By Flynk Visa Team · Published 11 July 2026 · Updated 14 August 2026
Thailand is in the lightest category for Indian travellers: no visa, no fee, no pre-approval for tourism. What is changing is the length of stay. Under the exemption in force today you get up to 60 days on arrival. Under the framework the Thai Cabinet approved in July 2026 you get up to 30. Still visa-free, still nothing to apply for, just a shorter permitted stay.
If you have read elsewhere that Indians are being moved to a 15-day visa on arrival, that was a proposal and it was not adopted. India was placed in the 30-day visa-exemption group with 58 other countries and territories. Thai officials pointed to how much Indian visitors spend and to the fact that they average a little over seven days a trip.
Something is still checked. The checking happens at the immigration counter rather than at an embassy, and having the papers ready is what keeps it to about ninety seconds.
Which rule applies to your trip
The new measures take effect 15 days after they are published in the Royal Gazette. As of 25 July 2026 the five Ministry of Interior announcements behind them have not been published. Until they are, the current conditions stand, so if you fly in the next few weeks you are almost certainly still on the 60-day exemption. Thai officials have confirmed that anyone who enters before the switchover keeps the permitted stay they were given on arrival.
In practice: no booked trip is being shortened retroactively, and nobody needs to apply for anything new. What changes is the ceiling on stays that begin after the rules land. If your trip is under a fortnight, which covers almost every package trip, this does not affect you. If you were planning six or seven weeks, check with us before you book anything non-refundable.
What the officer can ask for
- A passport valid at least 6 months from your arrival date
- A confirmed onward or return ticket within your permitted stay
- Proof of accommodation for at least the first nights
- Proof of funds. Two numbers are in circulation, and the reason matters. Thai regulation's guideline for exemption entry is 10,000 THB per person, or 20,000 per family. The Indian Embassy in Bangkok's July 2026 advisory tells travellers entering on visa on arrival to carry at least 20,000 THB per person, about ₹57,000. Since India's category is mid-transition, carry the higher figure: 20,000 THB per person, in cash rather than only on a card statement. It is not a fee and nobody takes it from you; you only need to be able to show it.
In practice the majority of travellers are stamped through without a single question. The requests come when something looks off: a one-way ticket, a very long intended stay, or a previous overstay. Carry the paperwork; the odds are you will not open it.
The caveat about exemptions
Visa-free schemes are policy, not law. Governments extend, trim, or attach conditions to them with limited notice. Thailand's exemption for Indians has been repeatedly extended and currently stands, and we confirm the live status in writing for every client the week they fly. If you are reading this long after the verified date in the panel above, ask us for the current position before booking anything non-refundable.
This page shows why that caveat exists. In the space of three weeks Thailand went from a settled 60-day exemption, to a proposal that would have put Indians on a 15-day visa on arrival, to a Cabinet decision landing on 30 days visa-free. The last of those is still waiting on a Royal Gazette notice before it means anything at the counter. Many Thailand pages online still say 60 days flat. Check the verified date at the top of any page you rely on, including this one.
Extensions and edge cases
If you need longer than the exemption allows, a 30-day extension can be applied for at a Thai immigration office, for a fee, once. Under the 30-day exemption that becomes 30 days on arrival plus a possible 30-day extension at an immigration office, so the realistic ceiling for a long trip is about two months rather than the three you could stretch to before. Work, study, or repeated back-to-back visits are different visa categories entirely. The exemption is for tourism, and border officers can tell the difference.
Where we fit
For Thailand our main job is keeping you clear of stale information: confirming the live entry rules for your dates, checking that your ticket pattern will not raise questions, and adding the entry briefing to your package so arrival is a formality. Our Phuket–Krabi itinerary is built around this visa-free entry.