Latest News for Expats in Thailand

Every day I round up the Thailand news that actually affects those of us living here: visas, tax, banking, healthcare, cost of living, transport, and the digital systems you deal with day to day. The newest stories sit at the top, and older ones drop off after a couple of weeks.

Jump to: September 30 · September 29 · September 28 · Week of September 28 · Week of September 21 · Week of September 14 · Week of September 7 · Week of August 31 · Week of August 24

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On the Radar: Rule Changes Not Yet Live

Changes that have been announced but are not in effect yet. We re-check these every week so you do not act on a rule that has not actually landed. Last reviewed September 28, 2026.

  • National home disaster insurance: starts on 1 October 2026 and runs for a year, with the state paying the premium. It does not cover floods before 1 October, cover is tied to homes under civil registration, and the death benefit is for Thai nationals only. Nobody has confirmed whether foreign-owned condos or renters are covered.
  • Cannabis for medical use only: Cabinet approved the bill on 22 September, but it still has to pass Parliament and reach the Royal Gazette. Current rules apply until then, and existing shop licences can run until 2028 at the latest.
  • THIM immigration app: still only handles the arrival card. On 26 September the Immigration Bureau said queue booking, extensions and 90-day reporting are planned but gave no date, so keep filing those the usual way.
  • THB450 arrival fee: proposed. The public hearing at law.go.th was due to close on 28 September, and the draft now goes back to the committee and Cabinet. Target start is early 2027, air arrivals first, and it is still unclear whether long-term visa and work-permit holders will be exempt. Nothing to pay yet.
  • THB45 Bangkok rail fare cap: targeted for 1 January 2027, with anything over THB45 refunded within three working days. It still needs legislation and deals with the operators, so treat the date as a target.
  • Tax on foreign income you remit: the proposed exemption (bring it in the same or next year and pay no tax) is still a draft and stalled ahead of the election. The 2024 rule that taxes remitted foreign income is what is live, so plan around that.
  • Electricity tariff: the September rate is confirmed, with the first 200 units capped at THB3 a unit and the average falling to about THB3.89, landing on your mid-October bill. The separate tiered hike for homes over 400 units is still parked.
  • Tougher nominee-business law: enforcement is live and widening, with 36,277 foreign-linked landholding firms flagged and a review of about 11,000 firms due to finish by 30 September. The stricter legal definitions and higher penalties are still only proposed.

September 30, 2026

Thai Airways cancels 37 more flights as the Suvarnabhumi bag backlog drags on

Thai Airways posted another 37 cancellations on Tuesday evening, covering flights from 29 September to 1 October. That brings it to 59 cancelled flights since the Bangkok floods started on 26 September. The problem is on the ground: flooding kept hundreds of staff from reaching Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang, and about 5,600 bags got stuck in the backlog.

Wednesday is the heavy day. On the domestic flights, three Phuket departures go, plus Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen, Ubon Ratchathani and Udon Thani. Internationally it hits London, Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Amsterdam, Brussels, Copenhagen, Sydney, Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul, Singapore, Hong Kong and more. Thursday’s list is Paris, Brussels, Milan and Stockholm.

If you’re flying THAI this week, check your flight number against the airline’s official Facebook page, where it’s been posting each list, before you leave for the airport. I’d also travel carry-on only if you can until the bags clear.

Sources: Bangkok Post

How the 9,000-baht flood payment and Bangkok’s own aid scheme work

The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation has set out who gets its THB9,000 household flood payment. Cabinet approved the scheme and a THB558,739,000 budget on 25 August, covering flooding since 15 May. Bangkok runs a separate scheme through the BMA, under its own criteria.

Householders, occupiers and tenants all apply through the district office responsible for the flooded property, and eligibility is assessed case by case. Approved payments go out from Government Savings Bank by PromptPay linked to the recipient’s national ID number. If you rent and don’t hold a Thai ID, ask the district office directly whether you qualify before counting on it.

Sources: Nation Thailand

September 29, 2026

Free parking for flood-hit cars at nine MRT stations until 2 October

If your street floods every time it rains hard, the MRTA is letting flood-affected drivers park free at nine stations until Friday 2 October. That’s Lat Phrao and both parking buildings at Lak Song on the Blue Line, Khlong Bang Phai, Sam Yaek Bang Yai, Bang Rak Noi Tha It and Yaek Nonthaburi 1 on the Purple Line, Yaek Kor Por Aor and Khu Khot on the Green Line, and Khlong Ban Ma on the Orange Line.

Car park staff ask for photo evidence and proof you own the vehicle, so bring the registration papers. Free parking at Si Iam and Min Buri ended at noon on 28 September. Our flood safety guide covers what else to sort before the next heavy rain.

Sources: The Nation

Floods close 56 highway spots, including Highway 31 in Bangkok

Flooding made 56 highway locations impassable on 28 September. Prachinburi had the most with 14, then Nonthaburi with nine, Rayong with eight and Bangkok with seven.

In Bangkok, two stretches of Highway 31 were cut: Din Daeng to Ngam Wong Wan, and Ngam Wong Wan to Don Mueang. Before you set off, I’d call the Department of Highways’ free 24-hour hotline on 1586 for current road conditions. If you’re new to driving in Thailand, never try a flooded road when you can’t tell how deep the water is.

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Sources: The Nation

Suvarnabhumi baggage waits hit six hours as floods keep ground staff away

Passengers arriving at Suvarnabhumi from 26 September into Sunday waited five or six hours for their bags. Flooding stopped Thai Airways’ ground-handling staff getting to work, and baggage from several flights was left behind at the airport.

If you’re flying in or collecting someone this week, pack essentials in your carry-on. The AOT’s 24-hour contact centre is on 1722.

Sources: Bangkok Post

September 28, 2026

Flood holiday for government offices in Bangkok and three provinces, banks stay open

Monday 28 and Tuesday 29 September are special government holidays in Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani and Samut Prakan. Cabinet approved them at a special meeting on Sunday because of the floods.

It only covers government agencies. State enterprises, banks and private companies decide for themselves, so if your employer hasn’t told you anything, ask. The Bank of Thailand has asked commercial banks to keep serving customers as normal on both days, and the stock exchange is trading as usual.

If you had an appointment at the immigration office or any other government office this week, I’d call ahead. Offices with essential duties or pre-booked appointments can stay open at their head’s discretion, and online government services keep running. Eight expressways also stay toll-free until midnight on Tuesday.

Sources: Thansettakij, Daily News, BBC Thai, The Nation

Bangkok is still draining, with all 50 districts a disaster zone

Bangkok has declared all 50 districts a disaster area, backdated to 25 September, and Nonthaburi has added Mueang Nonthaburi and Pak Kret. On Monday morning City Hall still reported 16cm to 47cm of water on several streets.

Rain eased to 46mm late on Sunday night, and Governor Chadchart Sittipunt estimated two to three days to drain the rest if no more rain falls. If you’re wading through any of it, our flood safety guide covers what to watch for.

Sources: Bangkok Post, BBC Thai

Weekly Roundups

Week of September 28, 2026

This was the week the rain won. Days of downpours from 24 September flooded 25 provinces and every district of Bangkok, the Cabinet closed government offices for two days, and trains, canal boats and Khao Yai went down with them. The one story with no water in it is a status check on the THIM immigration app.

This Week at a Glance

  • Floods hit 25 provinces and all 50 Bangkok districts, with at least eight deaths, and the heavy rain is forecast to ease from 29 September.
  • Government offices in Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani and Samut Prakan closed on 28 and 29 September, while banks were asked to stay open.
  • Both Bangkok airports kept running, but Eastern Line trains, Saen Saep boats and Khao Yai National Park were shut down.
  • GSB and GHB offer three-month repayment holidays in declared disaster zones, and the state disaster insurance starts on 1 October.
  • The THIM app still only handles the arrival card, with no date for 90-day reporting or extensions.

1. Floods reach 25 provinces and all 50 Bangkok districts

The disaster department’s count at 6am on 27 September put flooding in 25 provinces, with 174,803 households and 545,022 people affected. Bangkok adds another 52,000 households across all 50 districts. At least eight people have died: five in Sa Kaeo, two in Chanthaburi and one in Saraburi.

Bangkok’s flood came from the sky rather than the river. Parts of the city took over 300mm of rain from 24 September, and the worst of it sits in the east and along the canals:

  • Eastern districts: Lat Krabang, Nong Chok and Min Buri.
  • Canal-side homes: along the Saen Saep, Lat Phrao, Prawet Burirom and Prem Prachakorn canals, which are still full.
  • Roads still flooded on 28 September: Ramkhamhaeng, Sena Nikhom, Srinagarindra, Lat Phrao, Ngam Wong Wan, Nakkila Laem Thong, Sihaburanukit, Nuan Chan and part of Phetchaburi.

Upriver it is a slower flood. Water from the north pushed Chao Phraya Dam releases to 1,850 cubic metres per second on 26 September, flooding low-lying land outside the embankments in Ayutthaya. Water was still rising in Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani, Suphan Buri and Sa Kaeo, and falling in Samut Prakan, Chanthaburi and Saraburi.

The Meteorological Department expects only scattered thunderstorms in Bangkok from 29 September to 3 October, and City Hall needs two to three dry days to drain. My read is that most Bangkok main roads clear by around 30 September or 1 October, the canal-side sois take longer, and the river provinces drag into October. Keep 1555 (Bangkok), 1784 (disaster department) and 1669 (medical) handy, and our flood safety guide covers what to do before and after water gets in.

Sources: Nation Thailand, Nation Thailand, Thai Meteorological Department

2. Flood holiday closes government offices in Bangkok and three provinces

At a special meeting on 27 September, the Cabinet made 28 and 29 September special holidays in Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani and Samut Prakan. It covers government agencies, and private employers decide for themselves. Offices with essential duties or pre-booked appointments can still open, so I would call ahead before any immigration office visit.

The Bank of Thailand asked commercial banks to serve customers as normal on both days. Still, KBank, SCB and GSB closed 113 locations between them on 27 September, so check your branch first or use the app. Eight expressways stay toll-free until midnight on 29 September.

Sources: Nation Thailand, BBC Thai, Nation Thailand

3. Airports stay open as trains, boats and Khao Yai shut down

Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang kept operating with some delays, though Thai Airways had a baggage backlog of six to ten hours. Saen Saep canal boats and van routes heading east were suspended.

On 26 September the State Railway cancelled several Eastern Line services, including commuter trains to Chachoengsao, and both Red Line routes stopped for safety checks after a fault. Khao Yai National Park is closed indefinitely after floodwater washed away the bridge to the Haew Narok Waterfall viewpoint. The SRT hotline is 1690.

Sources: Thai Enquirer, Nation Thailand, Thai PBS World

4. Payment holidays for flooded borrowers, and state disaster insurance from 1 October

If you borrow from GSB or GHB and your home, residence or workplace is in a declared disaster zone, you can pause repayments for three months at 0% interest, or six months at GHB if the property is uninhabitable. GHB also offers repair loans up to THB300,000 at 1% to 1.99% a year, and GSB has emergency loans up to THB20,000.

The state disaster insurance runs from 1 October 2026 to 1 October 2027, with flood payouts from THB10,000 up to THB100,000 per home per event. It will not cover floods before 1 October, cover is tied to homes under civil registration, and the death benefit is for Thai nationals only. Nobody has confirmed whether foreign-owned condos or renters qualify, so your own home or contents insurance is still your real protection.

Sources: Nation Thailand, Nation Thailand

5. The THIM app still only handles the arrival card

Immigration Bureau commissioner Pol Lt Gen Panumas Boonyalug said on 26 September that the THIM app currently gives access to the Thailand Digital Arrival Card, which you can still file on the bureau’s website. Queue booking, certificates of stay, visa extensions, 90-day reporting and visa on arrival are planned, with no date given.

Until the app actually offers it, I would keep filing your 90-day report and extensions the usual way.

Sources: Bangkok Post

Coming up this week

Plus more on the events page. See all events.

Week of September 21, 2026

This was a week of costs and rules landing at once. Pump prices climbed for the third time this month while the government began unwinding the fuel subsidy, revised emergency-care rules redrew who pays your hospital bill after 72 hours, and the weight-loss pens many people buy over the counter now need a prescription. Bangkok also put real numbers on its THB45 train fare cap, and the Revenue Department signalled it is coming for online sellers.

This Week at a Glance

  • Petrol, gasohol and diesel rose another THB0.85 a litre on 15 September, and the transitional support holding diesel down expires on 24 September.
  • Revised emergency-care rules set what a hospital must do in your first 72 hours and hand the bill back to you after that.
  • Injectable GLP-1 weight-loss pens became specially controlled drugs on 15 September and now need a doctor’s prescription.
  • Bangkok’s THB45 rail fare cap is targeted for 1 January, with anything over THB45 refunded within three working days.
  • The Revenue Department is using data analytics to bring online sellers and content creators into the tax net.

1. Pump prices rose again as the fuel subsidy starts to unwind

Anyone who drives has felt it. Petrol, gasohol and diesel all went up THB0.85 a litre on 15 September, the third rise this month, leaving diesel around THB40.69 and gasohol 95 at THB39.94. What matters more is the direction of travel. The Oil Fuel Fund is roughly THB80 billion in deficit and could reach THB100 billion by October, and the transitional support that has kept diesel down expires on 24 September.

No new price ceiling has been set, so I would plan for pump prices to keep drifting up rather than settle. If you run a car or a motorbike as your main transport, this is the kind of line worth checking against your own monthly cost of living instead of assuming last year’s figure still holds.

Sources: Nation Thailand, Nation Thailand

2. New emergency-care rules cover your first 72 hours in hospital

The Cabinet approved revised rules for critical emergency patients on 15 September. A hospital now has to treat a genuine emergency immediately, cannot make that treatment conditional on payment, and must keep treating you until you are out of danger or 72 hours have passed. The 72-hour clock starts at the first hospital and does not reset if you are transferred.

The catch is what happens after those 72 hours, when the bill moves to your statutory health fund, the responsible agency, or you, and any motor-accident, health or life cover you hold is expected to pay first. You can contest a triage decision within 90 days, and if the appeal agrees you qualified, the hospital refunds what it charged. It is a plain reminder of why decent private health cover earns its place here.

Sources: Nation Thailand

3. Weight-loss pens now need a prescription

From 15 September, the injectable GLP-1 medicines sold as weight-loss pens, including semaglutide and liraglutide, are specially controlled drugs. A pharmacy can only sell them against a doctor’s prescription, and a pharmacist has to be the one to dispense them. The FDA pointed to people using them for weight loss with no medical assessment, along with counterfeits and products of unknown origin.

If you already get yours through a doctor, nothing changes for you. What has ended is buying them off the shelf, and you can check any box’s serial number in the Track and Trace menu on the FDA website before you trust it. If you bring your own supply in from abroad, our guide to bringing medicine into Thailand covers the paperwork.

Sources: Nation Thailand, Bangkok Post

4. Bangkok’s THB45 train fare cap gets a mechanism

Officials filled in how the THB45 fare cap will work on 17 September, with a target start of 1 January. You will pay the normal distance fare at the gate, and anything above THB45 comes back to you within three working days through the Pao Tang app or the card you tapped in with. The boarding fee is capped at THB17, and there is no second boarding fee when you change lines.

The new gates will accept contactless credit and debit cards as well as Mangmoom cards. Two things are still open: whether a foreign card without Pao Tang receives the refund, and whether the 1 January date holds, since the legislation and revenue-sharing talks with the line operators are not finished. Treat it as a target rather than a promise. Our guide to getting around Bangkok has the current fares in the meantime.

Sources: Bangkok Post, Royal Thai Government

5. The Revenue Department is targeting online sellers

The Revenue Department is widening its push to bring online sellers and content creators into the tax net, leaning on data analytics to match trading income to the people earning it. If part of your income comes from selling online or from content, assume it is more visible than it used to be.

Two related moves are already in force. The duty exemption on imported parcels under THB1,500 is gone, so cheap overseas orders can now attract duty, and vehicle excise tax has been restructured around carbon dioxide emissions. A THB1,000 outbound travel tax on Thai nationals is still only under discussion. If you are unsure whether any of this reaches you, start with whether you need to file a Thai tax return at all.

Sources: Bangkok Post

Coming up this week

Plus more on the events page. See all events.

Week of September 14, 2026

This was the week the visa rules everyone had been watching finally bit. From 15 September the visa-exemption stay drops to 30 days, and the same day Sri Lanka comes off the visa-free list. The rest of the week was about pressure being applied: a nationwide cross-check of who really owns the land inside Thai companies, the first two uses of the new deportation rule, and tougher work-permit inspections. Fuel kept climbing too, though the government is quietly holding diesel down.

This Week at a Glance

  • The visa-exemption stay drops from 60 days to 30 on 15 September, land-border entries are capped at twice a year, and Sri Lankan passport holders lose visa-free entry entirely.
  • A permanent cross-check of the company and land registries has flagged 36,277 foreign-linked firms holding land and 7,082 holding condos, and high-nominee-risk registrations have fallen 81.77% in a year.
  • Thailand’s new deportation rule was used for the first time, twice on Koh Samui, both on the vague public-order ground.
  • Work-permit inspections are stepping up nationwide, and 27 occupations stay completely closed to foreigners.
  • Petrol rose again on 9 September, but the government has extended a THB2.40 cut to the wholesale diesel price through 31 October.

1. The visa-exemption stay drops to 30 days on 15 September

The change we have been flagging for weeks is now locked in. Four Interior Ministry announcements gazetted on 31 August take effect on 15 September, cutting the visa-free stay from 60 days to 30 for 60 countries and territories, including the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Japan and all 27 EU states. The same package removes Sri Lanka from the exemption list entirely, so Sri Lankan passport holders now need an e-Visa before they travel.

The part that reshapes daily life is at the land borders, where the 30-day exemption can generally be used no more than twice a calendar year. If you have been hopping across a border to reset your stay, that habit no longer works, and the fix is a proper visa rather than another run. Anyone holding an actual visa, whether retirement, marriage, Non-B, DTV, LTR or Privilege, is untouched, and if you entered before 15 September you keep the stay you were given. Our guide to border runs walks through what still works.

Sources: TAT Newsroom, Nation Thailand

2. The property nominee crackdown now has real numbers

On 4 September the Commerce and Interior Ministries agreed to permanently link the company registry, the land registry and provincial records and keep cross-checking them, rather than run one-off sweeps. The first pass flagged 36,277 foreign-linked companies holding land, across more than a million rai, plus 7,082 holding some 76,840 condo units, concentrated in Bangkok and the tourist provinces.

The pressure is already showing in the numbers. The government says high-nominee-risk company registrations fell from 894 in August 2025 to 163 a year later, a drop of 81.77 percent. Being on the list is not an accusation, and plenty of these are genuine joint ventures, but investigators can now trace former shareholders and who actually funded each purchase. If you own a condo in your own name under the Condominium Act’s 49 percent foreign quota, that is the legal route and it is not the target; if your property sits inside a company, this is the year to make the structure genuinely clean. Our guide to the nominee crackdown covers where the line falls.

Sources: Bangkok Post, Thai Examiner

3. The new deportation rule got its first two uses

The deportation regulation that took effect on 28 August was used for the first time this week. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul signed orders against an Israeli national on 5 September and a French national on 7 September, both after minor convictions on Koh Samui.

What stands out is that neither order used the regulation’s list of serious criminal grounds. Both leaned on the separate, undefined ground of conduct “contrary to public order, good morals or public welfare.” Both are orders rather than confirmed removals, and no re-entry ban has been reported in either case. The point worth knowing is that there is a right of appeal to the Prime Minister within seven days of being notified, under the 1956 Deportation Act, so an order is not the final word.

Sources: Nation Thailand, Bangkok Post

4. Work-permit inspections are stepping up

The Department of Employment says it inspected 888,620 foreign workers this fiscal year and prosecuted 5,330, and it is pushing the checks harder. Nothing in the law changed; the enforcement intensity did. Twenty-seven occupations stay completely closed to foreigners, including driving for hire, tour guiding, traditional Thai massage, hairdressing and street vending.

Your work permit covers one named job with one named employer, so doing work outside what is written on it is treated the same as having no permit at all, with fines from THB5,000 to THB50,000 plus deportation and a two-year ban. Separately, the company running the e-WorkPermit platform is in a payment dispute with the government on top of a processing backlog, so if you have a renewal in the pipeline, do not leave it to the last week. Our guide to the work permit sets out what a valid permit actually covers.

Sources: Nation Thailand, Hua Hin Today

5. Petrol rose again, but diesel is being held down

Anyone who drives felt the second pump rise in a week. Petrol and gasohol went up again on 9 September, putting gasohol 95 at THB39.09 a litre, up THB1.40 across the two increases. Diesel went the other way: the government has extended a THB2.40-a-litre cut to the wholesale, ex-refinery price through 31 October, using refinery excess profits to stop diesel climbing with it.

That is a cap at the wholesale level, not a discount at the pump, so it holds the line rather than lowering what you pay. August inflation also hit a three-month high of 2.53 percent on fuel and food, so it is worth checking these lines against your own cost of living each month, especially if you live on foreign income.

Sources: Nation Thailand, Nation Thailand

Coming up this week

Plus more on the events page. See all events.

Week of September 7, 2026

The visa story people have been asking about for months finally landed this week. The 60-day exemption is gazetted and its last day is 15 September, and the embassies handing out the Destination Thailand Visa are quietly asking for more paperwork. The rest of the week was the ordinary run of rainy-season life here: heavier fuel bills, flooded roads up north, and a fresh wave of Covid that is wide but not severe.

This Week at a Glance

  • The 60-day visa exemption is now gazetted and ends on 15 September, dropping to 30 days for 60 countries and territories, with land-border entries capped at twice a year.
  • The London and Los Angeles missions now want a police clearance certificate for a DTV, on top of proof of permanent residence.
  • Regular diesel and B20 rose THB0.75 a litre on 2 September, and petrol and most gasohol grades rose THB0.60.
  • The TMD warned of heavy rain and flash floods across the North and Northeast from 4 to 7 September, with the Mekong provinces watching river levels climb.
  • Covid cases are rising again, but the health department says the current strain spreads more easily without causing worse illness.

1. The 60-day visa exemption is gazetted and ends on 15 September

The change we have been telling you to watch the Gazette for is now real. Four Interior Ministry announcements were published in the Royal Gazette on 31 August and take effect 15 days later, so from 15 September the visa-free stay drops from 60 days to 30 for 60 countries and territories, including the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Japan and all 27 EU states. Mauritius and Seychelles get 15 days.

The part that changes daily life most is buried in the fine print. At land checkpoints you can generally use the 30-day exemption no more than twice a calendar year, which closes the old habit of hopping across a border to reset your stay. If that is how you have been staying in Thailand, read our guide to border runs and plan a proper visa instead. Anyone holding an actual visa is untouched, and if you enter before 15 September you keep the full stay you were given.

Sources: TAT Newsroom, Nation Thailand

2. The DTV now wants a police certificate at more embassies

If you are planning a Destination Thailand Visa, the document list is getting longer, one mission at a time. London updated its checklist on 31 August to require a police clearance certificate issued within the last six months, on top of proof of permanent residence, across all three DTV tracks. Los Angeles did the same on 1 September, asking for an FBI criminal certificate issued within three months.

It is not a single nationwide rule yet. The Ho Chi Minh City consulate still asks only for a document showing where you are, with no criminal record check at all, so what you need genuinely depends on where you file. Read the page of the embassy you will actually apply through in the week you apply, not a checklist from a month ago. If you already hold a DTV, none of this reaches you, and our guide to the DTV tracks the current picture.

Sources: Royal Thai Embassy, London, Royal Thai Consulate-General, Los Angeles

3. Fuel prices went up at the pump

Anyone who drives felt this one. From 5am on 2 September, PTT and Bangchak raised regular diesel and B20 by THB0.75 a litre, and petrol and most gasohol grades by THB0.60. After the rise, gasohol 91 sits around THB37.92 and regular diesel around THB39.14 a litre.

It is a small move on its own, but pump prices feed straight into transport and delivery costs, so it is one of the lines worth keeping an eye on in your monthly cost of living.

Sources: Nation Thailand

4. Heavy rain and flash floods hit the North and Northeast

The rainy season is at full tilt. The Thai Meteorological Department warned of heavy to very heavy rain and flash floods across the North and Northeast from 4 to 7 September, driven by a monsoon trough over the upper part of the country. Along the Mekong, Nong Khai, Bueng Kan, Nakhon Phanom and Mukdahan were watching river levels rise by up to nearly five metres, enough to put low-lying ground on the bank under water.

Bangkok was not in the main warning zone, but if you had a road trip north or northeast over the weekend, the low-lying routes were the ones to avoid. Our flash-flood safety guide covers what to actually do when the water comes up fast.

Sources: Thai Meteorological Department, Nation Thailand

5. Covid is climbing again, but not getting worse

The Department of Disease Control logged 99,691 Covid cases and 15 deaths between January and the end of August, a fatality rate of 0.02 percent. The dominant Omicron subvariant spreads more easily but has not caused more severe illness, and fourteen of the fifteen deaths were people over 60 with underlying conditions.

Flu is doing the rounds at the same time, so the usual rainy-season respiratory season applies. If you are older or higher-risk, the sensible move is to skip crowded, poorly ventilated rooms where you can, and know where you would go if you needed care. Our overview of the healthcare system here is a good starting point.

Sources: Nation Thailand

Coming up this week

Plus more on the events page. See all events.

Week of August 31, 2026

A week that was all about tightening the rules for foreigners. A new deportation procedure went live, the Destination Thailand Visa got harder to get and riskier to misuse, and the long-running arrival fee opened a door for us to comment. On the money side, VAT was locked in for another year.

This Week at a Glance

  • Thailand’s new deportation regulation took effect on 28 August, standardising how foreigners who break existing law are removed.
  • Several embassies now want proof of permanent residence for a DTV, and six instructors were arrested on Koh Tao for working on one without a permit.
  • The 60-day visa exemption is still 60 days: the cut to 30 is approved but not yet gazetted.
  • The THB450 arrival fee opened for public comment until 28 September, and foreigners can respond.
  • The 7 percent VAT rate was locked in by royal decree through 30 September 2027.

1. The new deportation rule is now in force

The Prime Minister’s Office Regulation on Deportation took effect on 28 August. It creates no new offences. What it does is give the state one faster, standardised procedure for removing foreigners who break laws that were already on the books, or whose conduct is judged contrary to public order or good morals.

Two of the six grounds reach ordinary residents rather than career criminals: working without a permit, and running a business without the right licence. That is the same ground the nominee-company campaign has been working through all month. If your visa is valid, your work permit matches what you actually do, and your company is properly licensed, nothing here changes for you. If one of those has drifted, this is the year to fix it.

Sources: Government Public Relations Department, Nation Thailand, Bangkok Post

2. The DTV got harder to get and riskier to misuse

Two things shifted for the Destination Thailand Visa. At the application stage, several Thai embassies now want proof of permanent residence in the country where you apply. The Royal Thai Embassy in London, for one, has required proof of permanent residence in the UK, Ireland or a British Overseas Territory since 31 August, so check your own embassy before planning to apply from a third country.

Once you are here, the visa still does not cover paid work for a Thai business. Immigration arrested six foreign scuba instructors on Koh Tao on 20 August, all on DTVs, for teaching without work permits. Genuine remote work for overseas clients is fine; local paid work is not, and it carries a fine of THB5,000 to THB50,000 plus deportation. Our guide to the DTV covers what the visa does and does not allow.

Sources: Royal Thai Embassy, London, Divernet, Bangkok Post

3. The 60-day visa exemption is still 60 days, for now

The change people keep asking about has not happened yet. The Cabinet approved cutting visa-free entry from 60 days to 30 for most nationalities, with 15 days for a couple of countries, but the Interior Ministry announcements only take effect 15 days after they appear in the Royal Gazette, and that has not been published.

Until it is, you still get the full 60 days on arrival, and anyone already in the country keeps their current balance. If you rely on visa-free entry or the occasional border run, watch the Gazette over the next few weeks rather than assuming either rule.

Sources: TAT Newsroom, Nation Thailand

4. You can comment on the THB450 arrival fee until 28 September

The Ministry of Tourism and Sports has opened an online public hearing on the proposed THB450 fee on foreign arrivals, and it takes answers from foreigners as well as Thais. It closes on 28 September. The questionnaire asks whether you agree with the rate, which collection method you prefer, and whether the draft’s definition of a foreign tourist works, with a free-text box at the end.

The fee is still a proposal, earliest start early 2027, air arrivals first. Nothing published says whether long-stay visa holders, work-permit holders or permanent residents would be exempt, and one collection method under discussion is the Thai Digital Arrival Card that every foreign arrival already submits. If it might ever reach your re-entries, this is the month to say so.

Sources: Bangkok Post, law.go.th public hearing, Nation Thailand

5. The 7 percent VAT rate is locked in through 2027

A royal decree published in the Royal Gazette on 23 August keeps the reduced VAT rate at 7 percent until 30 September 2027. It takes effect on 1 October 2026, the day the current rate would otherwise expire, so there is no gap and nothing changes at the till.

The statutory rate under the Revenue Code is actually 10 percent, and the government has trimmed it back to 7 by decree every year since 1999. This is simply the latest renewal, and it holds one of the more predictable lines in the cost of living here.

Sources: Royal Gazette, Revenue Department, Nation Thailand

Coming up this week

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Week of August 24, 2026

A busy week at the border and on the roads. For once the headline change is good news: Suvarnabhumi is opening its auto gates to far more of us. The rest is a widening nominee crackdown, serious flooding in the North, and the slow grind of the arrival fee and fuel prices.

This Week at a Glance

  • Suvarnabhumi is adding 31 nationalities to its arrival auto gates by the end of August, taking the total to 33.
  • The nominee-company crackdown widened, with a Koh Samui sweep and fresh DSI raids in Pattaya, and officials say the screening is going nationwide.
  • Nan is now a declared disaster zone, with two dead, more than 16,000 people affected and a key bridge down.
  • The THB450 arrival fee was endorsed and heads to a public hearing, still targeting early 2027 and still not law.
  • Pump prices rose 85 satang a litre on 19 August even as the state discounts diesel until 15 September.

1. Suvarnabhumi opens its auto gates to far more of us

For once the immigration news works in our favour. Suvarnabhumi’s arrival auto gates currently take only Thai, Singaporean and Hong Kong passports, and the government says it is adding 31 more nationalities by the end of August, taking the total to 33. That brings in around 6.5 million more travellers a year plus roughly 900,000 holders of certain long-term visas.

The catch is that the exact nationality list and the eligible visa categories are not published yet, and the rollout is phased by which gates are ready and whether you have done the biometric enrolment. If you are already registered from a past trip, you may get access before first-timers. Officials also warned about fake websites charging for the arrival card: the real Thailand Digital Arrival Card is free, so never pay anyone for it.

Sources: Khaosod English, Pattaya Mail

2. The nominee crackdown widened again

The campaign against foreign-owned businesses hidden behind Thai nominees kept moving this week. A sweep on Koh Samui on 15 August screened every company in the district and opened 60 criminal cases against 88 people, 62 of them foreign, over land and buildings worth more than THB1 billion. Days later, on 21 August, the DSI raided three suspected nominee networks in Pattaya holding assets worth hundreds of millions of baht.

This matters if you hold land or a villa through a Thai company whose Thai shareholders never actually funded their shares. Since the start of 2026 the registrar has been asking those shareholders to prove where their share money came from, and officials say the same screening is going nationwide. You are not the target if you own a condo in your own name under the foreign quota, if you rent, or if your company genuinely trades with real Thai capital. If your setup is the shaky kind, our guide to the nominee business crackdown explains what is actually at risk.

Sources: The Nation, Bangkok Post

3. Serious flooding in the North, with Nan a disaster zone

Heavy monsoon rain pushed Nan province into a full flood emergency this week. Two people have died, more than 16,000 have been affected, a bridge on Highway 1256 collapsed, and the Nan River is still rising downstream into Tha Wang Pha. Nan, Phayao and Lamphun have all been told to brace for more.

If you live up north or have travel booked that way, check the actual road status before you drive rather than trusting a navigation app, avoid routes with a history of flooding, and keep a few days of food, water and medicine ready. This is peak rainy season, and if a trip could leave you stranded it is worth having proper travel insurance in place before you go.

Sources: Bangkok Post, Khaosod English

4. The THB450 arrival fee took another step

The long-discussed fee on foreign arrivals moved forward. The National Tourism Policy Committee endorsed a THB450 charge on 14 August, and it now goes to a 30-day public hearing before returning to Cabinet for final approval. The target start is the first quarter of 2027, air arrivals first, with land and sea added later. The flat THB450 replaces an earlier split of THB300 by air and THB150 by land or sea.

There is nothing to pay yet, and the part that matters for residents is still undecided: nobody has said whether work-permit holders, long-term visa holders or people re-entering will be charged. Officials are floating a multiple-entry arrangement tied to the length of your insurance cover, so one payment could cover several entries. Treat any blog that names a fixed launch date as wrong.

Sources: Nation Thailand

5. Pump prices rose even as the state discounts diesel

Fuel got more expensive on 19 August, when OR and Bangchak raised petrol, gasohol and diesel by THB0.85 a litre. That happened in the middle of a state measure cutting THB2.40 a litre off the ex-refinery price of diesel from 16 August to 15 September, so the pump figure still went up despite the subsidy. As of 21 August, Bangkok prices were roughly Gasohol 95 at THB37.69, E20 at THB32.69 and standard diesel at THB38.39.

If your car can run on E20 it is currently a full THB5 a litre cheaper than Gasohol 95, and whether it can is printed on the inside of your fuel filler flap. Our guide to Thai gas stations explains which grade is which so you put the right fuel in the tank.

Sources: Nation Thailand, Bangchak

Coming up this week

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