Thailand visa for Germans 2026: 30 days visa-free

What changed for Germans on 15 September 2026

Before 15 September 2026, Germans arriving in Thailand without a visa were stamped in for 60 days. A Ministry of Interior regulation, published in the Royal Gazette on 31 August 2026, shortened that allowance to 30 days for anyone entering from 15 September 2026 onward. If you were already stamped into Thailand before that date, your passport keeps the original 60 days until that stamp expires — the change only applies to new arrivals. For a trip you're planning now, build your itinerary around 30 days rather than the old two-month window, and check the stamp in your passport on arrival so you know exactly when you need to leave or apply for an extension.

Before you fly

• Check that your German passport is valid for at least six months beyond your arrival date in Thailand and has at least one blank page left for the entry stamp.
• Carry proof of an onward or return flight and be ready to show that you have enough money for your stay, since immigration can ask for 20,000 baht per person or 40,000 baht per family.
• File the Digital Arrival Card in the 72 hours before you land, since every German passport holder must submit it free of charge regardless of visa status, and the QR code gets scanned at immigration.
• If you'd rather arrive with a visa already secured, apply for the e-Visa at least ten working days before departure, since processing usually takes three to ten working days and only covers a single entry.

Staying longer than 30 days

If 30 days isn't enough, you can apply for one extension of up to 30 days at a Thai immigration office before your stamp expires, for 1,900 baht. For a longer stay from the outset, Germans can apply for the e-Visa before travelling, which grants 60 days on a single entry and can also be extended once by 30 days for the same fee. Remote workers or long-course students may instead qualify for the Destination Thailand Visa, valid five years with up to 180 days per entry, though it needs proof of 500,000 baht in funds and must be arranged before arrival. Repeated border runs aren't a genuine alternative, since land crossings are capped at two visa-free entries a year.

At the airport

At Suvarnabhumi Airport, German passport holders can often use the automated arrival gates instead of a staffed counter, since Germany is among the nationalities accepted there, provided you've already filed the Digital Arrival Card, you're entering visa-free and it isn't your first visit to Thailand. Whichever lane you use, an officer or the gate scanner reads the QR code from your arrival card alongside your passport, so keep that code accessible on your phone or printed until you're through immigration.

Useful for Germans

• Thai embassy responsible for Germany: Berlin (berlin.thaiembassy.org).
• Direct routes: Frankfurt (FRA) → Bangkok; Munich (MUC) → Bangkok.

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.