On May 18, 2026, the Thailand delegation of the European External Action Service (EEAS) announced that, on May 8, 2026, the European Commission approved the application of the European Union’s Visa Cascade regime to Thai nationals residing in Thailand who apply for short-stay Schengen visas at the embassies or consulates of Schengen States in Thailand.
This was confirmed by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
This measure, which has now come into effect, will facilitate the issuance of longer-validity short-stay visas to Thai passport holders who have previously obtained Schengen visas and maintained a good travel record, thereby reducing the need for frequent visa applications and saving both time and costs.
Under the Visa Cascade scheme, applicants who have previously obtained and lawfully used a Schengen visa may be eligible for multiple-entry visas with progressively longer validity periods, as follows:
- For a validity period of one year, provided that the applicant has obtained and lawfully used one visa within the previous two years.
- For a validity period of two years, provided that the applicant has obtained and lawfully used a previous multiple-entry visa valid for one year within the previous three years.
- For a validity period of five years, provided that the applicant has obtained and lawfully used a previous multiple-entry visa valid for two years within the previous four years.
The Visa Cascade is not a Schengen visa exemption. Thai passport holders will continue to be required to apply for Schengen visas through the normal process, and the applicable requirements remain unchanged. To be eligible for longer-validity visas, applicants must maintain a good travel record, including full compliance with the laws and regulations of destination countries.
Background
- Thailand is currently one of seven countries to have been granted the Visa Cascade regime, following India, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Oman in 2024, and Turkey and Indonesia in 2025.
- Schengen visas allow the holder to travel freely in the Schengen area for short stays of a maximum of 90 days in any 180-day period. The visas are not purpose-bound, but they do not grant the right to work.
- The Schengen area consists of 29 European countries (of which 25 are EU states): Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden, along with Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
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