The Thailand government has decided to reverse their decision where they reduced the on-arrival visa for Maldivians to their country to 15 days.

In order to prevent improper use of Thailand's visa privileges, the country brought about changes to their visa exemption regulations. However, Thailand media has reported that their cabinet has passed amendments to the changes.

As per the amendment, the 60-day visa exemption currently being provided to 93 countries will be abolished. According to Thailand's Deputy Government Spokesperson Ploytalay Laksmisangchan, tourists from 59 countries and regions will be granted permission to enter for 30 days without a visa. Six new countries will be granted this privilege, which includes Maldives, India, Croatia, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Malta.

Thailand's Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul stated that the 60-day visa that was introduced in 2024 was being taken advantage of, with major crimes such as human trafficking, seeking employment without permits and call center scams being on the rise.

And so, the government's aim is to strengthen national security and prioritize quality tourists instead of increasing the number of tourists.

Along with that, regulations surrounding cross-border travel to increase the duration of the visa has been changed, with a limit of two entries per year being set.