Thailand entry
Thailand trip from India with family: visa and entry
Indian passport holders can enter Thailand for tourism without a visa for up to 30 days, and every traveller also completes the free Thailand Digital Arrival Card before arrival. This guide gives what the Royal Thai Embassy in New Delhi, an All India Radio report and the Thai arrival card pages state, and says which family questions we could not confirm.
Sourced 25 October 2026. We read each page linked below on 25 October 2026. The newest embassy notice we read is dated 15 September 2026. Entry rules change, so confirm on the embassy and immigration sites before you book.
The visa rule for Indian passport holders
One row per fact. Every fact comes from the linked page, read on 25 October 2026.
| Topic | What the official page says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| The 30-day exemption | The Royal Thai Embassy in New Delhi announces that the 30-day visa exemption scheme for Indian passport holders entering Thailand for tourism officially takes effect on 15 September 2026. The notice is dated 15 September 2026 | Royal Thai Embassy, New Delhi, notice of 15 September 2026, sourced 25 October 2026 |
| How it was approved | An earlier embassy page, dated 27 July 2026, says the Cabinet of Thailand approved the scheme on 14 July 2026 and that it would take effect 15 days after the Ministry of Interior announcement was published in the Royal Gazette | Royal Thai Embassy, New Delhi, update of 27 July 2026, sourced 25 October 2026 |
| Stays over 30 days | The same embassy page says Indian passport holders wishing to enter Thailand for tourism for longer than 30 days may apply for an appropriate e-visa on the Thai e-visa website, thaievisa.go.th | Royal Thai Embassy, New Delhi, update of 27 July 2026, Thai e-visa site, sourced 25 October 2026 |
| An AIR report | All India Radio reported on 9 September 2026 that the Ministry of Interior of Thailand said Indian tourists holding ordinary passports are exempt from visa requirements for stays of up to 30 days, from the 15th of that month. This is a news report from the government broadcaster, and the embassy notice above is the primary source | All India Radio (Akashvani News), 9 September 2026, sourced 25 October 2026 |
What the embassy page does not say
The embassy notice states the exemption, the 30-day length and the date, and that is all. It gives no rule for children, no passport validity, no list of documents to carry and no fee. Those are the questions families ask most, so we list them below rather than guess.
The Thailand Digital Arrival Card for every traveller
The Royal Thai Consulate-General in Chennai says that starting 1 May 2025, all non-Thai nationals entering Thailand by air, land or sea must complete the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) online before arrival (Chennai consulate notice). A Royal Thai Consulate-General in Dubai page, dated 16 April 2025, adds these points about the TDAC:
- Who. It applies to all non-Thai nationals entering Thailand from 1 May 2025, whether or not they need a visa.
- Cost. Submission is free of charge. The official TDAC site is titled Official Thailand Digital Arrival Card, No Fees Required.
- When. The page says it can be submitted from 3 days before the travel date.
- Keep the email. An acknowledgement email is sent after you complete the form, and you present it with your travel documents at the immigration counter.
- Not a visa. The page says the TDAC is not a visa and does not replace one.
The page does not mention children separately, so check the TDAC site on how to enter each member of a family (Royal Thai Consulate-General in Dubai page on the TDAC, TDAC site, sourced 25 October 2026).
A checklist for a family trip to Thailand
- Count the days. The exemption is for 30 days of tourism. A longer stay needs an e-visa applied for on thaievisa.go.th.
- Complete the TDAC for the family. It is free, opens 3 days before travel, and the acknowledgement email goes to immigration with your documents.
- Check the latest notice. Look at the embassy news page again close to the travel date, because the embassy has published more than one notice on this change.
- Check your passports. The embassy page states no passport validity. Look at the official sources for the current requirement before you book.
Where to go in Bangkok
For a first family stay in the capital, our Bangkok family guide covers the MRT, SEA LIFE and a compact first day. Check any other country's entry rule for an Indian passport with the visa free finder for Indian passport holders.
What we could not confirm
We could not read these on an official Thai page on 25 October 2026, so we state none of them: passport validity, what a child travelling with one parent should carry, visa and e-visa fees, the best months to visit, and flight routes from India. The embassy page on updated consular fees showed its fee table as an image, and we did not read it.
Plan the trip
- Total the costs with the family trip budget calculator.
- Beat the time change with the kids jet lag calculator.
- Need passports for the children? Read how to get a passport for a child in India.
- Compare other trips abroad in trips abroad from India with kids.
Ula, your AI travel companion, plans and books trips with your OK and remembers how you travel. It is in early access, and you can join the waitlist. The tools above work without it.
What we left out
We left out a ranking of Thai destinations, any figure that came from a travel agent or news site rather than an official page, and anything the embassy notices do not state.
Sources
- Royal Thai Embassy, New Delhi, notice of 15 September 2026: newdelhi.thaiembassy.org, sourced 25 October 2026
- Royal Thai Embassy, New Delhi, update of 27 July 2026: newdelhi.thaiembassy.org, sourced 25 October 2026
- All India Radio, 9 September 2026: newsonair.gov.in, sourced 25 October 2026
- Royal Thai Consulate-General in Chennai, TDAC notice: chennai.thaiembassy.org, sourced 25 October 2026
- Royal Thai Consulate-General in Dubai, TDAC page: dubai.thaiembassy.org, sourced 25 October 2026
- Thailand Digital Arrival Card: tdac.immigration.go.th, sourced 25 October 2026
- Thai e-visa: thaievisa.go.th, sourced 25 October 2026
Questions
Do Indians need a visa for Thailand in 2026?
For tourism up to 30 days, no. The Royal Thai Embassy in New Delhi says the 30-day visa exemption for Indian passport holders took effect on 15 September 2026. Stays over 30 days need an e-visa. Sourced 25 October 2026.
When did the 30-day visa exemption for Indians start?
The embassy notice dated 15 September 2026 says it officially takes effect on 15 September 2026. The Cabinet approved it on 14 July 2026. Sourced 25 October 2026.
What is the Thailand Digital Arrival Card?
A free online form for all non-Thai nationals entering Thailand from 1 May 2025, whether or not they need a visa. It can be submitted from 3 days before arrival, is not a visa, and the acknowledgement email goes to immigration. Sourced 25 October 2026.
How long can an Indian tourist stay in Thailand without a visa?
Up to 30 days under the scheme. For longer, the embassy says to apply for an e-visa on thaievisa.go.th. Sourced 25 October 2026.
What documents do children need for Thailand from India?
We do not state any. The embassy pages we read give no child rules, no passport validity and no rule for a child travelling with one parent, so check the official Thai sources before you book.