Thailand

Permits & entry — The Thai Cabinet voted on May 19, 2026 to remove Indian passport holders from the visa-exemption list and reclassify them as Visa on Arrival (VOA); the change takes effect 15 days after publication in the Royal Gazette, which had not been confirmed as of late June 2026 — reconfirm the gazette effective date before ticketing. Once in effect, VOA is available at Suvarnabhumi, Phuket, Don Mueang, and select other international ports: the fee is THB 2,000 (~Rs 5,900) payable in Thai Baht cash only at the counter, the maximum stay is 15 days with no extension permitted, and travelers must hold a return or onward ticket departing within those 15 days; proof of funds required is 10,000 THB per person (~Rs 30,000) or 20,000 THB per family. For stays beyond 15 days, a Tourist e-Visa must be applied for at thaievisa.go.th before departure from India: processing takes approximately 14 working days, a single-entry visa costs ~Rs 3,000, and a 6-month multiple-entry costs ~Rs 13,500, both allowing a 60-day stay. The Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) has been mandatory for all foreign arrivals since May 1, 2025: complete it free at tdac.immigration.go.th within 72 hours of scheduled arrival, which generates a QR code scanned by immigration at the port; airlines can and do deny boarding if the traveler cannot produce TDAC confirmation, and it fully replaces the old paper TM6 form. Passport must be valid for at least 6 months. No inner-line or protected-area permits are required for the standard tourist circuit; Chiang Rai border-zone and hill-tribe villages near the Myanmar border may involve checkpoint registration, which organised tours handle automatically.