Short answer: No, Indians don't need a visa for a short holiday in Thailand. From 15 September 2026, Indian ordinary passport holders can stay up to 30 days visa-free for tourism. You still need to fill the free Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) online within 3 days before you land, and carry a confirmed ticket out of Thailand within those 30 days, your hotel bookings and proof that you can pay for the trip. Rules last checked: 22 October 2026.
If you read about a 60-day visa-free stay, that rule is over. Thailand cut it in 2026, and a lot of older posts and reels still quote it. Plan your trip around 30 days.
Visa-free does not mean paper-free. The airline checks your documents at the counter in India, and the officer in Bangkok or Phuket decides whether you come in. This guide covers what both of them look for.
| What to check | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Visa for a short holiday | Not needed, up to 30 days, tourism only |
| Rule in force from | 15 September 2026 |
| Passport | At least 6 months validity from arrival, with blank pages |
| Arrival card | Fill the TDAC online within 3 days before you land |
| TDAC fee | Free on the official portal |
| Return or onward ticket | Confirmed, leaving Thailand within 30 days |
| Stay details | Hotel bookings, or your host's full address |
| Proof of funds | Plan for THB 20,000 per person or THB 40,000 per family |
| Final say | The immigration officer, even if you qualify |
For a tourist trip of up to 30 days, no. The Royal Thai Embassy in New Delhi confirms that Indian passport holders entering Thailand for tourism get a 30-day visa exemption under the new scheme. Thailand's cabinet approved it on 14 July 2026 and it took effect on 15 September 2026.
Three terms get mixed up a lot, and mixing them up is how people end up paying for things they don't need:
| Term | What it actually is |
|---|---|
| Visa exemption | What Indians get now. Walk in with no visa, stay up to 30 days |
| Visa on arrival | A separate scheme. Under the September 2026 rules it covers Azerbaijan, Belarus and Serbia only. Not India |
| TDAC | A free online arrival form. It is not a visa and doesn't let you stay longer |
| Thai e-Visa | The online visa you apply for before you fly, if your trip is longer than 30 days or isn't tourism |
So for a one or two week holiday, forget the visa on arrival queue. Focus on your TDAC and your documents.
The TDAC replaced the old paper arrival card on 1 May 2025. Every foreign traveller entering Thailand by air, land or sea fills it, visa-free tourists included.
Where to fill it. Use the official Immigration Bureau portal: tdac.immigration.go.th. It is free. Plenty of look-alike sites charge a "processing fee" for the same form. That fee goes to a middleman, not to Thailand.
When to fill it. Within the 3 days before you arrive, counting the arrival day itself. Go by the date you land in Thailand, not the date you leave India. If your flight leaves Delhi late on the 9th and lands in Bangkok at 2 AM on the 10th, your arrival date is the 10th.
Fill it at home before you leave for the airport. Don't leave it for the arrival hall, hunting for Wi-Fi with a queue behind you.
1. Open the portal. Go to the official site and choose "Arrival Card".
2. Enter your passport details. Check every field against the passport you're actually travelling on.
3. Add your travel details. Your arrival date and your flight number.
4. Add where you're staying. Keep your first hotel booking, or your host's full address, open in another tab.
5. Answer the health questions. Including recent countries visited, if it asks.
6. Review and submit. Use an email you can open during the trip. Everything must be in English.
7. Save the confirmation. Download the confirmation with the QR code and keep an offline copy on your phone.
Families and groups. Every traveller needs their own TDAC, including children and infants. One person can fill it for others, up to 10 travellers in a single application.
Plans changed? Update the card before you land. Most fields can be edited. Your name, passport number, nationality and date of birth can't, so if one of those is wrong, submit a fresh card. The latest submission is the one that counts.
Printing. Not required. A saved copy on your phone is fine, though a printout is a sensible backup.
Carry a confirmed ticket that takes you out of Thailand within your 30 days. Thai embassy guidance says it may be asked for at immigration, and airlines flying Indians to Thailand check it at the counter before you board.
It doesn't have to be a ticket back to India. Bangkok to Singapore or Phuket to Kuala Lumpur works, as long as it leaves Thailand inside 30 days.
Make sure the saved ticket shows:
A screenshot from a flight search site is not a ticket. Neither is a reservation that has lapsed.
Can you fly in one-way? You can buy your flight in as a one-way ticket. What you can't do is arrive with no confirmed way out. If your dates are loose, book a refundable or changeable exit ticket.
Does it have to be a flight? Thai embassy guidance accepts confirmed air, train, bus or boat tickets. If you're flying in and leaving overland, check with your airline before you fly, because the check-in staff decide whether you board. A domestic ticket like Bangkok to Phuket doesn't count. It has to take you out of the country.
Don't book an exit ticket for day 40 and plan to extend at immigration. Extensions are not automatic, and the ticket rule is about leaving within 30 days.
Passport. Carry your original passport with at least 6 months validity from your arrival date. Keep two blank pages free. That's the safe standard, and it's what airline staff look for.
Hotel. Keep your bookings where you can open them offline, not buried in an inbox. Staying with friends or family? Have their full address and phone number ready.
Proof of funds. This is where you'll find confusing numbers online. The current Thai embassy guidance for the 30-day exemption asks for THB 20,000 per person or THB 40,000 per family. That's roughly ₹57,000 per person at the October 2026 exchange rate. A Tourism Authority of Thailand notice also lists THB 10,000 for "certain visa-exempt cases", and it says the rule doesn't apply to children under 12.
Our advice: plan for the higher figure. Officers don't check everyone, but if you're asked, you want to be over the line, not arguing about which number applies. Thai guidance refers to cash, an equivalent in another currency, or documents showing the money. A forex card plus some cash is the safest mix. Don't assume a banking app on your phone will be accepted on its own.
If you already know the trip is longer than 30 days, apply for a tourist visa before you fly, on the official Thai e-Visa portal at thaievisa.go.th. The New Delhi embassy lists a single-entry tourist visa that allows a stay of up to 60 days.
If you're already in Thailand and want more time, a 30-day visa-free stay can be extended once, by up to 30 days, at an immigration office. Approval is up to the officer. Apply before your current stay runs out, never after.
Work, study and anything that isn't tourism needs its own visa. Visa-free entry doesn't cover it.
Before you leave for the airport in India, check you have:
Once you're through immigration, check the "admitted until" date stamped in your passport before you walk away from the counter. That date is the one that counts for leaving or extending.
We're a Kashmir-based team, best known for small-group trips in Kashmir, Kerala and Meghalaya. We also help travellers plan Thailand. If you want help with the itinerary, the stays or getting your paperwork right, leave your details below or WhatsApp us on +91 8867269090. Comparing easy visa-free trips from India? Our guide to Kazakhstan visa rules for Indians covers another option that's opened up. And if you'd rather skip the passport this winter, read about Kashmir in winter.
Visa rules change. Check the Royal Thai Embassy in New Delhi's visa page and the official TDAC portal before you book anything non-refundable.