BANGKOK – Thailand has approved the revocation of its 60-day visa-free entry program, a policy shift that removes unrestricted short-term access for Moroccan nationals and several other countries.
The decision, ratified by the Thai Cabinet on May 19, 2026, signals a move away from the broad liberalization of border controls implemented during the country’s post-pandemic economic recovery. The new regulatory framework will officially take effect 15 days after its publication in the Royal Gazette, the kingdom’s official legal journal, which serves as the formal channel for enacting state policies and legal instruments.
This policy reversal targets a program launched in June 2024, which expanded Thailand’s visa-free list from 57 to 93 eligible nations. The initiative was designed to aggressively revive a tourism sector devastated by COVID-19, allowing Moroccan passport holders, among others, to enter the country for up to 60 days without prior authorization.
A Granular Approach to Immigration
Under the newly approved system, Thailand is abandoning the blanket 60-day exemption in favor of a tiered categorization based on national security, migration risk and economic criteria. The government will now assign eligible countries to specific entry brackets, replacing the one-size-fits-all approach with differentiated access:
- 30-Day Exemption: 54 countries.
- 15-Day Exemption: 3 countries.
- Visa on Arrival: 4 countries.
The tiers are set out in ministerial notifications attached to Thailand’s Immigration Act and, once reproduced in the Royal Gazette, will constitute the legal basis for immigration officers’ decisions at airports and land borders.
According to lists published by the Thai Foreign Ministry, Morocco does not appear in any of these categories. Consequently, Moroccan citizens will be required to obtain a formal visa prior to arrival once the transition period concludes, shifting their entry route from border discretion to consular pre-screening.
The government will continue to honor existing bilateral visa exemption agreements, which operate independently of the general exemption list. These diplomatic treaties ensure continued access for several key partners:
- 90-Day Exemptions: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, and South Korea.
- 30-Day Exemptions: China, Hong Kong, Macao, Kazakhstan, Laos, Mongolia, Russia, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.
- 14-Day Exemptions (Airport Arrivals): Cambodia and Myanmar.
These carve-outs underscore that the move is not a blanket closure but a recalibration of Thailand’s wider visa architecture, in which bilateral diplomacy and long-standing regional arrangements continue to shape who can enter, and on what terms.
Security and National Interest
The tightening of border controls follows a period of increased scrutiny regarding the exploitation of visa-free regimes. Thai authorities have cited a rise in foreign nationals using tourist exemptions to engage in illegal employment, overstaying permitted durations, and facilitating transnational crimes, including drug trafficking and human trafficking.
In April 2026, this trend was highlighted by a police raid on an unlicensed international school in Bangkok, which resulted in the arrest of 10 foreigners working without legal permits. Officials have portrayed that case as emblematic of broader enforcement challenges created by long, lightly supervised stays under visa-free entry.
“The government found the policy needed revising to be more suitable for the current situation, both in terms of the economy and national security,” stated Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.
Tourism Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul added that the new country-by-country criteria would be guided by a combination of security imperatives and economic factors, with ministries responsible for tourism, foreign affairs and interior policy feeding into the risk assessments.
Impact on Moroccan Travelers
The Moroccan Embassy in Bangkok has moved quickly to alert its citizens of the changing landscape. On May 20, Ambassador Abderrahim Rahhaly issued a notice warning of intensified financial screening at Thai border checkpoints, in line with existing powers granted to immigration officers to assess visitors’ ability to fund their stay.
Embassy officials clarified that while the requirement to prove financial solvency is not a new regulation, it is now being enforced with significantly more rigor. Immigration officers may request that visitors present sufficient cash or accessible funds to cover the duration of their stay; failure to provide this evidence may lead to denied entry and same-day return on the next available flight.
Travelers are now advised to possess the following documentation upon arrival:
- A valid passport with sufficient remaining validity.
- Confirmed return or onward travel tickets.
- Proof of accommodation for the duration of the visit, such as hotel reservations or an invitation letter.
- Evidence of sufficient financial resources, including bank statements, credit cards, or cash.
Moroccan tour operators and airlines serving Thailand are expected to update their pre-departure guidance as consular visas replace visa-free entry, adding an extra layer of planning time and cost for prospective visitors.
Economic Balancing Act
Thailand continues to struggle to reach its pre-pandemic tourism peak of nearly 40 million visitors in 2019. In 2025, the country attracted approximately 33 million foreign visitors, and the first few months of 2026 saw nearly 12 million arrivals, according to government tourism data. The sector remains a cornerstone of the Thai economy, contributing a significant share of GDP and employment.
The current policy shift suggests that Bangkok is now prioritizing the quality and legality of arrivals over raw volume, betting that more controlled inflows can coexist with its long-standing positioning as a regional travel hub promoted by the Tourism Authority of Thailand through its official portal at tourismthailand.org.
Travelers currently within Thailand under the previous visa-free program are permitted to remain until their authorized stay expires, easing immediate disruption and avoiding a sudden wave of forced departures. Future travelers from non-exempt nations must now apply for visas through Thai embassies or consular offices, where applications can be vetted in advance for financial capacity, travel purpose and security red flags – a shift that moves more of Thailand’s border control from the arrivals hall to the diplomatic counter.