For seven decades, Thailand carried out deportations under a regulation introduced in 1956. The rule required deported individuals to be returned through the same route by which they had entered the country, with the cost borne by the airline that transported them.
Deputy Prime Minister Pakorn Nilprapunt, who led the drafting of the replacement regulation, said the old framework no longer reflects modern realities. On July 14, 2026, the Cabinet approved a draft of the new deportation regulation. It is now undergoing an expedited review by the Office of the Council of State.
The new regulation limits deportation to six categories of violations:
- Entering or remaining in Thailand illegally, including visa overstays.
- Working without a valid work permit.
- Operating a business illegally in violation of the Foreign Business Act.
- Forging or using forged official documents.
- Committing a criminal offense punishable by at least three years' imprisonment.
- Acting as a mastermind or accomplice in any of the offenses above.
For serious criminal cases, deportation is not immediate. Offenders must first complete the full judicial process, and deportation must take place within 30 days after they have finished serving their sentence.
Take Note: Tourists Are Not the Target
The regulation explicitly targets serious offenders, including illegal migrants, unauthorized foreign workers, and individuals convicted of serious crimes. It does not target tourists or foreign residents who comply with Thailand's immigration laws.
The government said the purpose of the new regulation is to streamline and improve coordination among state agencies in handling deportation cases, rather than expanding scrutiny of lawful visa holders.
The policy also changes how repatriation costs are handled. Under the new system, the Thai government will cover the cost of returning deportees to their home countries. According to Pakorn, this is less expensive than detaining individuals for extended periods while their legal status remains unresolved.
Part of Thailand's 2026 Immigration Reform
The deportation regulation is only one part of a broader overhaul of Thailand's immigration system.
Throughout 2026, Thai immigration authorities have implemented the "No Entry, No Stay, No Escape" policy. Rather than evaluating each visit in isolation, authorities now examine a traveler's entire passport history to identify patterns of long-term residence disguised as repeated tourist visits.
Between January and May 2026 alone, the policy resulted in 29,490 foreign nationals being denied entry. More than 169,000 names were added to pre-departure screening lists, and over 14,000 visa overstayers were arrested for deportation proceedings.
Other immigration rules have also changed. Thailand ended its 60-day visa-free entry policy for citizens of 93 countries and replaced it with a 30-day visa-free stay for travelers from 54 countries and territories.
In addition, visa-free entry through land border checkpoints is now limited to two entries per calendar year, closing a loophole that had allowed some travelers to repeatedly extend their stay through so-called "visa runs" (leaving and re-entering the country to reset their permitted period of stay).
Concerns Over Asylum Seekers
Several migration monitoring groups have warned that the new regulatory framework could affect asylum seekers, as Thailand has not ratified the 1951 UN Refugee Convention.
So far, the Thai government has not announced a specific mechanism that distinguishes the treatment of asylum seekers from that of other categories of immigration offenders covered by the new regulation.
