Thailand has scrapped the extended 60-day visa-free stay it has offered international tourists since 2024, reverting to a standard 30-day exemption for nationals of 60 countries from September 15, in a move that will reshape long-stay holiday planning across several of Kenya’s key outbound source markets — but leaves Kenyan passport holders untouched.
The Thai Ministry of Interior published four regulations in the Royal Gazette on August 31, revoking the 60-day exemption that had applied to nationals of 93 countries and territories since July 2024. In its place, travellers from 60 countries — including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and most of the European Union — will now be permitted to enter visa-free for tourism purposes for a maximum of 30 days, extendable once by a further 30 days at a Thai immigration office for a fee of about 1,900 Baht (roughly Sh1,400).
South Africa is the only African country on the new list, meaning South African travellers retain visa-free access to Thailand but at half the previous stay length. Mauritius and Seychelles move onto a separate 15-day exemption, a new benefit for Mauritius and a retained one for Seychelles. Namibia and Ethiopia, by contrast, lose their previous visa-on-arrival privileges entirely, as Thailand has cut that facility from roughly 31 eligible nationalities to just three — Azerbaijan, Belarus and Serbia.
Kenya sits outside all three categories, as it has since Thailand’s exemption regime was first introduced. Kenyan travellers heading to Thailand have always been required to secure a visa in advance, either through the Royal Thai Embassy in Nairobi or the Thai e-Visa portal, and that requirement is unchanged by this week’s reform.
Trade implications for Kenyan agents
For Kenya’s travel trade, the significance of the change lies less in outbound bookings for Kenyan nationals and more in the mixed-nationality client base that local agencies increasingly serve. Corporate and group bookings frequently include travellers on South African, European, American or British passports, and any itinerary built around a two-month Thailand stay for a client on one of the affected passports will need to be revisited before the new rule takes hold.
Agents packaging multi-country Southeast Asian circuits — combining Thailand with Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia or Indonesia — have also been advised to recheck the length of the Thailand leg for clients accustomed to the more generous 60-day allowance, particularly for bookings spanning the September 15 cut-off date.
Travellers who enter Thailand on or before September 14 will retain the full 60-day stay granted at the border, even if that period extends beyond the effective date. Those arriving from September 15 onward fall under the new rules regardless of when the booking was made.
Thailand has also confirmed that its Digital Arrival Card, mandatory for all foreign nationals regardless of visa status, remains in force and should be completed within 72 hours of arrival.
No change on the ground for Kenyan holidaymakers
Industry sources note that the reform, while significant for several of Thailand’s largest source markets, does not alter the practical process facing Kenyan holidaymakers or business travellers, who must continue to apply for a Thai Tourist Visa — typically valid for stays of up to 60 days — before departure, as has been the case for years.
Travel agents have been cautioned against applying the “60 days cut to 30” headline uniformly across their client books, given that Thailand’s entry rules now run across several parallel categories — the 30-day exemption list, the 15-day exemption list, a sharply reduced visa-on-arrival list, and a series of separate bilateral agreements covering countries such as China, Russia and Kazakhstan at different stay lengths. Confirming entry requirements against a traveller’s specific nationality, rather than assuming a blanket rule, remains the recommended practice heading into the new regime.
