Indian travellers heading to Thailand now get a shorter visa-free window. The stay allowed without a visa has dropped from 60 days to 30 days, and the Royal Thai Embassy in New Delhi says the new rule has applied since September 15, 2026.

The cut is part of a wider rework of Thailand’s visa-exemption and visa-on-arrival systems. Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has scrapped the old 60-day scheme and replaced it with a 30-day tourist exemption covering 60 countries and territories, India among them. A separate 15-day exemption has been created for Mauritius and Seychelles, and the visa-on-arrival rules have been revised too.

For Indians, the practical point is simple: a visa-free entry now lets you stay for a maximum of 30 days.

What was the old rule?

Until September 14, citizens of 93 countries and territories, including India, could enter Thailand without a visa and stay up to 60 days. That arrangement no longer exists.

Indians with ordinary passports can still enter without a visa for tourism, but only for 30 days. Countries on the same 30-day list include Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore, Switzerland, the UAE, the UK and the US.

Will this affect your holiday?

For most people, probably not. A trip of a week or two fits comfortably inside 30 days, so short-holiday plans don’t need to change.

Take an Indian family spending 18 days across Bangkok, Phuket and Krabi. They can still travel visa-free, as long as they meet the usual entry requirements. Someone planning 45 days, though, can no longer rely on the exemption. They will need to sort out a suitable visa before leaving India, rather than assuming the old 60 days still applies. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says longer stays can be covered through the relevant visa category, including the e-Visa system where it applies.

Already in Thailand?

If you entered before September 15, 2026 under the old exemption, you are not affected. You can stay until the end of the period stamped on your entry. The new 30-day limit applies only to people arriving on or after September 15.

Visa-free entry for business trips

The revised exemption is mainly meant for tourism, but Fragomen, the global immigration firm, says the activities allowed under visa-exempt entry haven’t changed in any major way. Some light business activity that isn’t classed as work may be fine, such as visiting an exhibition or joining an internal get-together with colleagues.

Business travel and employment are different things, though. Fragomen advises that people attending internal meetings, conferences, seminars or similar events, which don’t need work authorisation, should get a Non-Immigrant B visa before they arrive. The exception is travellers who hold an eligible APEC Business Travel Card.

Doing actual work in Thailand

Entering without a visa does not give you permission to work. Fragomen notes that visa-exempt visitors can still file an Urgent Work Notification and carry out qualifying urgent and necessary work for up to 15 days, subject to Department of Employment requirements.

Work that can fall under this category includes:

  • Installing, repairing, inspecting or testing machinery and equipment
  • Production and product-quality checks
  • Technical troubleshooting
  • Work in rail, power generation and aviation
  • Recruiting or testing workers for jobs overseas
  • Conferences and trade events
  • Occasional internal audits
  • Technical consultations
  • Special academic lectures
  • Certain film, photography and government-backed events

    • Anything that counts as work under Thai law will usually need a Non-Immigrant B visa and a work permit before it starts. In other words, how long you stay is not what decides whether you need work authorization. What matters is what you actually do there.

    Repeated visa-free trips face more scrutiny

    Thailand is also paying closer attention to people who cross the border visa-free again and again. According to Fragomen, visa-exempt entries through land-border checkpoints will generally be capped at two per calendar year, with some exceptions depending on nationality. Frequent visitors should be ready to show documents or other details that explain the purpose of their trip.

    Before booking, check the latest details with the Royal Thai Embassy or the official Thai e-Visa portal, as immigration rules can change at short notice.

    Planning a trip to Thailand? Stay updated on the latest visa rules and travel requirements with Visabud.