BKK · Before you leave the transit area · published · checked
Entering Thailand from a BKK layover
The rule changed in 2026. A blog still describing a 60-day exemption is describing the old scheme. Read the current list for your passport, then decide whether to leave the transit area.
What changed on 15 September 2026
Thailand revoked the 60-day visa exemption and revised the shorter schemes. The London embassy states that British and Irish passport holders, and travellers from many other countries, may enter for tourism for up to 30 days, and that an eligible passport may use the exemption only twice in a calendar year.
That is not a ruling on every European, US, or other passport. Some travellers need a visa. Some may still qualify for a visa on arrival under a much shorter list. Check the official exemption list before you leave the transit area. Suvarnabhumi does not fix a missing visa.
The TDAC is not a visa
From 1 May 2025, foreign nationals entering by air, land, or sea submit the Thailand Digital Arrival Card within three days before arrival, every time, including people who are visa-exempt. It is free at tdac.immigration.go.th. A site that asks you to pay is not the official form.
You will need a passport and an address for the first night. Do it before you fly. The airport kiosks are the slow version.
Visa-required travellers
Apply before the trip, through the Thai embassy or the official e-visa route your embassy points to. A layover is not an application window.
Staying airside
If the passport, the exemption count, or the TDAC is in doubt, do not exit. The city will disappoint you less than a refused entry.