A border run (leaving Thailand and coming straight back for a new stamp) still works in October 2026 at the Malaysian and Lao borders, but each run now buys only 30 days, most passports get just two visa-exempt land entries a year, and every crossing into Cambodia is closed.
In practice that makes the border run a tool for one specific case: you are in Thailand, your stamp is about to run out, and you want a few more weeks. It is no longer a way to live in Thailand on tourist stamps, and officers at the border know the pattern. This page covers which crossings to use, what the trip involves and what can go wrong. The rules behind it stay in one place, our explainer on the 30-day visa exemption, and we state each one here only once.
Border runs, as of October 2026
- What you get back
- A new visa-exempt stay of up to 30 days (most passports)
- Land entries allowed
- Two a year under the exemption; no limit for Malaysian, Singaporean, Bruneian and Indonesian passports
- Workable borders
- Malaysia (Sadao, Padang Besar, Wang Prachan) and Laos (Friendship Bridges)
- Closed
- All Thailand–Cambodia land crossings, since 23 June 2025
- Advised against (UK)
- Myanmar border towns such as Tachileik and Myawaddy
- Carry
- Passport, new TDAC, 10,000 baht or equivalent, proof of onward travel
The rules in four sentences
Since 15 September 2026, a visa-exempt entry gives most nationalities 30 days, not 60. TAT caps visa-exempt arrivals through land checkpoints at, generally, two in a calendar year, while the UK government and the Thai embassy in London describe the cap as two visa-exempt entries in total, by any route. Overstaying costs 500 baht for each day, and longer overstays bring entry bans, as our page on overstay fines and bans explains. Every re-entry needs a new, free digital arrival card (TDAC).
Those four facts decide everything else. If you have already used your two entries this year, a border run is the wrong plan and you should look at the visa options at the end of this page.
Which crossings still work in October 2026
| Border | Crossing | Status and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Malaysia | Sadao / Bukit Kayu Hitam (road) | New checkpoint since 11 July 2026, open 05:00–23:00 Thai time; the old one is closed for good |
| Malaysia | Padang Besar (road and rail) | Open; UK advice: avoid the Hat Yai–Padang Besar railway unless essential |
| Malaysia | Wang Prachan / Wang Kelian, Satun (road) | Small crossing; hours not confirmed officially |
| Laos | Friendship Bridge I, Nong Khai – Vientiane | Road and train; Lao visa and the Lao LDIF form needed |
| Laos | Friendship Bridge IV, Chiang Khong – Huay Xai | Shuttle bus across; Lao visa on arrival or eVisa |
| Cambodia | Aranyaprathet–Poipet, Hat Lek–Cham Yeam and all others | Closed since 23 June 2025; no reopening announced |
| Myanmar | Mae Sai, Mae Sot, Ranong | UK advises against travel to the towns opposite; status for tourists not confirmed |
The Immigration Bureau's own list of land checkpoints open to foreign tourists was not readable for us, because its site blocks automated access, so check any crossing's hours locally before you set out.
To Malaysia: the easiest run from the south
From Hat Yai, the new Sadao checkpoint is the most straightforward run: leave Thailand, enter Malaysia at Bukit Kayu Hitam, turn round and come back. Remember that the two sides keep different clocks; the checkpoint's 05:00–23:00 Thai time is 06:00 to midnight in Malaysia. Malaysia sets its own entry rules, so check them for your passport before you go, because a refusal on the Malaysian side leaves you stuck between two posts.
Padang Besar works too, but British readers should note the UK advice against the rail line from Hat Yai, which means going by road instead. Our pages on all the Malaysian border crossings and on getting between Malaysia and Hat Yai cover transport, so the transport details live there.
Many runners spend a night in Malaysia rather than turning straight round. That is not a rule, but a same-day return through the same post makes your purpose obvious, and an officer is entitled to ask what you are doing.
To Laos: Nong Khai and Chiang Khong
Laos is the usual choice from the north and from Bangkok. The Nong Khai crossing to Vientiane is the busiest; the through train from Bangkok reaches Vientiane's Khamsavath station in the morning, and the crossing is described step by step on our Nong Khai page. In the north, Chiang Khong faces Huay Xai, the starting point of the slow boat to Luang Prabang; you must ride the shuttle bus over the bridge, as walking across is not allowed.
Unlike Malaysia, Laos needs a visa for most Western passports. The UK government says it is issued at many border posts on arrival, or as an eVisa applied for at least five days ahead. The seat61 rail guide gives the visa-on-arrival price as US$40 (2026), so carry dollar or baht notes and a photo. Some ASEAN nationalities enter Laos visa-free. At Friendship Bridge I you must also complete Laos's own online arrival form, the LDIF, during the three days before you cross; the UK does not list Bridge IV for the LDIF.
Huay Xai lies in Bokeo, a Lao province flagged by the UK. The FCDO urges extreme caution there, above all near the Golden Triangle zone, and notes occasional clashes in remote stretches of the Lao–Thai frontier. Read its Laos advice before a run via Chiang Khong.
Cambodia and Myanmar: not an option
The Thai army sealed the Cambodian frontier, from Surin province down to Trat, on 23 June 2025, and the UK advice of 28 September 2026 says they "continue to be suspended". The old runs from Bangkok to Poipet and from Koh Chang to Hat Lek do not exist in 2026. Our page on whether you can cross to Cambodia overland tracks the status and the flights you can use instead.
On the Myanmar side, the UK advises against all travel to Kayin State, which includes Myawaddy opposite Mae Sot, and against all but essential travel to eastern Shan State, which includes Tachileik opposite Mae Sai, and to southern Tanintharyi opposite Ranong. It also names Myawaddy and Tachileik as places where cyber-scam centres operate. Old guides that recommend a quick hop to Tachileik are out of date; we do not suggest any Myanmar run.
What a run costs and how long it takes
Visa-exempt entry itself costs nothing. Your costs are transport, any visa for the country you visit and, if you stay over, a night's room. Typical items, with the month and source of each figure:
| Item | Cost | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Lao visa on arrival | US$40, cash | seat61, 2026 |
| Bangkok–Vientiane train, 2nd-class sleeper | ฿784 upper / ฿874 lower | seat61, 2026 timetable |
| Nong Khai–Vientiane train | ฿120 or ฿70 depending on class | seat61, 2026 |
| Lao exit fee at Khamsavath | 10,000 kip (or 40 baht) | seat61, 2026 |
| Friendship Bridge IV shuttle bus | About ฿20–40, depending on time | Wikivoyage, 2022–2024 reports |
| Extension of stay instead (for comparison) | ฿1,900 | Bangkok Immigration fee list, 2024 copy |
From Bangkok, a run via Vientiane takes two nights on the train or one long day each way. From Hat Yai, Sadao is close enough to do in a day. Compare that with an extension at an immigration office, which the visa-exemption guide describes: it is usually possible once, costs less than most runs, and does not use one of your two land entries.
What officers ask, and why runs get refused
Coming back in, you meet the same checks as any arriving visitor. For a visa-exempt entry, the proof-of-funds figure is 10,000 baht per person (20,000 for a family), according to TAT in July 2026; the often-repeated "20,000 baht each" is the figure for holders of a tourist or non-immigrant visa. You can show cash or a bank statement. The UK government adds that officers can demand proof you will leave, such as a flight out, and reports British travelers turned away for lacking it.
Beyond paperwork, a run is refused for reasons that are easy to predict:
- It would be your third visa-exempt land entry this year (or your third entry of any kind, on the UK and London-embassy reading).
- Your passport shows back-to-back stamps and you cannot explain what you do in Thailand.
- You have no onward ticket or not enough money to show.
- You appear to be working or living in Thailand on tourist entries, which the exemption does not allow.
If entry is refused at a land border, you remain in the other country and must sort out your next step from there, so never do a run on the last day of your stamp or with no plan B. Do it with several days left, so that if the run fails you are not already overstaying.
Malaysian, Singaporean, Bruneian and Indonesian passports are outside the land cap. If you hold one of these, runs to Malaysia are not limited to two a year, though each stay is still 30 days and officers can still ask about your plans.
Chinese and Myanmar passport holders
Mainland Chinese passports come in under the bilateral agreement (30 days per entry, 90 days in any 180), and their binding limit is that 90-day total rather than a count of land entries, as our guide for Chinese citizens explains. Myanmar passport holders get their 14-day bilateral exemption only at international airports, so a land border is not a visa-exempt entry point for them.
Better options than repeated runs
For a trip planned at over a month from the outset, a Thai tourist visa (TR) gives 60 days per entry plus a possible 30-day extension, and the multiple-entry version lets you leave and come back within six months. Remote workers have the Destination Thailand Visa. Our stay calculator helps you count the days before you decide.
Frequently asked questions
Can you still do a border run in Thailand in 2026?
Yes, at the Malaysian and Lao borders, but each visa-exempt entry gives 30 days and most nationalities are limited to two land entries a year on the exemption (October 2026). All Cambodian land crossings are closed, and the UK advises against the Myanmar border towns.
Can I do a visa run to Cambodia?
No. Thailand shut every land crossing to Cambodia on 23 June 2025, and on 28 September 2026 the UK government still described them as suspended. Poipet and Hat Lek cannot be used for a border run.
Is there a limit on visa-free land entries to Thailand?
TAT says two per calendar year for the 30-day or 15-day exemption, with Malaysian, Singaporean, Bruneian and Indonesian passports exempt. The UK government and the Thai embassy in London describe the limit as two visa-exempt entries in total, so get a visa for a third trip.
How much money do I need to show on a border run?
For visa-exempt entry the official figure is 10,000 baht per person or 20,000 baht per family, in cash, foreign currency or a bank statement (TAT, July 2026). Carry proof of onward travel as well, because the UK government says British travelers have been refused without it.
Is a border run cheaper than an extension?
Usually not. An extension of a visa-exempt stay at a Thai immigration office cost 1,900 baht on the 2024 fee list, while a run to Laos means transport, a Lao visa of around US$40 and often a night away. An extension also keeps your land entries for later in the year.
Sources
- Tourism Authority of Thailand – New 30-day and 15-day visa exemption rules from 15 September (checked October 2026)
- Royal Thai Embassy London – Revision of Thailand's visa exemption (checked October 2026)
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office – Thailand entry requirements (checked October 2026)
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office – Thailand safety and security (checked October 2026)
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office – Laos entry requirements (checked October 2026)
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office – Myanmar travel advice (checked October 2026)
- Tourism Authority of Thailand – Entry reminder on proof of funds (checked October 2026)
- Bangkok Post – New Sadao border checkpoint (checked October 2026)
- Seat61 – Train travel in Laos and to Vientiane (checked October 2026)