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

What changed for Maltese citizens on 15 September 2026

Before 15 September 2026, a Maltese passport received 60 days of visa-free stay on arrival in Thailand. A regulation from Thailand's Ministry of Interior, published in the Royal Gazette on 31 August 2026, cut that allowance to 30 days for Maltese citizens from 15 September 2026 onwards. If you were stamped in before that date, the 60 days already written into your passport still stands; the shorter period only applies to entries made on or after 15 September 2026. For a trip that used to stretch across two months, Maltese citizens now need to plan around a single month, or look at an extension or a different visa route if you want to stay longer. Check the stamp date in your passport rather than assuming which allowance applies.

Before you fly

• Check that your Maltese passport is valid for at least six months beyond your arrival date and has a spare blank page, since Thai immigration checks both before stamping you in.
• Keep evidence of onward travel and enough funds to hand, since Thai authorities can carry out spot checks looking for at least 20,000 baht per traveller or 40,000 baht for a family.
• File the Digital Arrival Card in the 72 hours before you land, using the Immigration Bureau's free online portal, since every foreign passport holder needs the QR code it produces.
• If you know before departure that 30 days will not be enough, apply for the 60-day e-Visa through Thailand's e-Visa system ahead of your flight, since processing typically takes between three and ten working days.

Staying longer than 30 days

If a Maltese passport holder wants more time than the 30-day arrival stamp gives, the straightforward option is a single extension of up to 30 days, arranged at an immigration office inside Thailand before the stamp runs out. Travellers who know in advance they need longer can instead apply for the 60-day e-Visa before leaving Malta, which can also be extended once by 30 days locally. Remote workers or those on a longer course of study may qualify for the five-year Destination Thailand Visa, covering stays of up to 180 days per entry, provided the funds requirement is met. Repeatedly leaving and re-entering Thailand to reset the visa-free stamp is not a genuine substitute for these routes, and land crossings allow only two visa-exempt entries per calendar year.

At the airport

Maltese citizens are not among the nationalities allowed to use the automatic gates at Suvarnabhumi, so you will go through the Foreign Passport counters with an immigration officer instead. Have your passport ready along with the QR code generated when you filed your Digital Arrival Card, since officers scan this alongside your passport before stamping you in. Filing the arrival card beforehand, rather than at the counter, keeps this step quick for Maltese passport holders arriving in Thailand.

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.