Fake news about visa-free entry to Thaland clarified

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Gaybutton
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Fake news about visa-free entry to Thaland clarified

Post by Gaybutton »

Anti-Fake News Center denies rumors of new limits on visa-free entry to Thailand

By Pattaya Mail

January 18, 2026

The Anti-Fake News Center Thailand has issued a warning regarding false information claiming that a new rule permits foreign nationals to enter Thailand visa-free only twice per year. The Center noted that this misinformation has led to public misunderstanding and confusion.

Wetang Phuangsup, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, dismissed these rumors after confirming with the Immigration Bureau. He clarified that no official announcement or legal amendment has been made to limit visa-free entry for foreign nationals to two times per year. Furthermore, no legal guidelines or regulations have been established regarding such a restriction. The Immigration Bureau continues to enforce existing measures, including enhanced screening of foreign nationals who frequently enter and exit the Kingdom in a pattern consistent with visa-run behavior.

The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society advised the public to rely exclusively on information released by official authorities, to verify facts and website links thoroughly, and to share content responsibly in order to prevent the spread of misinformation.

https://www.pattayamail.com/thailandnew ... and-532783
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Jun
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Re: Fake news about visa-free entry to Thaland clarified

Post by Jun »

They say there's no official rule.

Yet everything is down to discretion. So it's not a clarification.

A photo of a sign allegedly at Phuket airport says it's 2 entries per year.
Another sign allegedly from the Lao border says the same thing. One Lao friend was verbally told that it is now two 60 day stamps per year.

So how many times per year can we enter Thailand, visa free?
Until they put the rules in writing, they haven't clarified anything.

If they did clarify the rules in writing, we would know where we stood and could ensure we followed those rules.

On the other hand, any immigration offices that collect tea money might favour keeping it at their discretion.
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Re: Fake news about visa-free entry to Thaland clarified

Post by Dodger »

This is the first time I've heard of Thailand's Fake-News Center.

They'll certainly have their hands full screening the continuous stream of non-factual comments flowing from the various Ministries regarding each-and-every loose-lipped proposal that flows out of their meetings.

This is the main source of misinformation (fake news) in Thailand in my opinion.
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Re: Fake news about visa-free entry to Thaland clarified

Post by Gaybutton »

Dodger wrote: Tue Jan 20, 2026 8:11 am This is the first time I've heard of Thailand's Fake-News Center.
Me too. I can't help wondering if this "center" actually exists at all. If it does, they probably release their information to Thai media, all in the Thai language, which could explain why we don't hear about it - but this is the first time I have ever seen anything at all about their findings or even that such an entity exists.
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Re: Fake news about visa-free entry to Thaland clarified

Post by Dodger »

Gaybutton wrote: Tue Jan 20, 2026 8:36 am
......but this is the first time I have ever seen anything at all about their findings or even that such an entity exists.
I just found this.....

https://opendevelopmentmekong.net/news/ ... platforms/
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Re: Fake news about visa-free entry to Thaland clarified

Post by Jun »

Here:
https://www.antifakenewscenter.com/นโยบ ... ะ-2-ครั้ง/

Not a .go.th URL, so who knows if it's government backed ?

Also, does the lack of an official announcement mean anything?
With the ludicrous "discretion", immigration officials can apply whatever rules they like.
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Re: Fake news about visa-free entry to Thaland clarified

Post by Gaybutton »

More about this on today's (January 20) "Headline News"

viewtopic.php?p=120280#p120280
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