A Month in Koh Samui: The New 30-Day Rule and What It Costs

From 15 September 2026 a visa-exempt stay in Thailand is 30 days. If you were planning a month or two on Koh Samui without a visa, that is the number to plan around: 30 days on arrival, and one extension of up to 30 more from the immigration office in Maenam.

The 30-day rule

The Royal Thai Embassy states the new scheme: nationals of 60 countries are "entitled to visa exemption for the purpose of tourism, business engagements or urgent work or ad-hoc work, for up to 30 days period of stay and can be extended for another period not exceeding 30 days", effective 15 September 2026. Check that your country is on the list before you book a one-way ticket.

Two other rules matter to a long stay. Immigration officers can ask for "adequate cash of or equivalent to 20,000 Baht per person or 40,000 Baht per family" on arrival. And the extension "is solely at the discretion of the immigration officer", so it is applied for, not assumed.

A visa-exempt stay is now a month, or two with one trip to immigration. Anything longer needs a visa, or an exit and a new entry.

Extending, and where immigration is

The Koh Samui Immigration Office is at 333 Maenam Soi 1, on the north coast, 9 km and about 11 minutes by road from the middle of Chaweng. Bring your passport, and confirm the hours and what else to bring with your hotel before you go.

Apply in the last week of your 30 days, not on the last day. If the officer says no, you need time to book a flight out.

Where long-stayers live

Chaweng. The beach, the mall and the walking street on foot, and the supermarkets and the hospital within a 4 km ride. The place to be if you will not ride a scooter, for the reasons in getting around without a scooter.

Bophut and Maenam. The north coast, 13 minutes from Chaweng by road, with the immigration office in Maenam.

Lamai. The east coast, 11 km and about 23 minutes south of Chaweng.

What a month costs

These are Numbeo's September 2026 averages for Koh Samui. Treat them as a starting point, not a quote.

Leaving for a visa run or a trip: what to do with your things

A month on Samui usually contains a week somewhere else, a run to Koh Phangan or Koh Tao, a flight to Bangkok, or the border trip that resets the clock. The problem is the second suitcase, the kitchen things and the helmet you do not want to carry onto a ferry.

A monthly locker at our shop in the middle of Chaweng is 2,500 baht for the small size, which holds two small suitcases or one large, and 3,000 for the large, which takes three big bags. Your own code, no deposit. A private room, 2.7 by 5.4 metres with your own key, is 9,000 baht a month rolling, 8,550 on a three-month term, 8,100 on six and 7,650 on twelve, with 30 days notice after the first month. Everything sits in the same air-conditioned building with CCTV on the floor around the clock, and the shop is open 10:00 to 19:00, so you can drop the bags the morning of the boat and collect them the afternoon you return.

Quick answers

How long can I stay in Thailand without a visa in 2026? From 15 September 2026, 30 days for nationals of 60 countries, extendable once for up to 30 more at an immigration office.

Where is the immigration office in Koh Samui? 333 Maenam Soi 1, on the north coast, about 9 km and 11 minutes by road from Chaweng.

What does a one-bedroom cost per month in Koh Samui? Numbeo's September 2026 average is about 14,000 baht outside the centre and 27,600 in it. Treat them as a starting point, not a quote.

Where can I leave my things while I do a visa run from Koh Samui? With us, at Samui Luggage Storage in the middle of Chaweng. A monthly locker is 2,500 or 3,000 baht, and a private room is from 7,650 to 9,000 a month depending on the term, both with no deposit.

Visa rules checked with the Royal Thai Embassy in September 2026. Rents and living costs are Numbeo averages, not official figures. Rules and prices change; check the embassy pages before you travel.