I am 86 years old and have a DVT Medical Wellness visa. I applied for it myself 10 days ago. I sent all the documents requested by the embassy (20 pages), including my hospital appointment in April 2026. I am now waiting for a decision; if it's not approved, no problem. My plan B is visa-free entry every four months, a 21-day stay in Thailand for my health update, and then departure. I would also enter similarly with a DVT visa, but definitely not for a long-term stay of 180 days.

Hi, I’d like to ask about visa-free entry to Thailand.

My partner previously stayed in Thailand from August 15 to November 12, then left for about a week and re-entered from November 19 to February 2.

Since February 2, she has been outside Thailand for around 2 months, and is now planning to re-enter on April 1 by flight.

In this case, would she still be able to enter Thailand visa-free, or is there a risk of being refused entry?

Thank you very much.

16/03/2026

"Mr. Nantiwat Samart" clearly explained that Thailand does not oppose any nationality, but should review the free visa measures and increase screening of tourists through the visa system.

On March 16, 2026, reporters reported that Nantiwat Samart, former secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and former deputy director of the National Intelligence Service, posted a message on his Facebook page, "Nantiwat Samart," regarding the calls to abolish the visa-free policy. He stated that Thailand does not have any anti-Semitic or anti-nationalist stance and continues to welcome foreign tourists to the country.

The post stated, "Regarding the cancellation of visa-free entry, there are currently many calls to abolish it. It's important to understand that Thailand does not discriminate against Jewish people or any particular nationality. Thailand still welcomes foreign tourists, but we will need to screen them. Thailand wants quality tourists with money, not tourists who intend to come to find work or settle in Thailand."

Furthermore, "the method of screening tourists is through the visa application process, where tourists must have a good record and sufficient income to support their travel. Not just anyone can enter Thailand. Thailand has many valuable assets to showcase to the world, but there is a fee for entry; it's not free. Don't focus too much on the number of tourists and forget about the safety and security of the country. Thailand is then at risk from terrorists, individuals with a history of involvement with scammers, online cybercrime, and foreign mafia groups."

However, "tourists who overstay their permitted time, whether Jewish or of other nationalities, must be asked to leave the country because it is unacceptable. If they want to stay in Thailand and work, they must apply for a different type of visa. Immigration must be much stricter with overstaying tourists and illegal immigrants. There aren't enough personnel or equipment; we need to urgently request this during this transition period between governments."

#cancelfreevisa #immigration #thaigoverment

Held at BKK immigration

Hi all,

Does anyone have experience being stopped at immigration at BKK and refused entry? I have a friend who tried to re-enter Thailand today. He had been home in the UK for a few months, but had done the visa-free stamp twice in the past 12 months. He’d planned to come back on a tourist visa (in keeping with new rules), however the visa was delayed and the flight came around before the visa was fully processed. He hoped because it was a new year he might be allowed entry anyway on another stamp. Unfortunately he couldn’t change his flight, so it was the only option other than cancel the trip entirely.

I realise the situation is a little silly and he should probably just have cancelled the trip. But does anyone have any experience in this situation or being detained at immigration? He’s currently held in transfer area at BKK. They’re saying the only option is to be deported back to UK on Monday (and sleep on a bench until then), but I was wondering if maybe its possible they would allow him to book a flight to another country (Vietnam, Malaysia etc) rather than be sent back to the UK?

Any help would be appreciated.

EDIT: Update

Thanks for everyone's input - the conclusion is that he is being returned to the UK, no option to travel elsewhere. The return flight is provided by his original airline, but he does not have to pay for it. To clarify, he had entered twice on the exemption stamp and extended the extra 30 days on both. I think this was the main caveat. Also, he had travelled to Thailand a lot over the last few years - although always with legit entry stamps/extensions/tourist visas etc, but I think this generally counted against him as they were able to suggest he looks like he is not acting as a genuine tourist. He also got a particularly badly-mannered immigration agent, so I think in some cases he probably could have gotten through even with these circumstances. For those travelling soon bear in mind the visa application process seems to be extra long at the moment, probably due to these new rules, and beware for extra scrutiny coming in if you travel to Thailand frequently.

Hi everyone, I’m a Fijian passport holder and I’d really appreciate some advice. Please forgive my English if it’s not perfect.

I’m planning to travel to Thailand soon and I saw that Fiji is eligible for 60-day visa-free entry.

My concern is about the proof of funds requirement. I’m seeing that it has increased from 10,000 THB per person to 20,000 THB.

The issue is:

Fiji currently doesn’t have Thai Baht available

My transit/layover is very short (around 40 minutes)

I will be carrying about AUD 2,000 in cash

My questions are:

Will AUD cash be accepted as proof of funds instead of Thai Baht?

Is the 20,000 THB proof of funds usually strictly checked for visa-free entry?

I had a 2-day overstay in June 2023, paid the fine before leaving — will this affect my re-entry to Thailand?

Thank you so much in advance 🙏 I really appreciate any advice or experiences.

Have to do a border run from Pratumnak what the best affordable way?

Hey

I applied for a multiple entry tourist visa over 2 weeks ago and still haven’t heard back from the embassy. My flight is in 4 days and I do have 60 day visa free entry.

Does anyone know what happens if I just go without the visa and then the visa gets approved while I’m already in Thailand? Would I need to leave and re enter to activate it?

How should I enter Thailand with a DTV? My passport is by default visa free and I can stay up to 60days but I got a DTV anyway. Do I need to present my DTV together with my passport upon entering at the immigration?

I just don’t wanna get accused of overstaying.

So with the new thailand visa rules if you don't care about getting extensions you can still enter a few times a year with your usual 60 days visa-free? or just twice? What about people who frequently visit the country for just some long weekends?

(I would assume it shouldn’t affect them whatsoever but just to be sure)

Is it possible to stay visa free for 60 days, then travel out of Thailand for maybe a month, then get another 60 day visit back in Thailand?