Thailand Visa-Free Stay Cut to 30 Days? Why Koreans Still Get 90 Days From September 15, 2026

Hi there.
Let’s head out together again—
travel blogger Sseozhere.

If you’re getting ready for a trip to Thailand,
you’ve probably seen the recent news that the visa-free stay
is being reduced from 60 days
to 30 days.
Starting tomorrow, September 15, 2026,

Thailand’s new visa-free entry rules
will officially take effect.
So what exactly is changing,
and what rules apply to Korean travelers?

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3. You still must complete the TDAC
1. What changes in Thailand visa-free entry from September 15?

Thailand had previously
allowed travelers from 93 countries and territories
to stay visa-free
for up to 60 days
for tourism and similar purposes.

That 60-day visa-free program
will be abolished starting September 15, 2026.

Under the new system,
travelers from 60 countries and territories
will be allowed
a 30-day visa-free stay for tourism.

According to Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
the reasons for this change include security concerns,
tourism and economic impact,
reciprocity between countries,
and confusion caused by overlapping visa-free programs.

So if you only look at overseas news headlines,
you’ll see “Thailand visa-free 60 days → 30 days,”
and
it’s easy to assume Koreans are affected too.

But Korea is a little different.

2. Do Koreans still get 90 days visa-free?

South Korea and Thailand have had
a visa-waiver agreement in place since 1981.

Under that agreement,
Korean passport holders traveling for non-employment purposes
can stay in Thailand
for up to 90 days without a visa.

The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Thailand
has also separately confirmed that,
regardless of Thailand’s shortened general visa-free period,
Koreans are still covered first by the existing visa-waiver agreement

and can continue to stay for 90 days.
In short,
Thailand’s general visa-free program

changes
from 60 days to 30 days,
but
Korean passport holders
remain under the Korea–Thailand visa-waiver agreement,
so the maximum 90-day stay stays exactly the same.

If you were planning a month-long stay in Thailand
or a longer trip,
you may have been surprised
and thought it had suddenly been cut to 30 days.
But for Koreans, this change

does not reduce the permitted length of stay.
3. You still must complete the TDAC

Your visa-free stay stays the same,
but there is one thing you still need to do before entering Thailand.

That is the TDAC
(Thailand Digital Arrival Card).Think of it as

the online replacement
for the old paper arrival card
you used to fill out on the plane.
It’s Thailand’s digital arrival card system.

Including Korean travelers,
foreign nationals entering Thailand
are generally required to submit the TDAC.

When filling it out,
you’ll need
your passport information,
flight details and arrival date,
your accommodation address in Thailand,
purpose of travel,
and email address.

You can apply on the official TDAC website
starting within 3 days of your arrival date, including the day of arrival.
The TDAC is not a visa,

and it’s free.
So before your Thailand trip,
no visa application needed,
but TDAC submission is required.

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That’s the key thing to remember.

Not needed for regular trips within 90 days
In the end, what Korean travelers need to remember

about this Thailand visa-free change is actually pretty simple.
From September 15, Thailand’s general visa-free program
changes from 60 days to 30 days,
but Korean travelers are covered by a separate agreement,

so the 90-day visa-free stay remains in place.

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So if you’re planning a trip to Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai,
or anywhere else in Thailand,
you don’t need to change your itinerary

because of the visa-free stay period.
Just make sure you complete your TDAC before departure.

Thanks for reading.

Every moment of traveling together
Sseoz’s Neighborhood Wanderings

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