Thailand warns tourists over deportation rules

Thailand has warned that foreign tourists and workers who break the law could face deportation as new rules on removing some convicted foreigners came into effect on Friday.

“Problematic foreign tourists or workers who break the law must leave,” Tourism Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul said in a social media post late Thursday.

The rules set out how foreigners can be deported after being convicted and serving sentences for certain crimes. They include overstaying a visa, working or operating a business unlawfully, using or making forged documents, and any other offence carrying a prison sentence of more than five years.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's government approved the measures in July. Officials said they were intended to “safeguard Thailand's cultural values”. A regulation published in the Royal Gazette said Thailand welcomed foreigners to travel, work and do business, but that some foreigners had not followed the law.

Surasak said the rules were aimed at “low-quality foreigners” who disrupt public order.

Thailand announced in May that it was cutting the visa-free stay for tourists from most countries from 60 days to 30 days. That followed a series of high-profile arrests of foreigners for drug offences, sex trafficking and unlawfully operating businesses including hotels and schools.

Experts warned that Thailand needed to balance tighter oversight with reliance on tourism, which accounts for 13 percent of GDP. The government has said it expects about 33.5 million foreign tourists in 2026, up from nearly 33 million in 2025. Thailand has attracted 18 million foreign tourists since the start of the year, but arrivals were down three percent from the same period last year, according to the latest figures.