Thailand still lets Indian passport holders in without a visa, but from 15 September 2026 the free stay is 30 days, not 60. If you enter on or before 14 September you keep the 60 days stamped in your passport. If your trip is a fortnight in Bangkok and Phuket, nothing changes. If you were planning a month-plus, you now need the ₹3,500 Tourist e-Visa or a one-time extension. As of September 2026, here is the whole picture.
What changed, and from when
Thailand's cabinet replaced the blanket 60-day exemption with country-by-country categories. The Interior Ministry regulations went into the Royal Gazette on 31 August and take effect 15 days later. The Tourism Authority of Thailand lists India among the 60 countries in the 30-day group.
- Until 14 September: 60 days visa-free on arrival, as before.
- From 15 September: 30 days visa-free on arrival. Same free stamp, half the length.
- Entered before the switch? You keep the full period stamped at entry. Nobody's 60 days gets cut to 30 mid-trip.
- Land borders: visa-exempt entry is capped at twice per calendar year. Flying in is not capped.
- Visa on arrival is gone for Indians. It is not needed; the exemption covers you.
Already booked? Three cases
Your trip is 30 days or shorter. Do nothing. Fill the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) within 72 hours of your flight, carry your return ticket and the first hotel booking, and immigration stamps you in. Note the return ticket now has to be within 30 days of arrival, not 60.
You land before 15 September and stay past it. You are fine. The stay is fixed on the day you enter, so a 5 September arrival still gets 60 days.
You land on or after 15 September and stay longer than 30 days. Pick one of the two routes below before you fly. Do not plan to "sort it out there": overstay fines start at THB 500 a day and a stamp in your passport.
The ₹3,500 e-Visa is now the long-trip route
The Tourist e-Visa has not changed: 60 days, extendable, applied for online at thaievisa.go.th, ₹3,500 (fee varies slightly by consulate). Until last week it was pointless for Indians. From 15 September it is the sensible choice for anything over a month, and it also gives you a defined status if you plan to hop over a land border and come back.
Apply two to three weeks before flying. You upload the passport, a photo, the ticket, the hotel and a bank statement, and the visa arrives by email.
The 30-day extension, and why it is the second choice
The new rules include a one-time extension of up to 30 days on the visa-exempt stamp. It is granted at an immigration office in Thailand, subject to approval, and immigration officers can say no. The standard extension fee is THB 1,900 (about ₹5,000). Add a morning at the Chaeng Watthana office in Bangkok or the Phuket Town office, and it costs more than the e-Visa and gives you less certainty.
Use it if your plans changed after you arrived. Do not build a 45-day trip around it.
If there is any chance your trip runs past 30 days, get the e-Visa before you fly. It is ₹1,500 cheaper than the extension, it is decided before you leave home, and immigration cannot refuse it at the counter.
What has not changed
- TDAC is still mandatory: fill it at tdac.immigration.go.th within 72 hours of arrival. It is free. Third-party sites charging for it are a scam.
- Proof of funds of about THB 20,000 per person is still on the books and still rarely checked. Keep a bank statement on your phone.
- Passport validity of six months from arrival.
- The first night's hotel booking and a return or onward ticket, now within 30 days.
What to do now
- Check your dates. Arriving 14 September or earlier: 60 days. Arriving 15 September or later: 30 days.
- Over 30 days? Apply for the Tourist e-Visa at thaievisa.go.th at least two weeks out.
- Under 30 days? Fill the TDAC, print the return ticket and hotel, and go. Everything else in the Bangkok guide still applies.