What are the recent restrictions on air entry into Thailand for visa-exempt travelers?

Two visa exempt entries per calendar year is real.

18 hours ago — There was a royal decree about this few years ago and here is the evidence from the real Thai embassy websites in the UK and the US.

It's 90 days on visa exempt in 180 before they may deny you entry and that's may deny you, not guaranteed as there's no official rule but immigration officers can be strict on this themselves and cause you issues. As long as you don't surpass 90 days in the 6 months on your 3rd entry which it looks like you won't you will be fine though so I wouldn't worry about it

I come maybe 4 or 5 times a year, as long as you fly there is no problem.

I spoke to an immigration officer this morning at Suvarnabhumi. He said I can arrive and get the visa exemption as many times as I want by air, but only twice by land.

Terrible how bad this is by the Thai embassy in London. The the first and foremost information source that a traveler should trust - they are the experts. Actually more than that - they are the official rule maker's official outpost in London and officially tasked with providing ACCURATE information on exactly this topic. It is just mind blowing how they get this so wrong.

As if you go to a doctor with a runny nose and he tells you that it is generally caused by crocodile bites and requires amputation of a limb. Or a fruit farmer telling you that pineapples grow off chicken.

I was in immigration yesterday. Asked this exact question. Airports are different to land crossings i was told. Fly in as many times as you like! Why would any country on the planet restrict you flying in and out. ??

Just observe visa regulations. Key is!

They want see your return flight!

Ask yourself, is chilling for a few days in S.E. Asia somewhere such a burden that you need to give yourself headaches and possible refusal, which then jeopardises your 'legitimate' emty. If you haven't got peace of mind , you haven't got anything.

This is a reply given by the "visa guru" Tod Daniels, an expert in the Thai Visa Advice group. . . . . you can surely trust his advice . . . . . . .. I just hope he allows me to quote him . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .**** In theory, no limit. In practice, immigration officer will check your passport for abuse of the system and likely refuse entry at some point. After how many? Who knows, luck of the draw.

**** “How long can I stay in TH on visa-exempt entries?" is like asking "how long is a piece of string?"

NOW read it HERE - the classic reply of Tod Daniels to the never ending question “how often can I enter Thailand”:

“You can keep doing it until you can't.

After the first 1-2, it becomes a gamble. It all depends on which IO you're dealing with. Some people have been ok on just visa-exempt entries (and extensions of said stamps) for periods of over 6 months or even a year.

However, in the past year or so they've really been cracking down on people with back-to-back tourist visas & visa exempt entry stamps. Especially those with long ago Covid extensions.

We RARELY let posts prevail, where people ask if they're going to have a problem getting in get posted on this group and we get a LOT of people wanting to post questions like that.

It's not that we deny those posts because we don't want to answer/help you, the reason we don't let them on is because there are WAY too many variables in that answer and truth be told there is NO real correct answer.

Things that factor in to you entering Thailand successfully are

-previous entry / stay history

-what airport you fly into

-whether you were here over Covid

-whether you have an old ED or Volunteer visa in your passport

Unfortunately the real deciding factor is the officer you're standing in front of when you go to stamp in - and that is beyond your control.

There is NO rhyme or reason on why some people with extensive entry stay histories skate in and other people are pulled aside and grilled after one entry

There doesn't appear to be any specific nationality they're targeting, no number of days in Thailand, no previous number of entries, although ED and Volunteer visa. Especially those b/s back door ones people got during Covid and those Covid extension stamps are considered "stamps of death"

When flying in with extensive entry/stay history airport choice DOES seem to factor in to it. BOTH Suvarnabhumi (BKK) and Don Mueang (DMK) seem much harder on people than say Phuket or Chiang Mai (which has no reported denial of entries)

All you can really do is be prepared by having

*** proof of funds (20K baht or the equivalent in CASH)

*** proof of onward travel within the number of days you will get stamped in for - that means if you're comin' in free stamp for 30 days have onward travel IN 30 days (because that "I've got onward travel in 60 days because i going to get a 30 day entension" line doesn't always work

*** proof of lodging for the time you're here (at least for a week)

They (officers at passport control) CAN ask for any of those things, all of those things OR none of them. Please remember the fact you were never asked does NOT mean those are requirements to enter, nor does it mean no one is asked, it just means you weren't asked

Also remember the fact you have a tourist visa doesn't guarantee you get in (especially with an extensive entry/stay history) all having a tourist visa guarantees is IF you get in, they stamp you in for 60 days.

A new passport doesn't "wipe the slate", your entire entry/extension/stay history is available to every officer at every entry point to Thailand with a click of a button.. Now it can help for them just paging thru the passport but IF they wanna really see how much you've been coming here, a new passport isn't gonna help that much.

There are more than a few 'fast track' or 'safe entry' services out there (and I believe the company that owns this group even offers it)

Make sure whoever you contact about it, knows your WHOLE entry/stay history. Fudging your history to a company that's gonna help you get in is not a good idea. That's about people. Just wanted you to know why we don't let those "will I get in okay" posts on this group very often (if at all).

My head is spinning 😵‍💫.. glad to hear you can enter as often as you like via flying ..

This the updated website from the Thai Embassy in London. There’s at date no official specific restriction regarding entries by air, but there’s a general restriction that states just two entries on visa exemption by any means. This is not correct and there’s no official statement from MFA supporting this.

Formally it’s two entities by land in a calendar year, and there’s no formal restriction or limit on entries by air. But sooner or later you’ll get pulled aside and questioned, told to find a visa and/or get denied entry.

there is no 6 months period, only 180 days.

What Thai embassies say and what actually happens at airports in Thailand can be 2 very different things. This has been proven many times over many years. The only current hard and fast rule is 2 visa exempt entries per year at a land border.

Where are you reading this strange "information".

You understand wrong, there's no limit on how many times you can fly into Thailand in a 6 month period

You can only enter by land crossing twice in 12 months. But entry by air is unlimited or until IO starts asking questions. This happened to me yesterday, but I just showed my return flight to UK on 31st May, from BKK. I first arrived in Thailand on 26th November.

Rubbish I fly in every month for 2 weeks

This is rubbish you can enter as many times as you wish to as long as you get the appropriate visa be that 30 day visa exception. They have some strange rules on different web sites but as long as you are genuine you will be fine