Thailand Cuts Visa-Free Stays to 30 Days
Visa-exempt tourists to Thailand can now stay up to 30 days. It matters this week: Virgin Atlantic's new Heathrow–Phuket flights start Sunday.
Planning a long winter in Thailand? Check the dates. Since 15 September, visa-exempt tourists can stay up to 30 days, according to the UK’s FCDO. Business travel now needs a visa.
The rules
- 30 days visa-free for tourism
- Land borders: visa-free entries are normally limited to two a year
- Funds: visitors may be asked to show 10,000 baht per person, or 20,000 per family, plus proof of onward travel
- TDAC: the Thailand Digital Arrival Card is still mandatory
The new flight
Virgin Atlantic starts nonstop Heathrow–Phuket flights on Sunday 18 October, three times a week (Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays outbound) on a 787-9 for the winter season.
Sources
Where to stay near Phuket
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Lauren Smith writes Hotel Watch for Not An Atlas. She grew up in Glasgow and now works from Toronto, usually within reach of a pug, a laptop and a stack of McDonald's Monopoly vouchers. Her first flight was to Orlando, and she still remembers how kind everyone was. She's a window-seat loyalist (somewhere to rest your head), eats whatever the locals recommend (schnitzel and an Austrian beer, the moment she landed in Vienna), and always packs spare underwear. Just in case. Hallstatt on a sunny day is her “this is why I travel” moment, the Highlands are where she'd go back tomorrow, and South Korea or Japan is next. Friends say bubbly, caring and fun. Her mum says chaotic but organized.
