Thailand Has Cut Its Visa-Free Stay for Indian Travellers From 60 to 30 Days

Thailand has reduced the visa-free stay it grants to Indian nationals from 60 days to 30 days, effective 15 September 2026. Indian passport holders remain among roughly 60 nationalities eligible to enter Thailand without a visa for tourism purposes, but the length of that permitted stay has now reverted closer to the standard that applied before Thailand extended it to 60 days in 2024.

Who this affects, and who it doesn't

The change applies to travellers entering Thailand on or after 15 September 2026 under the visa-exemption scheme. According to reporting on the policy, travellers who entered the country before that date under the previous 60-day allowance keep the stay period they were granted on arrival; it is not being retroactively shortened. Indian travellers still do not need to apply for a visa in advance for a standard tourist visit within the new 30-day limit.

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A land-border restriction too

Alongside the shorter stay, Thailand has also introduced a limit on how often visa-exempt travellers can use land border crossings, with most nationalities, reportedly including Indian passport holders, now restricted to two visa-free land entries per calendar year. This is understood to target the practice of repeated short land-border runs used to extend a stay indefinitely, and does not affect arrivals by air.

Why it matters for Indian travellers

Thailand is consistently one of the most popular international destinations for Indian tourists, and many longer trips, particularly multi-city itineraries or extended stays, were built around the 60-day allowance introduced in 2024. Anyone planning a Thailand trip of longer than 30 days from mid-September 2026 onward will now need to either apply for an appropriate visa in advance or plan around the shorter permitted stay.

Traveller tips

• This change took effect on 15 September 2026; travellers who arrived before that date are not affected retroactively.
• If a trip requires more than 30 days in Thailand, check with the Royal Thai Embassy or a Thai consulate about applying for a visa in advance.
• The two-visa-free-entries-per-year land border limit applies specifically to overland crossings, not arrivals by air.
• Rules like this can change again; confirm current entry requirements with the official Thai immigration authority or your airline before travelling.