Edit: The 45 day visa exempt entry is now back to 30 days only which you can extend for another 30 days in Thailand at your local immigration office for 1,900 THB giving you a total of 60 days you can stay. And if you get a Tourist visa for 60 days (which you can now do online without going to the embassy) you can also extend that for another 30 days for the same price which gives you a total of 90 days you can stay in Thailand.
If you want to stay longer than 90 days make sure to check our post on How to stay in Thailand for a year and more.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is proposing to extend the current 45-day visa exemption policy for foreign tourists arriving in the country until the end of the year in order to further boost tourism recovery. With the current 30 to 45 day extension the the 15 day Visa on arrival for arrivals from 19 countries will also be extended for 30 days.
In September 2022, Thailand’s Cabinet approved the temporary extension of visa on arrival and visa exemption for the high season. Between October 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023, foreign tourists can stay in Thailand for either 30 days with a visa on arrival (available to passport holders from 19 countries) or 45 days with a visa exemption (available to passport holders from 64 countries that have bilateral agreements with Thailand).
The TAT attributes the success of surpassing its target of 10 million tourists in 2022 (with a total of 11.5 million) to the extended visa policy. To continue to drive tourism revenue and aid in the recovery of the industry, the TAT is now proposing to extend the policy in order to reach its goal of 25 million foreign arrivals in 2023.
The TAT is also in talks with airlines to increase flight frequency and routes to accommodate more tourists, with a goal of 80 million foreign arrivals per year by 2025, double pre-pandemic figures.
