The biggest loser of Thailand's May 19, 2026 visa rollback is India, which loses standard visa-free entry entirely and is moved to the 15-day visa-on-arrival tier at 2,000 THB. Maldives, Mauritius, and Seychelles drop from 60 to 15 days but keep visa-free status. Every other country on the old 93-country list moves to 30 days. This article covers what changes for each, what the alternatives are, and what to do before the Royal Gazette publication.
TL;DR — who loses what
One country loses visa-free status outright (India). Three countries drop to 15 days (Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles). The rest stay visa-free at 30 days. Here is the affected list in one table:
| Country | Old stay (60-day scheme) | New status | Fee | Workaround |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| India | 60 days visa-free | 15-day visa-on-arrival | 2,000 THB | e-Visa, Non-Imm O |
| Maldives | 60 days visa-free | 15 days visa-free | Free | TR visa for longer stay |
| Mauritius | 60 days visa-free | 15 days visa-free | Free | TR visa for longer stay |
| Seychelles | 60 days visa-free | 15 days visa-free | Free | TR visa for longer stay |
All other countries from the 60-day list (US, UK, EU, Australia, Japan, etc.) move to 30 days. See full country list.
India — the biggest loser
Indian passport holders lose visa-free entry to Thailand entirely on the effective date. Confirmed by Business Today (May 21, 2026) and Travel Trade Journal (May 20, 2026). India is moved into the 15-day visa-on-arrival tier alongside Azerbaijan, Belarus, and Serbia.
What this means for Indian travelers
- No more free 60-day stamp on arrival. From the effective date, Indian passports do not qualify for visa-exempt entry at all.
- Visa-on-arrival (VOA) at 2,000 THB is available for stays up to 15 days. This is the closest substitute for the visa-free entry Indians had under the 60-day scheme.
- Maximum VOA stay is 15 days. No 30-day extension is available on VOA.
- For longer stays, Indians must apply for an e-Visa or a paper visa at the Thai Embassy in New Delhi or a VFS centre.
The three alternatives for Indian travelers
Indians have three workable alternatives: VOA, e-Visa, and Non-Immigrant O for family ties. Each fits a different trip profile.
Option 1: Visa-on-arrival (VOA) — for trips ≤ 15 days
- Cost: 2,000 THB at the airport (cash or card)
- Stay: 15 days, no extension
- Where: All Thai international airports
- Documents: Passport (6 months validity), one passport photo, confirmed return flight within 15 days, proof of accommodation, 10,000 THB cash per person (rarely checked)
- Use case: Short business trip, weekend getaway, layover stay
Option 2: e-Visa (Tourist) — for trips up to 60 days
- Cost: Single-entry tourist e-Visa 2,500 THB (~3,000 INR after April 2026 fee hike); multiple-entry 5,000 THB (~13,500 INR), per Wego Travel Blog
- Stay: 60 days, extendable by 30 days at immigration (90 days total)
- Where: thaievisa.go.th — the official Thailand e-Visa portal
- Processing: 3–7 working days single entry, 5–10 working days multiple entry, per Times of Visa
- Use case: Standard 1–3 month Thailand holiday — this is the new default for Indian travelers replacing the lost 60-day exemption
Option 3: Non-Immigrant O — for family ties
- For Indians with a Thai spouse, Thai child, or Thai parent
- 90-day initial stamp, extendable to 1 year on annual basis at immigration
- Requires documentary proof of the family relationship (marriage certificate translated and legalised, or birth certificate)
- See our Non-Immigrant visa guide
What Indian travelers should do this week
- If your trip starts before the Royal Gazette effective date — you still get the 60-day exemption. Book and travel.
- If your trip starts after the effective date — apply for the e-Visa now if your stay exceeds 15 days. Processing is 3–7 working days for single entry.
- If your trip is short (≤ 15 days) — VOA is fine. Bring 2,000 THB cash and a passport photo to the airport.
- Bookmark the Thailand visa news tracker for the Royal Gazette publication date.
Full breakdown in our Thailand visa for Indian citizens guide and our visa-on-arrival guide.
Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles — dropped to 15 days
Three island nations drop from 60 days visa-free to 15 days visa-free. Confirmed in Nation Thailand (May 19, 2026) and Visas News (May 19, 2026). They retain visa-free status but with the shortest stay of any visa-free tier.
What changes for these three
- Initial stamp: 15 days (was 60)
- Extension at immigration: Still +30 days for 1,900 THB
- Maximum stay: 45 days (was 90)
- Land-border cap: 2 entries per calendar year, same as the 30-day tier
- Fee: Free (no change)
Why these three specifically?
No official rationale has been published for the choice of Maldives, Mauritius, and Seychelles. The Cabinet did not name these countries when explaining the policy. Common analyst speculation across Nation Thailand and Travel and Tour World points to three factors:
- Low arrivals volume. All three send a small absolute number of tourists to Thailand annually compared to the 50+ countries staying at 30 days.
- Asymmetric reciprocity. Thai passport holders do not receive equivalent 60-day visa-free access to these three countries.
- Overstay and conversion patterns. Thai immigration data on overstay rates and tourism-to-residency conversion for these three may have flagged them — though this has not been officially confirmed.
The three countries were also at 15 days under earlier pre-2024 frameworks, so the May 19, 2026 decision is effectively a return to the older baseline rather than a punitive cut.
What citizens of these three should do
For trips of 15 days or less: nothing changes operationally. Just arrive.
For trips of 16–45 days: arrive on the 15-day stamp, then visit any Thai immigration office before day 15 to extend by 30 days for 1,900 THB.
For trips longer than 45 days: apply for a tourist visa (TR) at a Thai embassy before travel. TR visas give a 60-day initial stamp plus a 30-day extension (90 days total), restoring the equivalent of the old visa-free maximum.
Why these countries — the Cabinet's pattern
Looking at the cuts together, the pattern is clear: countries with limited Thai diaspora and lower tourism conversion lose the most. India had the largest absolute arrivals among the cut countries — but Thai officials have publicly raised concerns about Indian tourists using the 60-day window for unregulated work and informal trade.
The four countries demoted (India, Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles) share three traits:
- None are in the EU, North America, or Australia/NZ economic blocs
- None have a strong bilateral tourism reciprocity agreement with Thailand
- All four were upgraded from shorter terms during the 2024 tourism push
This makes the May 19 decision a partial reversal of the 2024 expansion rather than a new restrictive policy.
The visa-on-arrival tier — who is on it now
The new VOA tier has four countries: Azerbaijan, Belarus, Serbia, and India. Down from 31 countries previously on the VOA list — most of which appear to have been folded into the 30-day visa-free tier or removed entirely (the Cabinet has not published the full transition map; we will update once the Ministry of Interior notifications are gazetted).
| VOA country | Stay | Fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | 15 days | 2,000 THB | New addition; was visa-free |
| Azerbaijan | 15 days | 2,000 THB | Unchanged |
| Belarus | 15 days | 2,000 THB | Unchanged |
| Serbia | 15 days | 2,000 THB | Unchanged |
VOA does not allow extension. For longer stays, all four nationalities need an e-Visa or paper tourist visa.
What is NOT changing
To avoid confusion: the following groups are not affected by the May 19 decision.
- Tourists from the 30-day bilateral tier (China, Hong Kong, Macau, Russia, Vietnam, Laos, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Timor-Leste) — already at 30 days
- Tourists from the 90-day bilateral tier (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, South Korea) — bilateral agreements preserved
- DTV holders — Destination Thailand Visa unaffected
- LTR holders — Long-Term Resident visa unaffected
- Non-Immigrant O / O-A / O-X retirees — retirement visa pathways unaffected
- DTV and ED visa applicants — separate processes; see the news tracker for the parallel ED visa crackdown
Frequently asked questions
Did India lose visa-free entry permanently or temporarily?
The Cabinet framed this as a permanent reversion to the pre-2024 framework. There is no expiry date or review clause in the Ministry of Interior notifications.
What is the cheapest way for an Indian to visit Thailand now?
For trips up to 15 days, the visa-on-arrival at 2,000 THB is the cheapest legal option. For longer trips, the e-Visa single-entry tourist visa at 2,500 THB gives you 60 days plus the option to extend by 30.
Can Indians still use the 60-day exemption if they enter before the effective date?
Yes. Entries made before the Royal Gazette publication + 15 days are honoured at the 60-day stamp. After the effective date, Indian passports get VOA only.
Why is the Maldives on this list when Maldivian tourism to Thailand is so small?
It is one of the open questions of the May 19 decision. The official rationale was not country-specific. The most likely factor is the absence of a strong bilateral reciprocity agreement, since Maldives is one of the few visa-free countries that does not extend equivalent treatment to Thai passport holders.
Are there other countries that might be cut later?
The Visa Policy Committee will conduct an ongoing country-by-country review, per Nation Thailand (May 19, 2026). No specific countries are flagged for future cuts. Watch the visa news tracker for updates.
Sources
- Business Today, "Thailand scraps 60-day visa-free stay — impact on Indians" (May 21, 2026)
- Travel Trade Journal, "Thailand to roll back 60-day visa-free scheme — including India" (May 20, 2026)
- Nation Thailand, "Thailand scraps 60-day free visa, restores old exemption rules" (May 19, 2026)
- Visas News, "Thailand Cabinet approves end of 60-day visa-free entry for 93 countries" (May 19, 2026)
- Wego Travel Blog, "Thailand Updates Visa and Consular Fees in India" (April 2026)
- Times of Visa, "Thailand Visa for Indians 2026" (May 2026)
- Thailand official e-Visa portal, thaievisa.go.th
Looking for help with the new e-Visa process? Check the agency reviews before paying any agent. Most Indian travelers can complete the e-Visa application themselves.
