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Thailand cuts visa-free stay for Indians to 30 days from 15 September
Update 17 September: the 30-day rule took effect on 15 September. Indian passport holders stay visa-free, but a stay is capped at 30 days and visa-exempt land-border entries at two a year.
Update — 17 September 2026: the 30-day rule is now in force
The change described below took effect as scheduled on 15 September 2026, and India remains on the 30-day list. The Royal Thai Embassy in New Delhi, in its visa page updated on 16 September, says the 30-day exemption for Indian ordinary passport holders “remains effective from 15 September 2026 until further announcement”. The National, reporting with AFP on 15 September, confirmed that the rules started that day and named India among the countries covered.
Two points we could not confirm when we first published are now clearer. Extensions: a Thai government spokeswoman, quoted by AFP via The National, said tourists can still extend their stay once, for a fee of THB 1,900, “at the discretion of an immigration officer”. The report does not give the length of the extension, and we have not found it on an official Thai immigration page. Travellers already in Thailand before the change kept the stay granted on arrival, as the Royal Thai Embassy in New Delhi had said in its notice of 27 July.
One point is now disputed. The Tourism Authority of Thailand, and the Royal Thai Embassy in New Delhi’s own notice of 27 July, describe the exemption as being for tourism. The embassy’s visa page, updated on 16 September, describes it as for “tourism and short-term business engagements”. If your trip includes business meetings, confirm with the embassy before relying on the exemption. We have set this out in our article on the conditions. The original report of 1 September follows unchanged.
What has changed (report of 1 September)
The Tourism Authority of Thailand confirmed on 1 September that new visa exemption rules take effect on 15 September 2026. The 60-day visa exemption that Indian tourists have used since 2024 is replaced by a 30-day exemption. The Ministry of Interior notifications behind the change were published in the Royal Gazette on 31 August 2026, following Cabinet decisions on 21 May and 16 July.
Passport holders from 60 countries and territories are eligible for the 30-day exemption for tourism, and India is on that list. A separate 15-day exemption applies to Seychelles and Mauritius, and Visa on Arrival now applies to Azerbaijan, Belarus and Serbia.
There is a new rule for overland travellers: anyone entering through a land-border checkpoint under the 30-day exemption may generally do so no more than twice per calendar year. Air arrivals are not subject to that cap.
What stays the same
Indian passport holders still do not need a visa for a tourist visit. The change is the length of stay granted at the border, not the entitlement to enter without a visa. Immigration officers continue to decide the permitted stay at the checkpoint.
The TAT announcement does not address extensions or what happens to travellers already in Thailand on the 60-day exemption when 15 September arrives. Until the Immigration Bureau or the Royal Thai Embassy in New Delhi publishes that detail, treat any figure you see elsewhere as unconfirmed.
What it means for Indian travellers
A standard Thailand holiday is unaffected: a week or two in Bangkok, Phuket or the islands fits comfortably inside 30 days. Anyone planning a longer stay, a workation, or a multi-country loop that returns to Thailand should now build the trip around a 30-day limit or apply for a Thai e-Visa before departure.
If you cross into Thailand by road from Malaysia, Laos or Cambodia more than twice in a year, the third crossing will need a visa. Our visa-free travel guide explains how exemptions differ from visas on arrival, and our Thailand packages are all well within the new limit.
Sources
This report is based on the following published sources. Rules and schedules change — confirm with the issuing authority before you travel.
- Thailand introduces new 30-day and 15-day visa exemption rules from 15 September — Tourism Authority of Thailand Newsroom, 01 September 2026
- Thailand to halve visa-free stays for these 60 countries from September 15 — Gulf News, 01 September 2026
- Latest update on Revision to Thailand’s Visa Exemption Scheme for Indian Passport Holders Entering Thailand for Tourism — Royal Thai Embassy, New Delhi, 27 July 2026
- Visa — 30-day visa exemption for Indian ordinary passport holders (page updated 16 September 2026) — Royal Thai Embassy, New Delhi, 16 September 2026
- Thailand reduces visa-free entry to 30 days for travellers from regions including Gulf — The National (with AFP), 15 September 2026
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