Visa Rules for Indian Travellers: What Changed in October 2026

Planning a trip abroad this festive season? Five visa changes from the last few weeks decide whether you fly easy or get stuck at a check-in counter. Thailand has cut its free stay for Indians to 30 days, the US has spared India from its new visa bond, the UAE has tightened who gets a visa on arrival, Europe now fingerprints every visitor at the border, and Vietnam and Bali still need a visa before you land.

Rules checked on 12 October 2026.

The quick take

• Thailand: still visa-free for Indians, but only for 30 days (down from 60) from 15 September 2026.
• USA: India is not on the new B1/B2 visa bond list updated on 2 October 2026, so no $10,000–$20,000 deposit for Indian applicants.
• UAE / Dubai: a UK residence visa on its own no longer gets you a visa on arrival. A valid US visa, or an EU visa or residence permit, still does.
• Schengen Europe: the biometric Entry/Exit System (EES) is live at every border. ETIAS does not apply to Indians, who still need a Schengen visa.
• Vietnam and Bali: no visa-free entry for Indians. Vietnam needs an e-visa; Indonesia offers visa on arrival or e-visa.

At a glance: where Indians stand in October 2026

Thailand: still visa-free, but now only 30 days

Indians can still fly to Bangkok, Phuket or Krabi without a visa, but the free stay is now 30 days, not 60. The new rule was published in Thailand's Royal Gazette on 31 August and took effect on 15 September 2026.

The road here was messy. In May 2026 Thailand's Cabinet approved a plan that would have ended visa-free entry and pushed Indians to a paid visa on arrival. Indian arrivals dropped by close to 20% amid the confusion, and on 14 July the Cabinet reversed course and put India on the 30-day exemption list instead.

What to do before you fly:

• Fill the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) within 72 hours before landing.
• Planning more than 30 days? Get the right visa before you leave India; the exemption will not stretch.
• Visiting for a job offer or work? The visa-free route is not for you, says the Indian Embassy in Bangkok.
• Ignore older blogs still promising "60 days visa-free". That rule ended on 14 September.

USA: no visa bond for Indian applicants

Indian B1/B2 (business and tourist) applicants do not have to post a visa bond. The US State Department updated its list on 2 October 2026: 50 countries now face a refundable bond of $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000, set by the consular officer at the interview. India is not on it, though neighbours Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal are.

The list is built from overstay rates in the US Department of Homeland Security's Entry/Exit Overstay Report. Even for listed countries, paying a bond does not guarantee a visa.

What it means for you: your US visit visa process is unchanged. Be wary of anyone asking you to pay a "US visa bond" upfront; a bond is only ever requested by a US consular officer with official instructions. Overstays by Indian visitors are what could put India on this list in future, so stick to your permitted dates.

UAE and Dubai: check your visa on arrival eligibility

The UAE has narrowed who gets a visa on arrival. Indians holding only a UK visa or UK residence permit no longer qualify for the conditional 14-day visa on arrival. Holders of a valid US visit visa or green card, or an EU visit visa or residence permit, still do.

Eligible travellers pay AED 100 for the 14-day entry and can extend once for 14 more days for AED 250, as long as the passport and qualifying visa stay valid for at least six months. The UAE has also floated a 60-day conditional visa on arrival, but it is not confirmed yet.

Our advice: if you do not hold a US or EU document, apply for your UAE tourist visa before you book. Airlines check visa status at check-in in India, and arriving without a valid route means being turned back at the counter, not at Dubai.

Schengen Europe: fingerprints at the border, no ETIAS for Indians

If you are heading to Paris, Rome or Zurich, you still need a Schengen visa. What is new is the EU's Entry/Exit System (EES), fully live at every Schengen border since 10 April 2026: your fingerprints and a facial photo are taken at your first entry, replacing passport stamps.

ETIAS, the online travel authorisation you may have read about, is not for Indians. It only covers nationalities that already enter Europe visa-free, and its launch has slipped to 2027 anyway. Anyone selling you an "ETIAS for India" is selling something you do not need.

Transit tip: Spain, France and Germany have dropped the airport transit visa for Indians changing planes there en route to a non-EU country, which makes European connections to the US or Latin America simpler.

Vietnam and Bali: a visa is still a must

Neither Vietnam nor Indonesia offers visa-free entry to Indians, so these two need sorting before you book non-refundable stays.

Vietnam gives Indians a 90-day e-visa, single or multiple entry. Government fees run about $25 for single entry and $50 for multiple entry, and processing usually takes 3–5 working days. You must enter through the port named on your approved e-visa. In April 2026 the Indian Embassy in Hanoi also warned travellers about Phu Quoc island's visa-free window: it comes with strict conditions and does not cover mainland Vietnam.

Indonesia (Bali) offers Indians a visa on arrival, with an e-visa as the pre-arranged option. Getting it before you fly saves the queue at Denpasar and removes any doubt at the airline counter in India.

How strong is the Indian passport in 2026?

Indian passport holders can enter 55 destinations without arranging a visa in advance, two fewer than in 2025, per the Henley Passport Index. Four countries tightened entry this year, while Malaysia extended its 30-day visa-free stay to 31 December 2026 and Kazakhstan opened a 14-day visa-free window.

The takeaway: the list of easy destinations moves every few months. A country that was visa-free when you started planning can need a visa by the time you fly, so check the rule for your dates, not last year's blog post.

Apply the easy way with Krosz

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If a document is missing, blurry or does not match, we flag it and you re-upload before submission, so the problem is caught by us rather than by an embassy. The Krosz service fee is a flat ₹1,999 + 18% GST, with government visa fees shown separately at checkout.

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Sources

• Free Press Journal: Thailand cuts visa-free stay for Indians from 60 to 30 days
• Akbar Travels: Thailand's 30-day visa-free entry starts 15 September 2026
• Swarajya: Thailand drops plan to end visa-free entry for Indians
• Business Today: US imposes up to $20,000 visa bond on 50 countries, India left out
• News on AIR: US visa bond, India exempt
• Business Standard: UAE changes visa rules for Indians
• Arabian Business: UAE visa fees for eligible Indian nationals
• Outlook Traveller: Schengen's new entry rules, EES and ETIAS
• TripProf: ETIAS launch timing and Indian travellers
• Wego: Vietnam visa for Indians 2026 and the Phu Quoc advisory
• Vietnam Tourism: Vietnam visa for Indian citizens, 2026 guide
• Gulf News: India's visa-free travel map, July 2026
• Wikipedia: Visa requirements for Indian citizens

Visa rules change often. This article reflects rules reported up to 12 October 2026; always confirm with the official embassy or immigration portal before you travel.