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The best breakfast in Rawai and Phuket Town for specialty coffee, smoothie bowls, and fresh, healthy meals.
From The Island
Thirty days. That's what you get now.
The Thai Cabinet moved on July 14 to formally end the 60-day visa exemption that has been keeping digital nomads, slow travellers, and long-stay retirees comfortable since 2024. Starting from 15 days after Royal Gazette publication - which is imminent - most Western nationals drop back to a standard 30-day stamp on arrival.
It is the most disruptive practical change to expat life on this island in years. Combine it with beach demolitions hitting their July 18 deadline this weekend, 360 Patong businesses under nominee audit, and immigration closing for three days at the end of the month - and there is a lot of planning to do.
Everything you need is in this edition. Let's get into it.
Quick Island Pulse
60-day visa exemption formally scrapped. The Cabinet voted July 14. Effective 15 days after Royal Gazette publication. Most Western nationals revert to 30 days. One 30-day extension available at immigration for 1,900 THB.
Beach demolitions start this weekend. July 18 is the Ministry of Natural Resources deadline for illegal structures at Nui Beach and Freedom Beach. A Supreme Court-ordered demolition of 39 hotel and villa buildings in Sakhu also proceeds on the same timeline.
Rawai assault suspect still at large. An Australian rider punched a fellow foreigner from behind during a rental dispute on July 14, then fled the scene. The Rawai expat community is crowdsourcing his plate number across multiple Facebook groups.
Immigration closes July 28-30. Phuket Immigration, the Patong service point, and Blue Tree all shut for three days running. File anything due around those dates before July 24 or face the backlog when they reopen.
Double dry day incoming July 29-30. Asalha Puja and Khao Phansa fall back to back this year. That is a 48-hour island-wide alcohol ban at all commercial venues, bars, and beach clubs. Plan accordingly.
Wilson's Cafe - Where Phuket Residents Actually Eat Breakfast
You know the problem. It's 8am, it's already 30 degrees, and you want a proper coffee and something that isn't pad kra pao. Again.
Wilson's Cafe has been feeding residents - not tourists - for years. Real eggs, real coffee, real portions. The kind of place where the staff know your order before you sit down.
During monsoon season, when the beach isn't an option and the road is half underwater, Wilson's is the move. Air-conditioned, reliable, and open when you need it.
Fresh food. Honest prices. And free fries every Friday from 1pm with you burger purchase
Story of the Week
Thailand Kills the 60-Day Visa. You're Back to 30.
The Thai Cabinet passed a formal resolution on July 14 ending the 60-day visa exemption scheme that applied to 93 nationalities. For most Western nationals - US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia - the standard entry reverts to 30 days. A single 30-day extension is available at immigration for 1,900 THB, so the maximum on a single entry becomes 60 days total, but with an extra trip and a fee.
The change kicks in 15 days after publication in the Royal Gazette. Anyone already inside Thailand on a 60-day stamp before the gazette date keeps the full duration they were granted. Chinese, Russian, South Korean, and a handful of other bilateral treaty nationalities are unaffected.
What This Means for Residents
If you have been living on visa-exempt entries, your rolling window halves. The extension fee adds 1,900 THB per cycle. More urgently, land border runs are already capped at two per calendar year, and the Immigration Bureau's "3 No's" enforcement has denied entry to nearly 30,000 people nationwide so far in 2026.
If long-term Phuket residency matters to you, now is the time to seriously look at the LTR visa, the DTV, or a standard retirement or education extension. The informal back-and-forth of visa runs is becoming less viable every quarter.
Source: Bangkok Post / Thai Cabinet resolution, 14 July 2026
Also This Week
Development
July 18 Deadline: Illegal Structures at Nui Beach and Freedom Beach Are Coming Down
Today is the Ministry of Natural Resources enforcement date. Illegal commercial structures that have been fencing off public beach access at Nui Beach and Freedom Beach - and charging entry fees for years - face demolition. A separate Supreme Court order also proceeds against 39 hotel and villa buildings on a 2-hectare site in Sakhu.
Crime
Rawai: Australian Rider Punches Foreigner from Behind at Rental Shop, Flees
Two foreign riders collided in Rawai on July 14. Both went to a nearby rental shop to negotiate damages. When talks broke down, the Australian suspect struck the other rider from behind and rode off. Community Facebook groups are actively tracking his plate and rental shop origin - the Rawai network is tight and they are not letting this one go.
Business
360 Patong Businesses Under Nominee Audit. Two Hotels Shut on the Spot.
A July 11 inspection of Patong hotels and commercial properties found two venues operating without licenses and flagged 360 local businesses for Commerce Ministry audits over alleged illegal nominee shareholder arrangements. A related probe already covers 89 land plots worth over 1 billion baht across Phuket, Phang Nga, and Krabi. If you have a corporate structure on the island, talk to your lawyer.
Viral
Phuket Immigration Officer Goes Undercover as Hotel Maid to Catch Interpol Fugitive
A female officer from Phuket Immigration disguised herself as a hotel cleaner at a Patong property to confirm the identity of a French national on an Interpol Red Notice. Once ID confirmed, he was arrested stepping out of his room. The community loved this one - it has been circulating in group chats all week as a rare good-news law enforcement story.
Beach Safety
Live Venomous Sea Snake Washes Up on Kamala Beach
On July 10 a live sea snake came ashore during rough monsoon swells at Kamala Beach. Lifeguards caught and returned it safely. If you see one - do not approach, do not let your dog near the waterline. Call the lifeguard station. The warning is especially relevant for early-morning beach walkers during storm periods.
Infrastructure
Nai Harn Lake Closed for Redevelopment. Back by March 2027.
Access to the Nai Harn Lake area is now restricted as a full road, drainage, and footpath upgrade begins. Rawai and Nai Harn residents should plan around traffic disruption for the rest of the year and well into next high season. Completion target is March 2027.
Community Feature
Soi Dog Foundation Launches Hospice Program - and Goes Global
Phuket's Soi Dog Foundation marked two milestones this month: a new veterinary hospice and foster care program at the Gill Dalley Sanctuary for chronically sick and elderly street animals, and a Guardian photo essay on July 13 covering their mobile vet clinics and the sterilization of over 1.7 million stray animals across Thailand.
If you've been thinking about fostering, adopting, or volunteering, they are actively looking for people. The hospice program is new and taking applications now.
Island Life Hack
File Your Immigration Paperwork Before July 24
Phuket Immigration (Phuket Town), the Patong service point, and Blue Tree all close from July 28 to July 30 - His Majesty the King's Birthday, Asalha Puja, and Buddhist Lent fall on consecutive days this year. Three full office days gone.
If your 90-day report, TM30 address update, or visa extension falls anywhere near that window, get it done by July 24. The queue when offices reopen on July 31 will be significant.
Visa and Expat Corner
Thailand's New Entry Framework: What Applies to You
The Cabinet resolution on July 14 changes more than just the 60-day stamp. Here is the full picture:
| Tier | Stay | Who |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Exempt | 30 days (+30 extension for 1,900 THB) | 59 countries incl. US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia |
| Bilateral Treaty | 30-90 days (unchanged) | China, Russia, South Korea, Kazakhstan, Brazil |
| Visa on Arrival | 15 days (2,000 THB fee) | Now only 3 countries (down from 31) |
| India | 30 days (no VOA required) | Upgraded to full visa-free |
TDAC reminder: Every foreign national entering Thailand by air, land, or sea must complete the Thailand Digital Arrival Card online within 72 hours before arrival. Free at tdac.immigration.go.th. This is not optional.
Tax residency note: If you spend 180 or more days in Thailand in a calendar year, foreign-sourced income remitted into a Thai bank account is assessable for income tax under progressive rates. A two-year remittance exemption for income earned from 2024 is pending final enactment - watch for the Royal Gazette on that one too.
Land border cap: Visa-exempt entries via land borders are still capped at two per calendar year. The Advanced Passenger Processing System is active. Consecutive visa-exempt border hops are being flagged and resulting in entry denials.
Out and About
Rawai Seafood Market
Rawai Beachfront - open daily
Pick your seafood direct from Sea Gypsy vendors - tiger prawns, mud crabs, red snapper, mantis shrimp - then take it to the adjacent cooking shacks to be grilled or steamed to order. Processing runs 100-200 THB per kilogram. Total meal per person lands between 300 and 700 THB depending on what you pick.
Resident tip: Do not haggle for lower cash prices on the seafood itself. Ask the vendor to throw in extras instead - a small crab, squid, clams. You get more value and better relationships with the sellers long-term. Always confirm prep fees with the cooking shack before anything goes on the fire.
Monsoon travel tip: Skip Grab's surge pricing during heavy downpours and use Bolt instead. Routes from Kata, Patong, and Phuket Town to Rawai routinely run 40-50% cheaper on Bolt when rain hits.
Property and Development Corner
The Nominee Crackdown Has AI Behind It Now
This week's Patong audit - 360 businesses flagged, two hotels shut immediately - is part of what legal experts are calling the most aggressive nominee enforcement in 30 years. The Department of Lands and Department of Business Development are now operating a shared AI system that cross-references 40,000-50,000 corporate records at once.
Automatic red flags include: land transactions over 5 million THB, cash payments over 2 million THB, multiple companies using the same virtual office address, and real estate purchased without a mortgage that exceeds the company's registered capital.
Confirmed nominee arrangements face mandatory divestment orders under Section 94 of the Land Code - 180 days to one year to sell. Legislation currently before parliament would allow outright state forfeiture for non-compliance.
Legal advisers are strongly recommending audits of existing structures now, before a flag lands on them. The compliant options: freehold condo within the foreign quota, or a properly registered 30-year leasehold for landed villas.
Resident Deals
Events Snapshot
See the full events calendar at phuketcommunity.com/events ->
Community and Partners
Thailand dropped visa-free entry to 30 days. What is your plan?
Thailand just formally cut visa-free entry to 30 days. Expat forums have been loud about it all week. We want to know how the Phuket long-stayer community is actually responding.
Know someone who lives on the island?
Forward this edition to them. The Phuket Community Newsletter is free and arrives every Friday.
Subscribe here ->Phuket moves fast—between shifting visa stamps, long weekend closures, and new corporate audits, there is plenty to navigate this week. Stay dry and file your paperwork early.
Sabai sabai. See you next Friday, 24 July. 🌴
- The Phuket Community Team
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