Thailand Reduces Visa-Free Stay from 60 to 30 Days to Combat Online Fraud

BANGKOK, April 20. /TASS/. Thailand is reducing the duration of its visa-free travel and stay on its territory from 60 to 30 days to combat online fraud, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow announced presenting the country's foreign policy concept in Bangkok, a TASS correspondent reported. "We review visa exemption schemes to sever financial lifelines of scammer networks and transnational criminals. As for tourism, we welcome our guests. However, I am confident that 30 days is long enough. We have noticed that some people abuse the 60-day visa-free regime by coming here for other purposes. There are no problems if you are a tourist seeking a comfortable vacation. We offer a warm welcome to every visitor," he said. As data collected by the government's visa policy committee shows, approximately 90% of visitors to Thailand stay in the kingdom for up to 30 days. In March, Phuangketkeow announced that he would propose to the government to reduce the visa-free regime from 60 to 30 days for foreigners from more than 90 countries, including Russia. On July 15, Thai authorities approved a decree introducing a visa-free regime for up to 60 days for visitors from 93 countries and territories visiting the kingdom for tourism purposes. Russia was also added to this list, although its citizens already enjoyed a 60-day visa-free stay in Thailand. Under the 2005 intergovernmental agreement between Russia and Thailand on visa-free travel, visa-free stays are limited to 30 days. However, Thai authorities have regularly allowed Russian tourists to stay longer. From November 2023 to May 2024, Russians could enter Thailand visa-free for up to 90 days. According to the Thai Ministry of Tourism, approximately 1.9 million Russians visited the kingdom in 2025, setting a record for visits and ranking fourth in terms of number of visits among all national tourist groups. Russia is Thailand's largest European tourist market. Since the beginning of this year, more than 800,000 Russian tourists have visited the country.