Thailand Approves a 30-Day Visa Exemption Framework — Not Yet in Force, and India Keeps Visa-Free Entry

On 16 July 2026, the Thai Cabinet approved updated details for Thailand’s visa-exemption and Visa-on-Arrival measures, replacing the 60-day visa exemption introduced in July 2024 with a differentiated framework. The approach follows a stated principle of one country or territory, one entry category, with eligibility assessed on economic factors, security, international relations and reciprocity.

The timing matters more than the detail. The five related Ministry of Interior announcements remain pending publication in the Royal Gazette, and they take effect 15 days after that publication. Until then, current entry conditions continue to apply — the 60-day visa exemption is still the rule today. Thailand has also confirmed that foreign nationals who enter before the new measures take effect will be permitted to remain for the duration of their existing permitted stay.

The approved measures sort eligible countries and territories into three categories:

The full country-by-country list appears in the Ministry of Interior announcements themselves. Until those are published in the Royal Gazette, the authoritative reference for your own passport is the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs — check your nationality’s category there rather than relying on any summary, including this one.

Indian ordinary-passport holders are currently visa-exempt for up to 60 days. Under the approved framework, India is placed in the 30-day visa-exemption category. In practical terms, Indian travellers keep visa-free entry to Thailand once the change takes effect — the permitted stay shortens from 60 days to 30, but there is no visa and no visa-on-arrival step to complete.

This supersedes an earlier, never-published proposal that would have moved India to a 15-day Visa on Arrival. That earlier plan is not the approved position: the 16 July 2026 Cabinet decision places India in the 30-day visa-exemption category, which Thailand attributed to India’s economic importance and the longer average stay of Indian visitors, reported at 7.17 days.

Thailand is one of the most popular short-haul destinations from the UAE, and entitlement follows your passport rather than your UAE residence. For travellers whose nationality is on the exemption list, the practical change is the length of stay: 30 days instead of 60, once the measures take effect. For a typical one-week or two-week holiday from Dubai, that makes no difference at all. It matters if you were planning a long stay, a multi-week family visit, or a slow-travel trip built around the 60-day allowance.

Nationalities that currently need a visa for Thailand — Pakistani and Bangladeshi passport holders among them — should not read this as a change in their favour. The approved measures reorganise the exemption and Visa-on-Arrival categories; they do not create new exemptions for nationalities outside them. The tourist e-Visa route through the official Thai e-Visa portal remains the correct path for those travellers.

1. 1If you are travelling in the next few weeks, plan on the current rules — they remain in force until 15 days after the Royal Gazette publishes.
2. 2If your trip depends on staying longer than 30 days, check the Royal Gazette status before you book, and consider a tourist e-Visa which carries a longer allowance.
3. 3If you are already in Thailand or will arrive before the change takes effect, you keep the stay you were granted — you do not need to leave early.
4. 4Verify your own passport’s category with the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs rather than relying on any secondary summary of the country lists.
5. 5Watch for the Royal Gazette publication — that is the event that starts the 15-day countdown, not the Cabinet approval.
6. 6Contact OraVisa if you need help deciding between visa-exempt entry and a tourist e-Visa for a longer stay.

This update is based on publicly available information from the Tourism Authority of Thailand newsroom and reporting by Xinhua, Nation Thailand and The Star, as of 26 July 2026. The measures described were approved by the Thai Cabinet on 16 July 2026 and are NOT yet in force: the five related Ministry of Interior announcements remain pending publication in the Royal Gazette and take effect 15 days after publication. Current entry conditions continue to apply until then. Country lists are summarised from those reports; the authoritative per-country position is the published announcement text and the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This analysis is provided for informational purposes to help UAE residents understand the approved change. It does not constitute legal advice.