Travelers heading to Thailand over Christmas and New Year will get 30 days of visa-free stay, half the 60 days most visitors received for two years, after the government's new exemption rules took effect on Sept. 15. Those flying out of Japan on the same trip pay a departure tax of 3,000 yen, three times the old rate.

For families and companies in Hong Kong, Singapore and Jakarta booking the year-end peak, the changes alter the arithmetic of long stays, multi-country itineraries and short business trips. None of them are large on their own. Together they show governments in the region moving from waiving charges to collecting them as tourist numbers recover.

Thailand's 30-day visa exemption: who it covers

Four Ministry of Interior announcements published in the Royal Gazette on Aug. 31 repealed the 60-day scheme introduced on July 15, 2024, which had covered 93 countries and territories, TTG Asia reported. The replacement list has 60 countries and territories. India was added after travel industry objections to its absence from the 54-country list the Cabinet approved in May, according to the trade publication.

The exemption is for tourism only. Short business visits and urgent work from listed markets now require a visa, and immigration adviser Newland Chase recommended that such travelers obtain a Non-Immigrant B visa before departure while the Department of Employment reviews whether its urgent work permit notice still applies.

Other details matter for regional travelers:

• Land crossings. Visa-exempt visitors arriving overland are limited to two entries per calendar year. Nationals of Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Singapore are excluded from that cap, TTG Asia reported.
• Shorter lists elsewhere. Seychelles and Mauritius move to 15 days. The visa-on-arrival list shrank to three countries (Azerbaijan, Belarus and Serbia) from 31 in 2024.
• Bilateral deals unchanged. Arrangements negotiated government to government still apply, including the 30-day deals with China, Russia and Vietnam. Gulf News, citing officials, listed Hong Kong and Macao among the 30-day bilateral partners and South Korea among those with 90 days.
• No retroactive effect. Travelers who entered before Sept. 15 kept the stay they were granted, Newland Chase said.

Gulf News reported that extensions beyond the permitted stay cost 1,900 baht at immigration offices and are subject to approval. Nationals of countries not on any list now need a visa.

The shorter window may matter less than it sounds. Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul said he did not expect a large drop in arrivals because the average visitor stays nine days, FTN News reported. Thailand's tourism sector has been under pressure this year; September data showed a tourism slump even as exports held up.

Japan's departure tax and other levies in Asia

Japan raised its departure tax, known locally as the international tourist tax, to 3,000 yen per person from 1,000 yen in July 2026, according to a survey of tourist fees published by Nation Thailand. The tax is built into air and ship tickets, so most travelers see it only as a higher fare. For a family of four, the increase adds 8,000 yen to the cost of leaving the country.

The same survey noted that accommodation taxes in Japan were expanded nationwide from April 1, and that the country's tax-free shopping system moved to a refund model on Nov. 1. Under that system, visitors pay consumption tax at the till and are repaid after customs checks, which means shoppers need cash or card headroom for the tax until the refund arrives.

Elsewhere in the region, Nation Thailand listed:

• Bali, Indonesia: a levy of 150,000 rupiah (about $15) per person.
• Malaysia: a tourism tax of 10 ringgit per room per night.
• Bhutan: a Sustainable Development Fee cut to $100 a night from $200, valid until Aug. 31, 2027.

The newspaper's survey counted more than 40 countries that collect some form of tourist fee.

Thailand's planned arrival levy is still undecided

Thailand has proposed a tourist entry fee since 2020 without introducing it. In May, Surasak confirmed the government would proceed with a levy under the Thailand Tourism Promotion Fund and said it "could exceed 300 baht per person," Nation Thailand reported. The most recent proposal set 300 baht for air arrivals and 150 baht for land and sea arrivals, according to FTN News.

Two collection methods are under study. One would add the charge to airfares, with Thai nationals and exempt travelers claiming refunds after arrival; airlines have objected. The other would collect it through immigration or the online arrival system before entry. Most of the money would buy accident and medical insurance for foreign tourists, with the remainder going to tourist sites and infrastructure.

The insurance link reflects hospital costs. FTN News cited a Tourism Ministry estimate of about 2.5 billion baht a year in unpaid bills from foreign patients, and reported that a two-week travel insurance policy costs about 1,100 baht. Gulf News described the fee in May as under discussion but delayed, and no start date has been announced. The ministry's next step is consultation with the Thai General Insurance Association on premiums, which will determine how far above 300 baht the charge goes.