Can I enter Thailand again later this year after spending 70 days on visa exemption?

There are no new visa rules and there is no new law.

There is no reset, and most of all, there is nothing such as a reset when a new calendar year begins.

There is no limit of two visa-exemptions within a 1-year period, and definitely not within a calendar year. This is simply not true.

What has changed, mandated from above, is the strict scrutinizing of your number of visa-exempt entries and the thorough check on "visa runners" (actually they meant to say "consecutive border runners"). The new approach taken by border officials is intended to ensure that the option to do a "visa run" is not misused.

Now as far as regarding extensions on visa-exempt entries, it does appear that the Immigration offices are indeed only issuing 7-day extensions if you already got a previous 30-day extension on a visa exempt entry. The count is 60 + 30 + 60 + 7 = 157 days maximum within a 1-year period, regardless of whether you arrive by air or land.

This is not standardized. The decision is made upon the discretion of the individual immigration officer, and your experience might vary from it.

There are some reports of touristic extensions on top of the 60-days being denied for those having arrived across a land border, while there have been some cases under the same circumstances where an extension was granted.

Fact is, it is subjective and up to the decision of the officer you are standing in front of when you wish to enter the country. They decide if you are a "real tourist" or if they think you are milking the visa-exempt entry program.

There is just no clear directive as far as what's what, there are no official rules, however after a few interviews with Immigration top officers, a few basic patterns have crystallized.

Some people with a 30-days extension already on a previous visa exempt entry reported getting another 30-days extension without any issue, however some only got a 7-days extension issued. Again, your experience might vary from that.

The 7-days extension is a REAL extension. It is not the same as the stamp "application to extension denied, you have seven days to leave the Kingdom". I have already seen the stamp of a 7-days extension, it takes up half of a passport page.

Visa-exempt entries are not limited to two entries per year. This is a misconception, and some agents and lawyers spread this information to make profit from panicked people.

Honest agents and Immigration Volunteers are warning you should not believe those alleged news telling you that visa-exempt entries are limited to two per year. It simply is not true.

In the past, visa-exempt entries were limited to two across a land border, this rule was discontinued on July 15, 2024.

On the paper, visa-exempt entries by air or across land and sea were “unlimited” after this date.

Attention: the wording “unlimited” is not a fixed rule of Immigration – THEY decide on an individual decision when your “personal limit” is up.

On conditions, multiple visa-exempt entries are possible - like four, five or even more times, if it is apparent that you do not circumvent the system.

The entry history in your passport and your profile on Immigration’s Central Computer must prove that your stays were short-term holidays - like only 2-4 weeks.

Some Immigration officers will tell you that the total number of visa-exempt days should not exceed 150 days, some will tell you the limit is 157 days. It remains unclear – because there is no official rule, there is no official limit. There are only guidelines on how to treat repeated entries.

The best proof that you are not milking the visa-exemption system is when you can show that you returned to your home country between each stay, or stayed abroad for a long time. And when you can show an onward travel proof.

The new approach was to prohibit "visa runs," where you only entered a neighboring country briefly and then immediately re-entered.

You must be able to prove your short holiday - for example, with proof of onward travel or a return ticket. A border official would rather consider you being a "genuine" tourist based on short holiday trips within a year. They expect that you never maximized any of these visa-exempt holidays.

What is crystal-clear: Some people still say it means “calendar year”, yet this does not make much sense. The count is based on a one-yea period. A new calendar year does not reset anything.

Those who want to play safe should obtain a single-entry tourist visa in advance for stays of up to 60 days, with the option to extend for 30 more days.

ATTENTION: obtaining a tourist visa after you have accumulated a few visa exempt stays, does not clean the stamp history slate.

Touristic entries on a tourist visa will also be frowned upon when you start to maximize them. To use a tourist visa directly after you have used visa-exempt stays, does not free you from the obligations. The Immigration officer won’t be fooled.

At the moment, the rules haven’t changed, but the consideration for allowing entry into the country has become stricter. If you’re concerned, it’s recommended to apply for a tourist visa in advance.

Get a tourist visa, and you will be safe

They will stop you at immigration..will ask you a million questions, what are you doing in Thailand. Why are you in Thailand.

If you are staying for less than 30 days. It would be okay. More than that be ready to face grilling at immigration

If you like hearsay, you’ve come to the right place.

Equiv of 3 months in any 6month period...simples!!

It’s not 150 consecutive before the 60 day u could enter 4 times a year, let’s talk visa, now they want to tax ur income with visa cause u have to prove what make only show the minimum

most tourists do not go to asia for a week or two !! takes me around 30 hours total from the uk to pattaya !! l go every other month for 30 days does that mean l live there ?

ou need a visa as you are quite clearly not a tourist

If you didn’t get extensions then you won’t have a problem.

Oil workers and miners come 8 or 9 times a year when they are on leave.

At the moment as it stands it's being allowed to enter .the new rules coming in will be easier if they revert to the 30 days stay then u will be ok but rules at the moment I think it's 2 visits a year .I would wake till next year now if I was u .

May be worth applying for a tourist visa..in your home country...prior to travelling....in case your denied entry on the exemption

I just got stopped and grilled. 10 minute interview....

It would be so much better if immigration said nothing at least tourist would not be confused it’s seems

Like every week some brain cell half charged opens his month and confusion comes out

No good to encourage tourists to come to Thailand

Det lyder godt nok underligt 🤔

Thais don't even understand what they are doing. I lived there 15 years and constantly changed even though the king makes 1 law but they constantly change it. They aren't logically smart as a whole of a people.

I use to stay 2 month in Thailand on exemption and 2 month out for work , before returning…it did work for years but seems I can’t do this anymore, I been taking out for interview couple of week ago after been on a family trip to Vietnam and been told I have to many travel in and out, my problem is now I don’t dare to leave Thailand before I go back to work….so have to drop a Japan trip with my wife ….

Only the officer will decide. Not Facebook people

I think we are in the last yrs of living in Thailand without a proper Visa and doing border jumps . I think if one truly wants to live in Thailand or any other countries I would recommend doing it the proper way. With all the new technology/AI they are not messing around. Honestly I can't blame them.

The rules have not changed.

The rules don't keep changing, some tourisrts piss around and cause trouble in the media, so Immigration say they are going to be more stringent with existing rules. People listen to chinese whispers and misinformation instead of what immigration actually said, then post here asking nonsense questions based on the crap they've heard

Unfortunately there is no issue at all unless we have no money or only little money.

Pay for the Visa and that's fine. I prefer to visit more country to enjoy and discover more things.

Malaysia, Laos, Indonesia and Vietnam are more welcome foreigners for long stay holidays

There clamping down on visa exemt. I would get a online tourist visa as it will look better on your history of travel.

if your a genuine tourist, there is no limit, but practise no one does 12 visits a year.

If you extend your trips with extension and border runs your quite quickly get the attention of immigration.

In there eyes someone who has a return ticket to their home country, accommodation booked and 20kthb is what their looking for. But ultimately, the immigration officer will decide.

(Under rules for a US citizen) I believe the METV is the best visa under your circumstances. It allows a total of 180 in Thailand per calendar year, is easy to obtain, and only requires you to extend for periods longer than 60 continuous days. You do have to make exits of a reasonable time period between visits (subjective) - but I have found it to be the least amount of hassle. Must be obtained from outside of Thailand.

Nothing has changed, it might revert from 60 days to 30 days, best monitor going forward. When are you planning to visit again and for how long, ensure you have an onward flight, preferably a return flight to your home country. A lot depends whether you have visited regularly over the last couple of years ie. History.

There are no new visa rules and there is no new law.

There is no reset, and most of all, there is nothing such as a reset when a new calendar year begins.

There is no limit of two visa-exemptions within a 1-year period, and definitely not within a calendar year. This is simply not true.

What has changed, mandated from above, is the strict scrutinizing of your number of visa-exempt entries and the thorough check on "visa runners" (actually they meant to say "consecutive border runners"). The new approach taken by border officials is intended to ensure that the option to do a "visa run" is not misused.

Now as far as regarding extensions on visa-exempt entries, it does appear that the Immigration offices are indeed only issuing 7-day extensions if you already got a previous 30-day extension on a visa exempt entry. The count is 60 + 30 + 60 + 7 = 157 days maximum within a 1-year period, regardless of whether you arrive by air or land.

This is not standardized. The decision is made upon the discretion of the individual immigration officer, and your experience might vary from it.

There are some reports of touristic extensions on top of the 60-days being denied for those having arrived across a land border, while there have been some cases under the same circumstances where an extension was granted.

Fact is, it is subjective and up to the decision of the officer you are standing in front of when you wish to enter the country. They decide if you are a "real tourist" or if they think you are milking the visa-exempt entry program.

There is just no clear directive as far as what's what, there are no official rules, however after a few interviews with Immigration top officers, a few basic patterns have crystallized.

Some people with a 30-days extension already on a previous visa exempt entry reported getting another 30-days extension without any issue, however some only got a 7-days extension issued. Again, your experience might vary from that.

The 7-days extension is a REAL extension. It is not the same as the stamp "application to extension denied, you have seven days to leave the Kingdom". I have already seen the stamp of a 7-days extension, it takes up half of a passport page.

Visa-exempt entries are not limited to two entries per year. This is a misconception, and some agents and lawyers spread this information to make profit from panicked people.

Honest agents and Immigration Volunteers are warning you should not believe those alleged news telling you that visa-exempt entries are limited to two per year. It simply is not true.

In the past, visa-exempt entries were limited to two across a land border, this rule was discontinued on July 15, 2024.

On the paper, visa-exempt entries by air or across land and sea were “unlimited” after this date.

Attention: the wording “unlimited” is not a fixed rule of Immigration – THEY decide on an individual decision when your “personal limit” is up.

On conditions, multiple visa-exempt entries are possible - like four, five or even more times, if it is apparent that you do not circumvent the system.

The entry history in your passport and your profile on Immigration’s Central Computer must prove that your stays were short-term holidays - like only 2-4 weeks.

Some Immigration officers will tell you that the total number of visa-exempt days should not exceed 150 days, some will tell you the limit is 157 days. It remains unclear – because there is no official rule, there is no official limit. There are only guidelines on how to treat repeated entries.

The best proof that you are not milking the visa-exemption system is when you can show that you returned to your home country between each stay, or stayed abroad for a long time. And when you can show an onward travel proof.

The new approach was to prohibit "visa runs," where you only entered a neighboring country briefly and then immediately re-entered.

You must be able to prove your short holiday - for example, with proof of onward travel or a return ticket. A border official would rather consider you being a "genuine" tourist based on short holiday trips within a year. They expect that you never maximized any of these visa-exempt holidays.

What is crystal-clear: Some people still say it means “calendar year”, yet this does not make much sense. The count is based on a one-yea period. A new calendar year does not reset anything.

Those who want to play safe should obtain a single-entry tourist visa in advance for stays of up to 60 days, with the option to extend for 30 more days.

ATTENTION: obtaining a tourist visa after you have accumulated a few visa exempt stays, does not clean the stamp history slate.

Touristic entries on a tourist visa will also be frowned upon when you start to maximize them. To use a tourist visa directly after you have used visa-exempt stays, does not free you from the obligations. The Immigration officer won’t be fooled.

For people who like to spend half a year in South East Asia and who like to make Thailand a base for other travels, the 6-months multi-entry Tourist Visa is the perfect choice.

Just apply for a regular visa if you are going to be in Thailand for more than a couple of months. It’s not expensive.

The tourist visa exemption is for people who visit temporarily for tourist activities, travel and hotel stays. It’s enforced unevenly, but it’s not intended for long stays in one place.

Apply for a tourist visa from home country. That will tell you the answer to your question.

If you're trying to effectively live in Thailand on visa exemptions, extensions and doing border runs, then expect that to end. Doing a couple of trips a year should be fine.

Nothing has changed

It will be up to the immigration officer that stands in front of you

Immigration laws have not changed but policies on how to apply the law changes more times than I change my underwear (daily LOL).

According to Phuket immigration chief in a statement it is 150 days a year on visa exempt but its all a guideline and depends on officer on the day. Rather silly and not good to encourage tourism.

No. They don't keep changing there have been no recent changes. You've already spent 70 days this year but what about last year? Immigration will look back over your history and all entries from last year will probably also be taken into account

They haven't changed. Not recently. It's 60 days without a visa. Same as it's been for a while. They have tightened up on entries by people trying to live here without visas. People who come in with no visa and get extensions then bounce in and out.