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What are the risks and regulations regarding visa exemption stays in Thailand?

visa exemptionThai immigration rulesstay durationvisa requirements180 day ruleborder controlentry regulations
Nov 1, 2025
2 months ago
Marc ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Little information immigration and visa exemption.

A friend of mine was taken to the infamous room at BKK airport because he was entered on visa exemption quite often this year. Immigration gave him the warning and told him it is ok for then if he stays no longer than 5 MONTHS and 2 WEEKS in each calendar year on visa exemption.

Edit: he entered on the 27th october 2025 and they demanded he has to buy a return ticket to Italy on 7th april 2026. He actually wanted to leave 10th of april 2026 but thy insisted it has to be the 7th. And they also insisted it needs to be a return ticket to Italy and not an onward ticket.
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TLDR : Answer Summary
The post discusses the experiences of individuals facing scrutiny by Thai Immigration authorities for frequent entries into Thailand on visa exemption. It highlights the common understanding among some immigration officers that travelers should not exceed 180 days in a 12-month period on visa exemption, regardless of calendar years. There are anecdotal reports of varying enforcement, with some travelers being cautioned or denied entry based on their travel history. The discussion emphasizes the ambiguity surrounding visa exemption rules and suggests that travelers should consider obtaining a proper visa if their stays are frequent.
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Nongnuch ********
Greg Alexander you are right, I have come upon this "rule of thumb" as well, in other groups reports are abundant. There is no fixed or official rule regarding the total number of visa-exempt entries or touristic stays, however Immigration when they see an extensive stamp history, they start to count backwards across a period of previous 365 days ( NOT within a calendar year) and if you exceed 180 days, they will pull you aside and interrogate
2 months ago
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Peter ******
You are well aware you need a visa yet you continue to try to avoid it, I hope you do it again and get refused entry, that's the only way you people learn !
2 months ago
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Dennis *********
@Peter *****
 the rules are being followed by “You People”!! Now if Thailand would actually put specific hard and fast rules instead of leaving up to the IO Who’s having a bad day and wants to impose their own guidelines then this discussion wouldn’t happen over and over again.

Perhaps you should learn to read the rules or post the specific in writing guidelines — C’mon let’s see them — The People are waiting!!
2 months ago
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Garrett ***********
@Peter *****
 You people? You mean people under the age of 50 who still have their hair, a body fat percentage under 50%, and the ability to date women without having to pay them?
2 months ago
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Dave **********
@Garrett **********
 most of us were 'ribbed' in our
*****
s Garrett. Your sweeping statement is a tad offensive to 50+ normal men.. not everyone is a sex tourist! But I'm sure you probably dabbled before finding stability!,
2 months ago
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Aaron ********
@Garrett **********
 you hit the nail on the head there pal.
2 months ago
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Aaron ********
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Rene ******
Ow, if that's the rule, I just wasted 130 euro for the fasttrack service 🤦‍♂️(5 months last 365 days)
2 months ago
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Etincelle **********
@Rene *****
 I guess everyone staying long time in Thailand using exemption or tourist visa best take a screenshot of the firm statements made by some of the advisors here that it's all cool (Tod, Nongnunch). They can show it when they get questioned and teach those pesky immigration officers some lesson and perhaps even help them simplify their business as most actual visa's seem redundant 😂
2 months ago
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Garrett ***********
@Rene *****
 Its not a rule.
2 months ago
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Nongnuch ********
@Garrett **********
 correct, there is no rule, yet there is a "rule of thumb" as Greg Alexander profoundedly explained
2 months ago
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Rene ******
@Nongnuch *******
 fair enough, maybe I should have taken the chance though. A friend stayed also 5 months last 365 days but she got grilled though
2 months ago
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Nongnuch ********
@Rene *****
 the trick is, don't buy the first 30-days extension. Don't look like a "cheapskate" and buy the extension . . . Leave Thailand before the first 60 days expire. Stay in an neighbour country for 2-4 weeks. Re-enter Thailand visa-exempt for another 60 days, and then try your luck to extend by 30 more days. You will be looked upon as being a "real" tourist. You will be able to do this at least once within every 365 days period
2 months ago
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THAI ******************************
@Nongnuch *******
 It’s not that straightforward. Entry decisions are entirely at the discretion of immigration officers. If they believe your travel pattern or purpose shows misuse of the visa exemption scheme, they can refuse entry and advise you to obtain a proper long-term visa instead.

In 2024 they were much more relaxed, but in 2025 its been quite strict.
2 months ago
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THAI ******************************
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Daisy ********
Thanks for the information
2 months ago
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Donald **********
Some of the Thai Embassy websites are advising not to enter visa exempt for more than 90 days in 180 days. I’m aware Embassies and Immigration are different entities and that Immigration make the decisions. Your FRIEND is maybe pushing his luck with his days?
2 months ago
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John *********
90 in 180 is quite typical in many places. Turkey for instance.
2 months ago
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Donald **********
@John ********
 Schengen zone etc. too.
2 months ago
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Donald **********
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Chaisaeng ********
I lost in this matter too.
2 months ago
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Sean *****
I was also pulled aside , didn’t realise at the time I had entered 4 times totalling just under 7 months , was eventually allowed in after many questions , but remained polite , they allowed me in but said next time visa required , so it is always down to immigration officer, there maybe guidelines they follow but there is know difinitive 180 day rule as mine totalling 192
2 months ago
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Mark ******
@Sean ****
 sorry to ask, but, how is it that you 'didn't realise you had entered 4 times in under 7 months'? Wasn't you with yourself? Just asking, as it baffled me
2 months ago
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Sean *****
It wasn’t 4 times in under 7 months it was 4 times in 12 months , total time spent in the country was just under 7 months , sorry if you misread or I wasn’t clear , as I travel a lot and was going back and forth I didn’t realise the total number of days was so much that is what I meant
2 months ago
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Sean *****
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Greg ***********
@Sean ****
 Lucky you, they must have been impressed by your politeness 😂
2 months ago
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Vesa *****************
@Greg **********
 Sean is right. Politeness is very important at that point. They are not impressed but they notice it.
2 months ago
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Sean *****
Glad it humoured you , I was merely saying I know if I had got offensive or even defensive in the wrong manner I am sure would have been denied, only trying to advise people that if they ever in the situation don’t start spouting there is no limit bla bla bla as some may seem to suggest
2 months ago
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Sean *****
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Paul ****
If they come so often to Thailand why not get a proper visa?
2 months ago
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Todd *********
@Paul ***
 because not every situation fits a ‘proper visa’. Which is quite well known And visa exemptions are equally proper.
2 months ago
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Paul ****
@Todd ********
 „he was entered on visa exemption quite often this year”, so you’re saying that it’s fine for a visa exemption to be a proper way in this case. Visa exemption is created for short time travellers, not for long-term or many-times visitors.
2 months ago
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Richard ***********
Paul they know people who come and go spend more money than people who just come
2 months ago
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Todd *********
@Paul ***
 no, the visa exemption is created for tourism. If you have the money to support yourself as a tourist, long term use is perfectly fine
2 months ago
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Paul ****
@Todd ********
 I agree it’s created for tourism, but you can’t be a tourist 365 days a year, because you become a tax resident after 180 days. It is highly recommended and generally considered the proper approach to switch from using visa exemptions to obtaining a proper long-stay visa above that period of time. Definitely not advised to do runs if you’re staying more than 180 days in a single year.
2 months ago
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Jo **********
@Paul ***
 in late 2022 and early 2023 I entered 9 times visa exempt and stayed about 270 days in a 12 month period. I was working and living in Singapore and the Netherlands and coming here as a tourist. I never stayed more than 30days on a single exemption. Always left for 7days. never was I asked a single question. A friend asked me that question “why not get visa” I said because I am not staying here that long. I am just a frequent tourist. I realize I am not the typical case
2 months ago
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NeL *****
I did apply for the DTV visa via the soft power sector, ( Thai cooking class) but it wasn't successful, do you think I may apply for the DTV visa once again by another type of soft power sector like medical treatment?

I'm afraid the Royal Thai Embassy must keep my previous application on record, last time I applied for the DTV visa was not success,keep going for the next attempt?
2 months ago
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John *********
When you say ‘proper long stay’ isa, is a 90 day Non-O considered long stay?
2 months ago
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Todd *********
@Paul ***
 there are no limits on the length of time for tourism. Yes, agreed, you become tax resident at 180 days, but that has no bearing on your situation with immigration. And there are many staying in Thailand for years on exemptions

It’s highly recommended by farangs trying to be de facto immigration police. Which is great, but Thai immigration doesn’t take that same approach. If you are here lots, you likely know many people using many entries annually.
2 months ago
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Reply to
Todd *********
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Shaughn ***********
That’s just under the 180 days in a 12 month period that I was told by border immigration a year ago. So consider it a rough guide.
2 months ago
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Greg ***********
@Shaughn **********
 you are right, they should have given him a leeway of 14 days/two weeks 😄 and YES thank you for confirming the "rule of Thumb" being "180 days within a 365-days period" and not "within a calendar year" (which won't make any sense anyways)
2 months ago
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Reply to
Greg ***********
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Greg ***********
yes, while there is no official rule on how often you can enter and for how long you can stay in Thailand on a visa-exempt entry, many Immigration officers at the border often follow a "rule of thumb" like "on visa exemption, not more than 180 days within a 365-days period" . . . . I think your buddy and/or the officer "got lost in translation" - it is not "per calendar year" but they count the recent 365-days period, calendar year doesn't matter, they could also count the total time he spent in the span of two calendar years, if it exceeds 180 days
2 months ago
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Ulrik *************
@Greg **********
 so You are saying that 2 consecutive entries will not be a problem? Entering Thailand with Visa exemption 8 December and then a border run 90 days later to obtain another 60 days. In addition the last entry was in middle of January if that can affect decision from Immigration.
2 months ago
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THAI ******************************
@Ulrik ************
 A first-time tourist with no prior record who used one visa exemption and a 30-day extension, totaling 90 days, can usually enter again without any issue. At most, they might receive a rare warning, which was even less common throughout 2024.

In 2025, however, immigration has become noticeably stricter. Officers are now paying closer attention to patterns of extended or repeated stays, especially those around 90 days or longer, as these are increasingly being treated as signs of living in Thailand rather than visiting.
2 months ago
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Greg ***********
@Ulrik ************
 no, won't be a problem but you should not maximize the first 60 days with a 30 days extension, and then expect Immigration at the border not raising their eyebrows when you try to do a border run closely to the previous expiry of the 90th day
2 months ago
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Ulrik *************
@Greg **********
 🙏
2 months ago
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Ulrik *************
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Shaughn ***********
@Greg **********
 your description matches my recent entrys. I had spent 10.5 months over a 2 year period (all of it in the first year with the last 12 months out of country. When I re-entered on visa exempt I was told that next time I’d need a TR. so it fits closely to your description.
2 months ago
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Marc ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Greg **********
 No it didn't get lost in translation. They explicit said not more than 5 and a half month in each calendar year. They even calculated the time when he has to leave the country. He had to buy a return ticket after 6 months. So in april he has to leave.
2 months ago
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John *******
@Marc *******
 - How do you know what your friend might of misunderstood. It is strange that it usually is 180 days in a 365 period (you say calendar now), but you then mention he has to leave by mid-April, which is 5 months and 2 weeks from today, crossing two calendar years though.
2 months ago
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Ralph *******
@Marc *******
 The return ticket in April isn’t valid. It has to be within the period of the exemption.
2 months ago
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Ralph *******
@Marc *******
 How can he be staying until April on a visa exemption?
2 months ago
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Heinz ***********
@Ralph ******
 read the op?
2 months ago
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Greg ***********
@Ralph ******
 like I said - "lost in translation" . .it is not "per calendar year" this is NOT how Immigration counts
2 months ago
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Ralph *******
@Greg **********
 You don’t get back to back exemptions. And the extension isn’t guaranteed.
2 months ago
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Greg ***********
@Ralph ******
 yes you should normally stay in one of Thailand's neighbour country for 2-3 weeks holiday before you attempt a second visa-exempt entry. And you chances are greater if you haven't maximized the first visa-exempt 60-days with a 30-days extension but exited Thailand before the 60-days stay permit expired. Then you are regarded as being a "real" tourist travelling South East Asia
2 months ago
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Dennis *********
@Greg **********
 they should just fix the damn rules and system.
2 months ago
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Ralph *******
@Greg **********
 That’s right. You have to leave before getting another exemption.

Is he in the country now and leaving in April?
2 months ago
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Greg ***********
@Ralph ******
 that's unclear as I can't make any sense out of what Marc Widmer tried to explain
2 months ago
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Ralph *******
@Greg **********
 The ticket must be within the period of the exemption. The ticket for April isn’t valid.
2 months ago
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Ralph *******
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Greg ***********
@Marc *******
 You need to listen closely . . . if it really counts until April, and we got November now, then it is never "per calendar year" . .the period they count is spanning across TWO calendar years. The years 2025 and 2026. It actually is a 365-days period. Which is the famous "rule of thumb" that gets applied when an Immigration official thinks you are misusing a touristic entry for a longstay in Thailand. They then check their Central Computer and count all PREVIOUS stay within the last 365 days. Believe it or not - I am familar with Immigration
2 months ago
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Marc ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Greg **********
 he has told them he wants to come back end of october 2026. So tha's how they calculated it. Forcing him to buy a return ticket in april 7th 2026. You don't need to believe it. But that's what they did
2 months ago
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Greg ***********
@Marc *******
 your wires are totally crossed, and your friend is totally lost in translations. . . . . Tell me, HOW is it possible to enter Thailand by October 2026 and return by April 2026 😂 is your friend an expert in "time machines" ? If you ever wondered why I don't believe you and your friend: THIS is the reason
2 months ago
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Marc ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Greg **********
 yes he has told them he wants to come back to Thailand end of october 2026 as every year
2 months ago
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Greg ***********
@Marc *******
 I think you are obviously miscalculating . . . if he returns by October 2026, you mean they will enforce that he has a return ticket in April 2027 ? Why do you write April 2026 ? It should say April 2027 😆😃
2 months ago
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Marc ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Greg **********
 I did not make the calculation. Immigration did. He entered 27th october 2025 and they wanted him to buy a ticket back to Italy 7th april 2026. As I said you don't need to believe it but that's what the immigration wanted. If you would want to argue with them up to you. He did not and just did what they have told him to do
2 months ago
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Greg ***********
@Marc *******
 until 24th of March the stay would be 5 months, so they said they would allow him into the country for 5 months and 2 weeks, on visa-exempt entries plus two 30-days extensions, if he showed them an onward ticket. I believe it, absolutely possible. . . . However it proves exactly what I said: they calculate per 365-days period, they do not calculate 180 days per calendar year. The period they allow him in spans across two calendar years, so HOW would they want to calculate it? The Immigration officer in his bad command of English used the WRONG terminology: he should have said "365-days period", but he said "calendar year" because he thinks this is the same! He was not able to express himself correctly . . . I am used to these misinterpretations - I am reading and giving visa advice since 25 years, and I am the admin of a very well known and reputed visa advice group
2 months ago
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Marc ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Greg **********
 I have no idea how they calculate it. They didn't accept onward ticket. It had to be return ticket to Italy. And they said if you stay below 5 and a half month every year it's ok otherwise you need to get the 6 montjs multiple entry visa. Don't kill the messenger that's what they have told him. He would not make things up. For what?
2 months ago
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Greg ***********
@Marc *******
 they might have said "calendar year" but actually this is bad English, what they mean is "per one year" or "per 365 days" which is the way visa-exempt stays as a total get calculated
2 months ago
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Reply to
Greg ***********
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Jan **********
@Marc *******
if he has to leave after 5 and a half months per calendar year it makes no sense he would have to leave in April, the fourth month of the calendar year.
2 months ago
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Peter **********
@Marc *******
 Huh? How can he be on visa exemption for six months?

Your comments are getting a bit obscure.
2 months ago
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Shaughn ***********
@Peter *********
 a border bounce and 2 extensions currently comes to 6 months.
2 months ago
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Peter **********
@Shaughn **********
 So he is required to buy a ticket and they already have a border bounce in that consideration? 🤣🤣🤣

Right. Of course! Why didn’t I think of that? 🤣🤣🤣
2 months ago
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Marc ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Peter *********
 correct. Actually he intended going back to Italy april 10th 2026 but they said no we want you to buy a ticket on 7th of april
2 months ago
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Shaughn ***********
@Peter *********
 it seemed a reasonable compromise.
2 months ago
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Marc ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Peter *********
 They calculated that he can get 2 extentions of 1 month each and 2 entries 2 months given. So they insisted he needs to buy a ticket going back to Italy on 7th april 2026. Onward ticket was not an option
2 months ago
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Greg ***********
@Peter *********
 well he can . . . enter visa-exempt, 60 days, extend with 30 days, then do a border bounce and enter visa-exempt a second time, 60 days again. That's already 60+30+60 = 150 days or 5 months . . and another border bounce or another 30 days extension will catapult it to six months and beyond
2 months ago
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Ralph *******
@Greg **********
 Yes. But not guaranteed so why would you buy the return ticket for April?
2 months ago
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Reply to
Ralph *******
Reply
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