Thailand new TELCO rules! Tourist SIM cards only valid for 60 days.

Here’s the clear technical summary of the recent change in Thailand’s telecom rules regarding prepaid SIM cards and why you’re seeing top-up validity no longer extend indefinitely for certain SIM types.

What Changed with Thailand SIM/Telecom Rules

Thailand’s telecom regulator, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), updated rules that affect how long prepaid SIM cards (especially tourist SIMs) stay valid and whether you can extend them by topping up credit.

Major telecom news outlets report that one of the new measures prohibits extending tourist SIM cards beyond a fixed maximum period by simply adding credit. Under the updated rules, tourist SIMs have a maximum validity of 60 days, and you cannot use a top-up to extend that beyond 60 days—even if you add more airtime or data. After that period you must re-register or buy a new SIM. nationthailand+1

This rule is part of a broader set of telecom and cybercrime counter-measure regulations that the NBTC has put in place to tighten control over SIM usage, partly to reduce fraud and unregistered or abandoned SIM cards. nationthailand

How It Works in Practice

Previously, Thai prepaid SIMs (especially non-tourist local SIMs) would renew validity each time you topped up with airtime or a data bundle: a 10–20 baht top-up often added a month of validity, and you could stack these to keep a number alive for a year or more.

Under current NBTC rules for tourist SIMs, that no-extension cap means:

You get up to 60 days of service from activation.
No amount of top-ups will extend the SIM past 60 days.
To keep a number after 60 days you must purchase and register a new SIM. nationthailand

Local prepaid SIMs (non-tourist plans bought with full ID rather than “tourist SIM” products) may still allow extension with top-ups, but the new tourist-specific rule is strict and commonly carried by operators. NBTC’s intent is to discourage long dormancy and improve traceability for security reasons.

Why This Matters

This change affects travellers or temporary residents who:

Buy a cheap SIM at the airport and expect to top-up to keep it active for months.
Are used to stacking small top-ups to preserve a number for future trips.

Now for tourist SIMs you cannot do that: once 60 days are up, the SIM number will expire even if you keep adding credit. You’d need to move to a local prepaid plan with a proper registration if you want longer continuity.

Practical Tips

If you need connectivity longer than 60 days in Thailand without losing the number, consider switching to a local prepaid plan with full registration at a shop.
Tourist SIMs still work fine for shorter stays, but treat them as single-period use products now.
Always check with the specific operator (AIS, dtac, True) because each has slightly different packaging for validity and extension options under the NBTC framework.

This is a regulatory update rather than a glitch, so the behaviour you’re seeing (no unlimited top-up validity extension on tourist SIMs) reflects the official policy.

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