apply for Visa On Arrival) |
| Czech Republic | yes | 30 days |
| Denmark | yes | 30 days |
| Djibouti | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Dominica | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Dominican Republic | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| East Timor (Timor-Leste) | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Ecuador | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Egypt | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| El Salvador | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Equatorial Guinea | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Eritrea | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Estonia | yes | 30 days |
| Eswatini | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Ethiopia | no | 15 days (apply for Visa On Arrival) |
| Fiji | no | 15 days (apply for Visa On Arrival) |
| Finland | yes | 30 days |
| France | yes | 30 days |
| Gabon | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Gambia | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Georgia | no | 15 days (apply for Visa On Arrival) |
| Germany | yes | 30 days |
| Ghana | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Greece | yes | 30 days |
| Grenada | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Guatemala | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Guinea | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Guinea-Bissau | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Guyana | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Haiti | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Honduras | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Hungary | yes | 30 days |
| Iceland | yes | 30 days |
| India | yes | 30 days (between 10 November till 10 May 2024 |
| Indonesia | yes | 30 days |
| Iran | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Iraq | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Ireland | yes | 30 days |
| Israel | yes | 30 days |
| Italy | yes | 30 days |
| Jamaica | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Japan | yes | 30 days |
| Jordan | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Kazakhstan | yes | 30 days (from March 2024 till 31 August 2024 |
| Kenya | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Kiribati | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Korea, North | yes | 90 days |
| Korea, South | yes | 90 days |
| Kosovo | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Kuwait | yes | 30 days |
| Kyrgyzstan | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Laos | yes | 30 days |
| Latvia | yes | 30 days |
| Lebanon | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Lesotho | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Liberia | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Libya | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Liechtenstein | yes | 30 days |
| Lithuania | yes | 30 days |
| Luxembourg | yes | 30 days |
| Madagascar | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Malawi | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Malaysia | yes | 30 days |
| Maldives | yes | 30 days |
| Mali | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Malta | no | 15 days (apply for Visa On Arrival) |
| Marshall Islands | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Mauritania | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Mauritius | yes | 30 days |
| Mexico | no | 15 days (apply for Visa On Arrival) |
| Micronesia | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Moldova | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Monaco | yes | 30 days |
| Mongolia | yes | 30 days |
| Montenegro | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Morocco | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Mozambique | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Myanmar (Burma) | yes | 14 days (only true international airports, not land) |
| Namibia | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Nauru | no | 15 days (apply for Visa On Arrival) |
| Nepal | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Netherlands | yes | 30 days |
| New Zealand | yes | 30 days |
| Nicaragua | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Niger | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Nigeria | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| North Macedonia (formerly Macedonia) | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Norway | yes | 30 days |
| Oman | yes | 30 days |
| Pakistan | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Palau | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Palestine | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Panama | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Papua New Guinea | no | 15 days (apply for Visa On Arrival) |
| Paraguay | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Peru | yes | 90 days |
| Philippines | yes | 30 days |
| Poland | yes | 30 days |
| Portugal | yes | 30 days |
| Qatar | yes | 30 days |
| Romania | no | 15 days (apply for Visa On Arrival) |
| Russia | yes | 90 days (from 1 November 2023 till 30 April 2024) |
| Rwanda | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Saint Lucia | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Samoa | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| San Marino | yes | 30 days |
| Sao Tome and Principe | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Saudi Arabia | yes | 30 days |
| Senegal | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Serbia | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Seychelles | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Sierra Leone | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Singapore | yes | 30 days |
| Slovakia | yes | 30 days |
| Slovenia | yes | 30 days |
| Solomon Islands | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Somalia | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| South Africa | yes | 30 days |
| South Sudan | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Spain | yes | 30 days |
| Sri Lanka | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Sudan | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Suriname | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Sweden | yes | 30 days |
| Switzerland | yes | 30 days |
| Syria | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Taiwan | yes | 30 days (from 10 November 2023 till 10 May 2024 |
| Tajikistan | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Tanzania | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Togo | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Tonga | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Trinidad and Tobago | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Tunisia | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Turkey | yes | 30 days |
| Turkmenistan | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Tuvalu | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Uganda | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Ukraine | yes | 30 days |
| United Arab Emirates | yes | 30 days |
| United Kingdom | yes | 30 days |
| United States | yes | 30 days |
| Uruguay | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Uzbekistan | no | 15 days (apply for Visa On Arrival) |
| Vanuatu | no | 15 days (apply for Visa On Arrival) |
| Vatican City | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Venezuela | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Vietnam | yes | 30 days |
| Yemen | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Zambia | no | need a Tourist Visa |
| Zimbabwe | no | need a Tourist Visa |
For example, if you’re from the US and you would like to know how long you can stay in Thailand with a US passport, you can look up the US in the table above and you’ll see you can stay for 30 days without a visa.
When you enter Thailand, customs will get you a stamp on your passport and you can stay for a maximum duration of 30 days without having to do anything.
the difference between a visa exemption and a Visa On Arrival
Many people who talk about the visa exemption, call it a visa on arrival, also known as the VOA, which isn’t the same.
A visa exemption is nothing more than a stamp on your passport that will allow you entry into Thailand.
And as you can see in my picture below, I’ve gathered quite a few stamps over the years. And this is just 1 page.
A visa Exempt IS NOT a visa.
A Visa On Arrival, on the other hand, is a visa that you will receive on the spot when arriving in Thailand.
As per the table above, some countries aren’t eligible for the visa exemption and will need a visa on arrival.
And I placed that remark on the right column of the table.
Important things to know before going to Thailand for the visa exemption
When you want to visit Thailand on the visa exemption scheme, there are a couple important things to keep in mind before going:
- When arriving at customs, they want you to proof that you’re leaving the country within the time frame.
If you booked a return ticket, that will be enough. If you booked a one-way ticket, you could book a cheap flight to one of the neighboring countries. - You can extend your 30 days visa exemption with another 30 days by going to an immigration office and for the price of 1900 Baht, they will give you an extension of another 30 days.
Keep in mind that they will only do this once. - Your passport needs to be valid for at least 6 more months when you arrive in Thailand.
Can you extend your stay with the visa exemption stamp
If you enjoy Thailand and want to stay longer than your stamp allows, you can extent this once at an immigration office.
The cost for this extension is 1900 Baht.
If you would like to stay for 3 months in Thailand, you will need to file for a 60-day tourist visa in your country and once you arrive in Thailand, you can then go to immigration and purchase the one-time extension for 1900 Baht.
This way, you can stay for a maximum of 90 days.
Warning: Don’t stay longer than the visa exemption allows you to.
When booking your ticket, please look very carefully at the dates of flying.
Unfortunately, way too often I hear people mention that they have a 30-day exemption but they will fly back home on day 31.
Be aware that this is called overstaying and you’ll get a fine for it and risk being flagged.
Not only this, but the next time you’re going to visit Thailand, customs will be much more. careful with allowing you into Thailand.
I’ve written an entire article about overstaying in Thailand and the risks involved.
So make sure to read that as well when you’re visiting Thailand, just to play it safe.
I hope this information gave you some clarity and if you still have specific questions about this, make sure to leave them in the comments below or if you prefer to get in touch with me, feel free to send me an email.
