Indian citizens can generally visit Thailand without a visa

No. Indian passport holders enter visa-free — no visa, no fee, no counter to queue at. Widely-shared claims that Indians now need a 15-day visa on arrival costing THB 2,000 are false: under the rules gazetted on 31 August 2026, visa on arrival is restricted to Azerbaijan, Belarus and Serbia from 15 September, while India keeps visa-free entry (30 days from 15 September 2026, 60 days for entries before then).

On 15 September 2026. The Royal Gazette published the new notifications on 31 August 2026 and they take effect 15 days later. Until 15 September the 60-day exemption still applies; from that date Indians receive 30 days, extendable once by up to 30 days in-country.

Your entry date decides, not your booking date. Enter Thailand before 15 September 2026 and you're stamped in for 60 days, which you keep in full even though the rule changes mid-trip. Enter on or after 15 September and you receive 30 days regardless of when you booked — extendable once by up to 30 days in-country (a fee applies; 1,900 THB is the reported amount).

The Thailand Digital Arrival Card replaced the paper TM.6 arrival card on 1 May 2025 and is mandatory for every foreign national, including infants. Submit it free at tdac.immigration.go.th within 3 days before arrival (including the arrival day) and show the QR code at immigration. It is not required if you transit airside without passing immigration.

The regulation sets 10,000 THB per person or 20,000 THB per family (about ₹26,000 / ₹52,000) — in cash, equivalent currency, or documents showing equivalent funds. Checks are discretionary spot checks rather than routine, but Thai authorities signalled stepped-up enforcement in July 2026. Children under 12 are exempt. Since India caps INR cash exports at ₹25,000, carry baht or dollars plus a bank or forex-card statement.

Yes, once, by up to 30 days — so up to 60 days total per entry under the rules in force from 15 September 2026 (or 90 days if you entered before then on a 60-day stamp). Apply at any immigration office in Thailand before your current stamp expires: form TM.7, one 4×6 cm photo, passport with copies, and the fee in cash (1,900 THB is the reported amount). Extensions are granted at officer discretion. If you overstay instead, the fine is 500 THB per day.

Yes — the exemption explicitly covers "tourism and short-term business engagements" such as meetings and negotiations. It does not permit employment or hands-on work, which need a Non-Immigrant B visa and work permit. The gazetted 30-day exemption is described as a tourism exemption — if your trip is primarily for business meetings, check the Royal Thai Embassy's guidance or consider a Non-Immigrant B visa.

Not if you stay airside — connecting internationally at BKK or DMK without passing immigration needs no visa and no TDAC, whatever the layover length. If you need to collect and recheck bags, are on separate tickets, connect to a domestic flight, or want to leave the airport, that's a full entry: visa-exempt stamp and TDAC required.

By air there is no fixed annual limit, but immigration scrutinises back-to-back entries — since late 2025 the Immigration Bureau has been cracking down on people effectively living in Thailand on tourist stamps, so expect questions about funds and purpose from your third consecutive entry. By land, visa-exempt entries are limited to 2 per calendar year under the rules in force from 15 September 2026. For frequent trips, the ₹13,500 multiple-entry METV is the safer route.