Big travel news: India waives visa fees for Thai tourists until 2027

Under the new arrangement, Thai nationals can apply for a 30-day e-Tourist visa with double-entry access without paying a visa fee.

According to a statement issued by the Indian Embassy in Thailand, the arrangement will remain in effect until December 31, 2027, or until further orders. The new regulation was announced by the Embassy on September 11.

Thai nationals can apply for an e-Tourist visa to visit India through the official Indian visa portal. The visa will be issued without a visa fee under the new arrangement.

Thailand is directly connected to more than 15 Indian cities, with over 500 weekly flights between the two countries, subject to seasonal variations. All major airlines operate services between India and Thailand.

The new visa arrangement comes amid growing travel ties between the two countries.

“Before Covid, around 1.9 million Indian tourists visited Thailand in 2019. As per Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand, during 2025, around 2.48 million Indian tourists visited Thailand, a year-on-year increase of around 17 per cent,” the Indian Embassy in Thailand said.

Indians accounted for around 6 per cent of the total tourist inflow into Thailand in 2025 and were the third-largest group of tourists visiting the country during the period, according to the Embassy.

At the same time, tourism from Thailand to India has remained comparatively lower. According to the Ministry of Tourism, around 0.13 million Thai tourists visited India in 2025, registering a year-on-year decline of around 7 per cent.

The new visa arrangement is expected to facilitate travel from Thailand to India and further strengthen people-to-people and tourism ties between the two countries.As per Ministry of Tourism of India, around 0.13 million Thai tourist visited India in 2025 (year on year decrease of 7%).