Indian citizens can generally visit Thailand without a visa

No. Indian passport holders enter visa-free for 60 days — 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 Thailand's approved new framework, visa on arrival is restricted to Azerbaijan, Belarus and Serbia, while India keeps visa-free entry (dropping from 60 to 30 days once the change is gazetted).

No date exists yet. The Cabinet approved the change on 19 May 2026 and finalised country lists on 14 July 2026, but as of 30 July 2026 it has not been published in the Royal Gazette — and it takes effect 15 days after publication. Until then the 60-day exemption applies. Because the notice period is only about two weeks, check close to your travel date.

Your entry date decides, not your booking date. Enter Thailand before the new rule takes effect and you're stamped in for 60 days, which you keep in full even if the rule changes mid-trip. Enter on or after the effective date and you receive 30 days regardless of when you booked — extendable by another 30 days in-country for 1,900 THB.

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 30 days — up to 90 days total per entry. Apply at any immigration office in Thailand before your current stamp expires: form TM.7, one 4×6 cm photo, passport with copies, and 1,900 THB in cash. 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. Whether the business wording carries over to the new 30-day rule won't be confirmed until the official texts are published.

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. For frequent trips, the ₹13,500 multiple-entry METV is the safer route.