JAKARTA - Thai nationals can now qualify for longer-validity multiple-entry Schengen visas after the European Commission approved the EU’s visa cascade regime for Thailand on May 8, according to Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs release published on May 17, 2026.
This makes Thailand the second ASEAN country to receive the arrangement, following Indonesia in 2025. The change applies to Thai nationals residing in Thailand who apply for short-stay Schengen visas at embassies or consulates of Schengen states in Thailand. It does not remove the visa requirement, but it can reduce how often eligible travellers must reapply if they have a clean Schengen travel record.
Under the cascade, eligibility builds gradually. Thai applicants who have received and properly used a Schengen visa in the past two years may qualify for a one-year multiple-entry visa. After properly using that one-year visa, they may be eligible for a two-year visa, and after using a two-year visa, they may qualify for a five-year visa, the ministry said.
The EU Delegation to Thailand, in a separate release dated May 18, said the new rules would “further enhance people-to-people exchanges” and make travel easier for bona fide Thai travellers with no history of overstaying. Schengen short-stay visas still allow stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period and do not grant the right to work.
The EU has previously adopted a visa cascade regime for Indonesian nationals on July 23 last year, allowing eligible Indonesians residing in Indonesia to receive five-year multiple-entry Schengen visas after obtaining and lawfully using one Schengen visa within the previous three years.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at the time, “This will make it easier to visit, invest, study, and connect. In short, we are building a bridge between our societies.”
Thailand’s ministry said the country became one of seven to receive the visa cascade, after India, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Oman in 2024, and Turkey and Indonesia in 2025. It said the approval followed an evidence-based approach showing Thai passport holders present low migration and security risks while contributing economic benefits to the EU and Schengen countries.
European Commission short-stay visa statistics showed 11.7 million Schengen visa applications globally in 2024, while Thailand-based applicants filed 265,243 applications that year, according to Schengen visa statistics compiled from official EU data.
