Thailand visa for French citizens 2026: 30 days visa-free

What changed for French citizens on 15 September 2026

Until 14 September 2026, French citizens entering Thailand visa-free received a 60-day stamp. A Ministry of Interior regulation, in force since 15 September 2026, cut that allowance to 30 days for visa-free arrivals from France. If you were already stamped in before that date, your passport keeps the original 60 days until it expires — the change only applies to entries made from 15 September 2026 onwards. In practice, this means French citizens now need to plan shorter visa-free trips than before, or look at other routes if they want to stay longer. Anyone booking a trip to Thailand for later this year should count on 30 days from the date of entry, not 60.

Before you fly

• Check that your French passport is valid for at least six months beyond your arrival date in Thailand and has at least one completely blank page for the entry stamp.
• Have proof of onward or return travel ready to show, since immigration officers can ask French citizens travelling visa-free to confirm they will leave within the 30-day stay.
• Carry enough visible funds in cash or card statements, as spot checks can ask for the equivalent of 20,000 THB per person or 40,000 THB per family travelling together.
• File your Digital Arrival Card in the 72 hours before landing; French citizens flying visa-free into Thailand still need it, and it is free to submit through the Immigration Bureau's portal.

Staying longer than 30 days

If 30 days is not enough, French citizens have a few legitimate ways to stay longer. Before your visa-free stamp expires, you can apply at a Thai immigration office for a single extension of up to 30 days for 1,900 THB. If you already know you need more time before you travel, applying for an e-Visa at thaievisa.go.th gives a 60-day single-entry stay, itself extendable once by 30 days on the same terms. Remote workers or those on a long course of study can look at the Destination Thailand Visa, valid for five years with entries of up to 180 days. Repeatedly leaving and re-entering Thailand to reset a visa-free stamp is not dependable, and land crossings used that way are capped at two per year.

At the airport

At Suvarnabhumi, French citizens who have already visited Thailand before and are entering visa-free can use the automated arrival gates instead of queuing at a manned counter, as French passports are among the nationalities accepted there. To use a gate, you need to have already filed your Digital Arrival Card, since the QR code it generates is what the gate scans to confirm your details. First-time visitors, or anyone without that QR code ready, should expect to go through a staffed immigration counter instead.

Useful for French citizens

• Thai embassy responsible for France: Paris (paris.thaiembassy.org).
• Direct routes: Paris CDG → Bangkok (direct); Paris CDG → Phuket (seasonal).

Facts checked on 30 September 2026. Sources: Royal Gazette notifications of 31 August 2026, the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs bilateral list, the Immigration Bureau. Rules change; your embassy has the final word.