India
oi-Madhuri Adnal
Indian travellers will continue to enjoy visa-free entry to Thailand, but the maximum stay will now be limited to 30 days after the Thai cabinet approved a revised policy aimed at ending weeks of uncertainty over the country’s visa rules.
The decision comes after an earlier proposal to overhaul Thailand’s visa-free programme created confusion among travellers and the tourism industry, even though the changes had not taken effect.
The Thai cabinet confirmed visa-free entry for Indian travellers but reduced the maximum stay to 30 days, aligning with typical short holiday durations and addressing prior policy uncertainty for the key tourism market.
Tourism Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul said uncertainty over the proposed rules had already begun affecting travel decisions in India, prompting the government to revise its approach.
India is Thailand’s third-largest source of foreign tourists this year, behind China and Malaysia, making it one of the country’s most important overseas markets.
What changes for Indian travellers?
Indian passport holders are currently eligible to stay in Thailand without a visa for up to 60 days. That was expected to change after the government announced plans in May to review its visa-free policy, which would have reduced the number of eligible countries and territories from 93 to 54 while limiting visa-free stays to 30 days.
The cabinet has now confirmed that Indian citizens will continue to receive visa-free entry, although the maximum permitted stay will be reduced to 30 days.
According to Surasak, the revised duration better reflects the travel habits of Indian visitors, most of whom visit Thailand for relatively short holidays, business meetings, destination weddings, shopping trips and family vacations.
“The cabinet therefore approved a 30-day visa-free entry to align with the travel behaviour of Indian tourists, who represent a large market for Thailand,” the minister told reporters after the cabinet meeting. He said the government would continue monitoring the policy and make further adjustments if necessary.
The decision is expected to reassure both travellers and the tourism industry, which had expressed concerns over uncertainty surrounding the earlier proposal.
Thailand remains one of the most popular overseas destinations for Indian tourists because of its proximity, extensive flight connectivity and wide range of holiday options. Thailand is also a popular destination for Indian weddings, corporate incentive trips, medical tourism and repeat holidaymakers, making India an important market beyond leisure travel.
