India remains on Thailand’s visa-exemption list as the country reduces the maximum visa-free stay under its revised tourism entry rules.
Thailand will reduce the visa-free stay available to Indian passport holders from 60 days to 30 days, with the revised rules taking effect on September 15, 2026.
India remains among the countries and territories eligible for visa-free entry for tourism under Thailand’s updated scheme. The new framework provides visa exemption for stays of up to 30 days per visit and replaces the 60-day arrangement introduced in July 2024. The revised policy currently covers 60 countries and territories.
The change follows a review by the Thai government aimed at streamlining visa privileges, strengthening immigration screening and ensuring that visa-exemption arrangements are used for their intended purpose. Thailand’s Cabinet had approved the withdrawal of the 60-day exemption in May, with the final country-by-country framework subsequently announced in July.
Existing stays will not be shortened
Indian travellers who enter Thailand before September 15 under the existing 60-day exemption will be allowed to remain for the period granted to them at entry. Their permitted stay will not automatically be reduced when the new rules come into force.
From September 15, Indian travellers planning to stay beyond 30 days will need to apply for an appropriate visa through Thailand’s e-Visa system, according to the Royal Thai Embassy in New Delhi.
The 30-day visa exemption can also be extended for an additional period of up to 30 days, subject to approval by Thai immigration authorities. The extension is discretionary and is not an automatic entitlement.
Tourism-only exemption
Unlike the broader 60-day scheme introduced in 2024, the revised exemption is focused on tourism. The earlier arrangement allowed eligible travellers to stay for tourism as well as certain short-term work and business activities.
Thailand is also retaining a restriction on repeated land and sea border entries under the visa-exemption scheme. Eligible travellers will generally be permitted to enter through land or sea checkpoints no more than twice in a calendar year. Nationals of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore are exempt from that limitation. The rule does not restrict the number of visa-exempt entries made through international airports.
Travellers entering under the 30-day exemption must also meet Thailand’s immigration requirements, including carrying adequate funds. The Royal Thai Embassy lists the requirement as 20,000 baht per person or 40,000 baht per family.
India remains a key market
Despite the shorter permitted stay, India remains firmly within Thailand’s visa-exempt tourism framework. Thai authorities have highlighted India’s economic, trade, investment and diplomatic importance, as well as the average length of stay of Indian visitors, estimated at about 7.17 days per trip.
The revised policy also places Mauritius and Seychelles in a separate 15-day visa-exemption category. Azerbaijan, Belarus and Serbia will be eligible for Visa on Arrival.
Separate bilateral visa-exemption arrangements remain in place for several nationalities. These include 30-day arrangements for countries such as China, Kazakhstan, Laos, Macao, Mongolia, Russia, Timor-Leste and Vietnam, while certain bilateral agreements provide stays of up to 90 or 14 days depending on nationality.
Thailand’s latest policy update therefore changes the duration available to Indian visitors under the general visa-exemption scheme, but does not remove India from the visa-free list. Indian travellers planning trips from September 15 onward should factor the new 30-day limit into their itineraries and check the latest immigration requirements before departure.
