Thailand Is No Longer Visa-Free for Indians: What You Actually Need Now (2026)

The big change for Indian travellers is this: Thailand is no longer visa-free for Indian passport holders. For the last couple of years you could simply land and walk in. Under Thailand’s 2026 policy revision, that visa-free entry has ended — Indians now enter on a Visa on Arrival (VoA), taken at the airport.

There are two things you must now do to enter Thailand, and you need both: get your Visa on Arrival, and complete the mandatory Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) within 72 hours before you travel. It’s not a choice between them — it’s both, every traveller, every time.

The Visa on Arrival allows a stay of up to 15 days, which is plenty for a normal Thailand holiday, so don’t overthink the day count — a typical Bangkok–Pattaya–Phuket trip runs 6 to 9 days. The thing that has genuinely changed is that entry is now a visa process, not an automatic walk-in.

At IMAD Travel we handle both steps for every Thailand booking, so if you’d rather just have it done, our team takes it end to end — Thailand visa assistance is built into every package. For everyone who wants to understand what changed and why, here’s the full picture, checked against official Thai government sources.

The real change: visa-free entry has ended

Until now, Indian passport holders enjoyed visa-exempt entry to Thailand — no application, no counter, just land and go. That is what has been removed. On 19 May 2026, the Thai Cabinet approved a revision that revoked the visa-exemption scheme for the wide list of nationalities that previously qualified (India included) and narrowed it to only a handful of countries. India is not on the new visa-exempt list. (Source: Royal Thai Embassy notice on the 2026 revision of Thailand’s visa-exemption and VoA schemes.)

So the practical shift is simple. To enter Thailand as an Indian passport holder, you now need to do two things, both compulsory:

• Get a Visa on Arrival (VoA) at the airport when you land.
• Complete the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) online within 72 hours before arrival.

The one thing you can no longer do is nothing. Below is exactly what each step involves.

Step 1: Thailand Visa on Arrival for Indians

Indian passport holders now apply for a Visa on Arrival at Thailand’s designated immigration checkpoints, for tourism, with a stay of up to 15 days. This is confirmed on the Royal Thai Consulate-General Mumbai’s official page. (Source: Royal Thai Consulate-General, Mumbai — Visa on Arrival.)

To be granted Visa on Arrival, have these ready:

• A passport valid for at least 6 months with at least 2 blank pages.
• Proof of onward/return travel — a confirmed return or onward air ticket. Open-dated or unconfirmed bookings can lead to boarding or entry refusal.
• Confirmed accommodation — a hotel booking for your stay.
• Proof of funds — the official figure is 10,000 THB per person or 20,000 THB per family, in cash or foreign-currency equivalent. In practice the amount checked at the counter can be lower, but carry the full amount so you’re never caught short.
• A completed application form and passport photo, submitted at the VoA counter with the fee, which is paid on arrival.

The Visa on Arrival is granted at the airport — you do not apply for it online in advance. What you do complete online in advance is the TDAC, which is a separate document explained next.

Step 2: The mandatory Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC)

The Visa on Arrival is not the only requirement. Every traveller entering Thailand must also complete the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) — a free online form that replaced the old paper arrival card. You must submit it within 72 hours before arrival and keep the QR code ready to show at immigration. (Source: Official Thailand Digital Arrival Card portal, Thai Immigration Bureau.)

Two points to be clear on. First, the TDAC is in addition to your Visa on Arrival, not a replacement for it — you need both. Second, the TDAC is free. Be careful of look-alike websites that charge a “service fee”; only the official immigration.go.th portal is genuine. If IMAD handles your booking, we file the TDAC for you inside the 72-hour window as part of pre-departure.

What this means for your trip, practically

The 15-day limit is a non-issue for most travellers — a classic Thailand itinerary fits inside it easily. What genuinely changes is that entry is now a two-step process you must plan for: the Visa on Arrival at the airport, and the TDAC filed online before you fly. Concretely:

You can no longer land and walk in — budget for the Visa on Arrival step at the airport, and file your TDAC in the 72-hour window before departure. Carry a confirmed return ticket and hotel booking every time, because these are now checked. And keep the cash-proof amount on you rather than assuming a card will do.

If that sounds like a lot to juggle alongside flights and hotels, that’s exactly the part we take off your plate. We’ve booked Thailand for Indian families and couples for years, and our Asia coordinator Vipasha keeps the document checklist current as these rules evolve. See our Thailand tour packages from India for done-for-you itineraries with visa, TDAC, flights, hotels and transfers included.

Planning Thailand in the next few months? WhatsApp us on +91 99597 77776 and we’ll walk you through the Visa on Arrival and TDAC steps for your dates — and handle the paperwork if you’d like us to.

A calm note on timing

Entry rules can be adjusted again, and effective dates tied to Royal Gazette publication can shift. Everything above reflects the current position as of 9 July 2026, cross-checked against official Thai government sources and confirmed with our on-ground visa partner. Before you fly, it’s always worth a final check — or simply ask us, because we track these changes as part of every booking.

For the wider picture of what changed across destinations this year, see our roundup of July 2026 global visa changes for Indian travellers. And if you’re still deciding between two Southeast Asia favourites, our Vietnam vs Thailand comparison for Indian travellers weighs both on visa, budget and experience.

Ready to plan Thailand the easy way? Tell us your dates and how many days you want, and we’ll confirm the Visa on Arrival and TDAC steps and build your itinerary — flights, hotels, transfers and paperwork included. Request a custom Thailand quote or WhatsApp +91 99597 77776.