Why Has the EU Granted Visa Cascade to Thais, and Will We Get Free Schengen Visa Soon?

Good news for Thai travelers to Europe: the European Commission has approved the 'Visa Cascade' measure, a tiered visa issuance system, for Thai passport holders applying for short-stay Schengen visas.

Thairath Plus explores what this measure entails, why Thais have received this special privilege, and the current progress toward the ultimate goal of obtaining 'free Schengen visa' status.

Is it really easier for Thais to travel to Europe now?

The Visa Cascade measure is not a visa exemption or a 100% free visa. It grants rights to travelers with a good travel record who have used visas lawfully without overstaying. Therefore, the visa application process remains strict with no relaxed conditions.

Under the new system, eligibility for longer-duration multiple-entry visas is as follows:

• Step 1 (1-year visa): For those who have previously received a Schengen visa once and used it lawfully within the past two years.
• Step 2 (2-year visa): For those who have previously held a 1-year visa and used it properly within the past three years.
• Step 3 (5-year visa): For those who have previously held a 2-year visa and used it properly within the past four years.

Some Thai tourists may have experienced obtaining visas similar to these tiers before, but Visa Cascade is expected to become the standard for all Schengen countries to evaluate Thai passport holders' applications uniformly.

The European Union delegation to Thailand stated the new rules will facilitate regular Thai travelers' easier access to the entire Schengen area, covering 25 EU member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.

This success is undeniably a result of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) between Thailand and the EU, effective since October 2024, which has unlocked closer political, economic, and travel cooperation.

Why did the EU approve this for Thailand?

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed that Thais are the top Schengen visa applicants in ASEAN and rank ninth worldwide.

However, volume alone is insufficient; the EU granted this right due to the quality of Thai travelers, who have low visa rejection rates and low illegal overstay rates.

Thus, Thailand is among seven countries worldwide granted the Visa Cascade measure, alongside India, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman in 2024, and Turkey and Indonesia in 2025. Thailand is also the second ASEAN country to receive this privilege.

Looking at the timeline, Thailand has pursued this goal seriously for some time. Earlier this year, Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkaew met with EU Ambassador Luisa Ragher upon her appointment to expedite the Thailand-EU FTA to conclude by 2026.

Importantly, Minister Sihasak adopted a two-track negotiation strategy: pushing for the ultimate free Schengen visa while concurrently seeking recognition of the Visa Cascade system as a short-term goal.

Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

One impressive point in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' statement was the government's gratitude toward all Thai passport holders who travel responsibly and respect destination countries' laws, emphasizing that each traveler's personal credit is a vital asset for the ministry's global negotiations.

Does Thailand still have a chance for the 'free Schengen visa'?

Unlocking Visa Cascade is only the first step toward the ultimate goal that successive Thai governments have pushed in recent years: obtaining Schengen visa exemption, commonly called 'free visa,' for Thai nationals.

To understand these negotiations, one must view them through the lens of international politics, where visa policies are crucial foreign policy tools. For the EU, Visa Cascade represents a middle ground to grant travel privileges to strategic partners without committing to permanent free visa status.

Full visa exemption requires the EU to conduct rigorous assessments ensuring the country poses no risks of illegal immigration, asylum abuse, or threats to European security.

Currently, the EU has no set timeline for visa exemptions, as applications from all countries are reviewed in batches. Without a clear schedule, the Thai government continues proactive diplomacy to advance this agenda.

For example, in September 2025, the Thai Embassy in Brussels collaborated with the Department of European Affairs to publish an article in The Parliament magazine, read by Brussels policymakers, titled "Why Thailand should be exempt from Schengen visa," demonstrating Thailand meets EU Regulation 2018/1806 Article 1 criteria.

1. Thai travelers are high spenders; before COVID-19, nearly 1.6 million Thais visited Europe, generating €2.3 billion. In 2023, numbers rebounded strongly to 660,000 visitors, contributing €1.6 billion. Moreover, Thailand already grants free visa and visa on arrival (VOA) privileges to Schengen area nationals, making reciprocal support reasonable.

2. Eurostat data over the past decade shows that illegal overstays by Thais in the Schengen zone amount to only 0.1% of all offenses, and asylum applications number merely 51 per year.

3. The current Thai passport is produced with advanced French (THALES) technology; it is machine-readable, meets international standards, and exceeds security requirements set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

4. Thailand has long been a trusted EU partner in the Asia-Pacific region, serving as a strategic base for EU diplomacy, humanitarian, and development efforts in the area.

This straightforward communication reflects that Thailand is not merely requesting but negotiating based on shared data and mutual benefits.

All these efforts contributed to securing Visa Cascade today, marking an important step closer to the 'free Schengen visa' goal.

The driving force toward a free visa is the credit of every Thai traveler.

The EU's approval of the Visa Cascade system not only reduces paperwork, saves time and costs per visa application but also symbolizes European confidence in Thai travelers.

While the government continues negotiating full free Schengen visa status, travelers can best support the nation and Thai passport privileges by maintaining good travel records, respecting destination laws, traveling responsibly, and avoiding overstays.

These actions not only make future visa approvals easier for individuals but also build statistics that the Thai negotiation team can use to prove Thai travelers' quality and deservingness for visa exemption to the EU.

ReferencesDelegation of the European Union to Thailand,Ministry of Foreign Affairs,The Parliament Magazine

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