Moroccans to Need a Visa for Thailand Starting September 15

Marrakech – Moroccan passport holders will need to obtain a visa before traveling to Thailand starting September 15. The change follows a new Ministry of Interior regulation that dropped Morocco from the country’s revised visa-exemption list.

Thailand’s Royal Gazette published the regulation on Monday, in Volume 143, Special Issue 207 Ngor. Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul signed the measure, which takes effect 15 days after publication.

The regulation replaces the previous 60-day visa-exemption scheme with a shorter arrangement for a narrower group of travelers. It grants 30-day visa-free entry to 60 countries and territories, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and Australia. Morocco does not appear on that list.

Morocco is also absent from the two other new categories. A separate 15-day exemption covers only Mauritius and Seychelles. A visa-on-arrival option is limited to Azerbaijan, Belarus, and Serbia. With no place in any of the three schemes, Moroccan nationals now fall outside Thailand’s visa-free framework.

The shift marks a reversal for Moroccan travelers. Morocco had been part of Thailand’s earlier 93-country scheme, under which Moroccan nationals could enter visa-free for up to 60 days. The Royal Thai Embassy in Rabat documents that entitlement as having taken effect on July 15, 2024.

The reason for the broader reform lies in how the longer stays were used. Thai authorities framed the change as a response to abuse of the visa-free system, pointing to an increase in illegal activity by foreigners taking advantage of extended stays in the country.

For Moroccans who now require a visa, the process does not demand a trip to the embassy counter. Thailand already operates an online e-Visa system through its embassy in Rabat.

According to the embassy, people residing in Morocco can submit Thai visa applications online through the official e-Visa platform without taking their passport to the embassy. Thailand has run the e-Visa system worldwide since January 2025.

One nuance carries weight for Moroccan travelers. The new requirement applies to ordinary Moroccan passports. Separate arrangements can apply to holders of diplomatic or official passports, so the rule is not uniform across all document types.

Timing matters just as much for anyone with a trip already in motion. Travelers admitted to Thailand before September 15 will keep the period of stay granted to them upon entry. Someone who enters under the previous scheme before that date will not see the authorized stay cut automatically once the new rules apply.

The reform reaches beyond Morocco’s removal. Under the new system, visitors from the 60 listed countries who arrive by land face a limit of two entries per calendar year, a restriction aimed at curbing repeated “visa runs.”

Nationals of Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, and Singapore are exempt, along with others the interior minister may specify. Bilateral visa-exemption agreements that Thailand holds with certain countries remain in place and are not affected by the new regulation.

The bottom line for Moroccan passport holders is clear. From September 15, a visa becomes a requirement rather than an option for entering Thailand, and the e-Visa platform in Rabat stands as the direct route to secure one before departure.