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A typical situation assembled from practice; details are changed.
The request
A Canadian who works online for clients at home flew into Phuket on the visa exemption and wanted to stay eight weeks, not four. Halfway through his stay he asked us how to extend, what it costs and whether he could do a border run for a fresh 30 days.
What we found
Since 15 September 2026 the exemption gives 30 days to 60 countries, Canada among them, for tourism only (Royal Thai Embassy London, 8 September 2026). You can extend once, by 30 days, at an immigration office for THB 1,900, and the officer decides (Siam Legal; Vialto, 2026). VisasNews notes that the extension comes from the Cabinet framework, not from the text of the gazette notifications, so the procedure may be clarified.
The main risk was the day count. Overstay costs THB 500 a day, capped at THB 20,000. Section 81 of the Immigration Act carries criminal exposure, and a long overstay adds a re-entry ban (ThaiLawOnline, 5 October 2026).
| Question | What we found | What we did |
|---|---|---|
| Time left | 30 days, counted from the date of admission in the entry stamp | Counted from the stamp, not the calendar |
| Extension | Once, 30 days, THB 1,900, officer decides | Went with time in hand |
| Border run | Two land entries a year; officers can refuse on suspicion of misuse | Dropped the idea |
| Work | Tourism only; no official statement on remote work | Did not work on the exemption |
What we did
- We counted the days from the date of admission in the entry stamp and wrote down the last lawful day. The overstay clock starts after it.
- We checked the Immigration Bureau site: at the time of writing (6 October 2026) it lists an online e-Extension system and online appointments. Because the procedure may be clarified, we confirmed the filing method and the document list with the office beforehand.
- We made sure the landlord had filed the TM30 notice. That duty falls on the owner, within 24 hours of arrival (ThaiLawOnline, 7 September 2026).
- We went to the office a week before the stay ended, leaving time in case officers asked for another document. He filed and paid THB 1,900.
- We explained the limits. There is no second extension. After leaving, he needs a new TDAC for any return: it is free and can be filed no earlier than 72 hours before arrival (Thaiger; ThaiLawOnline, 6 October 2026).
His first idea was a border run. At land borders, visa-exempt entries are capped at two per calendar year, though the official English summaries do not say which border the cap covers. By air there is no numeric cap, but officers can refuse entry on suspicion of misuse (Vialto; Siam Legal, 2026). An Immigration Bureau spokesperson said one or two trips a year are no problem and the target is people who chain tourist entries to live or work; entry was refused 29,490 times from January to May 2026, for all causes (Thaiger, 14 July 2026). So we did not plan a run to reset the clock.
Work was the second question. The exemption is for tourism only, and we found no official statement on how that applies to working for foreign clients (Royal Thai Embassy London, 8 September 2026). He agreed not to work on the exemption. For long-term remote work the DTV is the visa built for it: you apply where you are a national or permanent resident, with a police certificate and proof of THB 500,000 in funds, and details vary by mission (Royal Thai Embassy London, 8 September 2026; ThaiLawOnline, September 2026).
The result
The officer extended his stay by 30 days at the same visit, and he spent 60 days in Thailand on one entry: 30 under the exemption and 30 by extension. The officer decides, so another office or another day could have gone differently. There is no guarantee.
The takeaway
The exemption plus one extension gives up to 30 + 30 days, so count the days from the stamp, go to the office early and do not plan on a second extension.
What to do if you need more than 30 days is on the page Visa extension in Phuket and in the wider guide Stay in Thailand longer than 30 days. Further reading: the 30-day visa exemption guide and visa runs and overstay in 2026. A case with a different visa: A DTV refused over a bank statement.
Rules are as of 6 October 2026.
