Thailand, which attracts approximately 2.5 million Indian tourists annually, had recently proposed to scrap the visa-free scheme for Indians and move them back to a paid Visa on Arrival (VoA) system. However, there’s good news and bad news for travel enthusiasts.
Market Context
In the latest development, Thailand will continue to allow Indian passport holders to enter the country without a visa, but the maximum stay limit will be reduced to 30 days instead of the current allowance of 60 days. This decision was taken after a sudden decline in Indian tourists in Thailand, caused by confusion created by an initial proposal which was not implemented.
“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,” Surasak Phancharoenworakul, the Thailand tourism minister, told media at its recent cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
The Thai cabinet, in May 2026, had proposed to reduce the list of visa-free travel countries from 93 to 65. Under the new rules, 59 countries (including all 27 EU states and India) will be granted 30-day visa-free entry, while other nations will receive 15-day visa-free or visa-on-arrival status.
Future Forecast
As per reports, this decision was made by the Thai cabinet with the primary goal of enhancing the country’s security and preventing misuse of visa-free entry for non-tourism activities. Surasak further said, “If a problem arises from this measure in the future, the government can review it then.”
