Thailand visa for Portuguese citizens: 30 days visa-free

What changed for Portuguese citizens on 15 September 2026

A Ministry of Interior regulation published in the Royal Gazette on 31 August 2026 took effect on 15 September 2026, and it directly affects Portuguese citizens travelling to Thailand without a visa. Before that date, a Portuguese passport was stamped in for up to 60 days on arrival. From 15 September 2026 onwards, the same visa-free entry gives you 30 days instead. If you were already stamped in before the change, that original 60-day period in your passport still stands — it is not shortened retroactively. For a trip booked now, plan around the new 30-day allowance: if your itinerary runs longer, you will need to look at an extension or a different visa route rather than assuming the older, longer stay still applies.

Before you fly

• Check that your Portuguese passport is valid for at least six months beyond your arrival date in Thailand and still has at least one blank page for the entry stamp.
• Keep evidence of onward or return travel to hand, since Thai immigration officers checking Portuguese passports at entry may ask to see it before stamping you in.
• Have access to at least 20,000 THB per person, or 40,000 THB for a family, in case officers carry out one of the funds spot checks that apply to visa-free entrants.
• File your Digital Arrival Card online within 72 hours of landing, since every Portuguese passport holder must complete it regardless of visa status, and have the QR code ready to show.

Staying longer than 30 days

If 30 days is not enough, Portuguese citizens can apply for one extension of up to 30 days at a Thai immigration office, for 1,900 THB, before the current stamp expires. For a longer single trip, applying for a Thai e-Visa before departure gives 60 days on a single entry, also extendable once by 30 days. Portuguese citizens planning remote work or a long course of study can instead consider the Destination Thailand Visa, valid for five years with stays of up to 180 days per entry, though it requires proof of funds and must be arranged from outside Thailand. Repeatedly leaving and re-entering by land is not a workaround, since visa-free land crossings are capped at two per calendar year.

At the airport

At Suvarnabhumi, Portuguese citizens are among the nationalities allowed to use the automated arrival gates, provided you have filed your Digital Arrival Card, are entering visa-free, and have visited Thailand before — first-time visitors still go through a staffed counter. Either way, an officer or the gate scans the QR code generated when you filed the Digital Arrival Card, alongside your passport, so keep it accessible on your phone or printed before you reach immigration.

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.