Thailand Ends Its 60-Day Visa Exemption for Eleven Latin American Countries
TRAVEL · VISA RULES
Key Facts
- —The date The new rules take effect on Tuesday 15 September 2026, fifteen days after gazette publication.
- —The change The 60-day visa exemption for 93 countries ends. A 30-day exemption covers 60 countries instead.
- —Who keeps it Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Peru retain 90 days under bilateral treaties, untouched by this.
- —Who loses it Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Uruguay, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and others.
- —The transition Anyone who enters on or before 14 September keeps the stay stamped on arrival.
- —The catch There is no grandfathering for bookings. A ticket is not an entry.
This is not a measure aimed at Latin America. Around twenty-eight countries worldwide lose the same entitlement on the same day.
Thailand narrows its visa exemption on Tuesday 15 September 2026. The 60-day entitlement that covered 93 countries and territories ends.
In its place comes a narrower structure covering 65. Sixty countries receive a 30-day exemption, two receive fifteen days, and three move to a visa on arrival.
Around twenty-eight countries and territories lose the entitlement altogether. Eleven of them are in Latin America and the Caribbean.
This Is Not About Latin America
The change applies worldwide and was not aimed at any region. China, Russia, South Korea, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Kazakhstan lose the same entitlement on the same day.
Albania, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, Papua New Guinea and Tonga are also affected. There is no reciprocity dispute behind it.
Thai officials framed the decision as preventing misuse of visa privileges. The cabinet also cited an administrative principle of one entitlement per country.
Reporting that treats this as a measure against Latin American travellers has the story wrong. The regional effect is real, but it is a side effect.
The Countries That Keep Their Access
Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Peru remain visa-exempt for Thailand, at 90 days. This is the single most useful fact in the announcement and the one most often missed.
Their exemptions come from bilateral treaties rather than from the unilateral scheme Thailand has just rewritten. The change does not touch them.
Argentina and Chile were never on the 93-country list at all. Brazil and Peru were, and keep 90 days regardless.
Any list naming Brazil or Argentina among the losers is incorrect. At least one widely shared aggregator has published exactly that error.
The Countries That Lose It
Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama and Uruguay lose visa-free entry. So do Cuba, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago.
That is eleven. One secondary source omits Dominica, giving ten, so we would describe it as about a dozen rather than fix on a number.
The land-border rule tightens separately. Entry under the new 30-day exemption is capped at twice per calendar year, with exceptions for Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Singapore.
What an Affected Traveller Does Now
Apply for a visa before departure, through Thailand’s official electronic visa portal. That system replaced embassy-by-embassy applications in January 2025.
The relevant categories are the single-entry tourist visa and the multiple-entry tourist visa. The applicant must be outside Thailand throughout the process.
Typical requirements are a passport scan, a photograph, a confirmed flight booking, accommodation details and bank statements. Fees and processing times differ by embassy, even for the same category.
We are not publishing a fee figure. The amounts circulating online come from commercial guides rather than from the Thai foreign ministry, and they vary by mission.
Check the Royal Thai Embassy that covers your country of residence. That is the only authority on what you will actually pay and how long it will take.
What Happens to People Already Travelling
Anyone who enters Thailand on or before 14 September 2026 keeps the stay stamped on arrival. There is no retroactive reduction for people already in the country.
There is no grandfathering for bookings. A traveller holding a ticket for 16 September who has not yet entered needs a visa.
The digital arrival card remains mandatory for all foreign passport holders, and is unchanged. It is not a visa and does not replace one.
A separate electronic travel authorisation has been announced repeatedly since 2024 and deferred each time. It is not in force and plays no part in this change.
More: Travel news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What changes on 15 September 2026?
Thailand’s 60-day visa exemption for 93 countries ends. A 30-day exemption covers 60 countries instead, two countries get fifteen days, and three move to a visa on arrival.
Can Brazilians and Argentines still enter without a visa?
Yes, for 90 days. Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Peru hold bilateral treaty exemptions that sit outside the scheme Thailand has rewritten, and they are unaffected.
Which Latin American countries lose visa-free entry?
Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Uruguay, Cuba, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Is this aimed at Latin America?
No. Around twenty-eight countries and territories worldwide lose the entitlement on the same day, including China, Russia, South Korea and Vietnam.
What if I am already in Thailand?
Anyone who entered on or before 14 September 2026 keeps the stay stamped on arrival. Holding a booking is not the same as having entered.
Sources: Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Department of Consular Affairs, Royal Gazette notices of 31 August 2026, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
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