Do Residents of India Need a Visa to Go to Thailand?

Nationals of India need a visa to travel to the Kingdom of Thailand. Depending on the purpose of their visit, the Indians can apply for various types of visas. In addition to tourist documents, foreign residents can apply for education, work, and marriage visas, among others.

To apply for the Thailand tourist visa, the citizens of India have a few available methods. These are Visa on Arrival, online, and offline application options. For further details about securing the official permit to visit the kingdom, please continue reading.

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Applying for a Thailand tourist visa if you are from India

As an Indian citizen, you can apply for a Thai tourist visa based on multiple factors. Some of the most significant ones are the duration of your trip and the number of entries.

Thai visa application requirements for travelers

To be taken into consideration for the official tourist travel permission approval, residents of India, and most others, need to meet various mandatory requirements. For starters, you have to secure a valid passport or other travel document and prove to have funds to support yourself during the trip.

The complete list of requirements you need to meet looks like this:

Application form

Every applicant has to complete an application form regulated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of the Kingdom of Thailand. Besides personal info, you have to specify the intended address, the local guarantor, and the dates of arrival and departure. If applicable, you have to disclose when you previously traveled to Thailand.

Passport

Your passport has to be valid for at least six months following the end of your journey. Furthermore, there should be two blank pages available for entry and exit stamps. If you don't have the passport of the Republic of India, you need to present another travel document accepted by the Thai MFA.

Thailand visa

Sufficient funds

To be eligible for the tourist visa, you will have to offer the means of supporting yourself while visiting the kingdom. Prescribed sufficient funds for individual travelers are 20,000 Baht (currently around 46,000 INR). The lower limit for families is 40,000 Baht (approx. 92,000 INR).

Return tickets

Confirming that you have a return ticket from Thailand to India is also a step toward achieving the tourist entry permit. You usually don't need to present the original since a copy is also valid. In some cases, the Thai authorities may ask you to specify the date when you intend to travel only.

Other

In addition, you will have to provide a few other documents and extras. The bank statement regarding your finances during the past half a year and a photo sized 4x6 cm are some. Also, the authorities may instruct you to provide other documents in some cases, such as approvals, references, and letters.

Application process

The validity of the tourist travel permit for a visit to the Thailand Kingdom could be either three or six months. The MFA officials approve three months to visitors intending to enter Thailand once. Holders of multi-entry visas benefit from the validity period of six months.

Please note that the duration of your stay cannot exceed 60 days regardless of the type of tourist visa. For a prolonged sojourn before you return to India, apply for the extension at the Immigration Bureau. The non-refundable application fee for a Thai visa is 1,000 Baht (₹2,300).

Visa on Arrival (VOA)

Visa on Arrival grants greater convenience for the nationals of India that travel to Thailand for a short holiday. Consequently, some requirements for this type of travel permit are different from other common Thai tourist visas.

By arriving at the specified airport or border crossing in ex-Siam, you apply for the VOA. For a successful application, you need to possess a passport valid for six months beyond leaving the kingdom, a photo, and proof of booked accommodation.

The Visa on Arrival is valid 15 days only. Hence, you have to confirm that you won't overstay your trip by presenting the return ticket whose validity is within the mandatory time frame.

Thailand airport for visa on arrival

Since the VOA features a shorter validity period than regular visas, the mandatory funds for supporting the trip are lower, too. In this case, the lower limit of sufficient funds for individual Indian travelers is 10,000 THB (23,100 INR). Families need to prove that they have 20,000 THB (46,200 INR) at least.

Some major entry checkpoints where you can receive the visa on arrival are Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports in Bangkok and Chiang Mai Airport. Phuket and Krabi airports also offer this convenient service.

Border crossings approving the Thailand VOA are available for travelers leaving the neighboring nations of Myanmar, Laos, Malaysia, and Cambodia.

Applying online for a Thai tourist visa

If you need more time for your trip from India to Thailand, you should apply for the travel permit online. Thailand Visa Application Centers (VFS Global) in India accept these requests, proceeding them to the Thai embassy in New Delhi or an appointed consulate.

To initiate the visa approval procedure, visit the VFS Global website. Processing times upon the completion of the request are, in general, around four days.

Offline requests

You can also submit your visa application request offline by contacting the VFS Global centers in India. VFS Global offices in the Republic of India are located in Chennai, Kerala, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru. The hours of operation of each of them are from 8 am to 12 pm and from 1 pm to 3 pm, Monday to Friday.

Summary

Thailand is an outstanding country for traveling, pretty much like India. So we encourage you to apply for a Thai visa allowing you a more extended stay. First-class tourist destinations are located from the far north to the far south of the kingdom, so you would want as much time as you can get for the tour.

Because of the currency fluctuations, the amount of Thai Baht you receive for Indian Rupees may vary. Also, note that you will need to pay for the visa in the local currency. So, make sure you have enough Baht when arriving at the border or airport checkpoint.