Indian holiday-makers and business travellers received New Year cheer as both Thailand and Malaysia formally renewed their visa-waiver programmes on 1 January 2026. Bangkok’s Cabinet approved an extension of its 30-day, fee-free entry for Indian passport holders until 31 December 2026, while Kuala Lumpur reinstated its 30-day visa-free window that had lapsed on 31 December.
The Thai Tourism Authority expects the waiver to lift Indian arrivals beyond the record 70,800 logged in 2018, noting that India now ranks among the country’s top five source markets. Airlines have already announced extra Bangalore–Phuket and Mumbai–Krabi frequencies to capture demand around Holi and the summer school break.
Malaysia, which first tested visa-free entry for Indians in January 2025, attributed its renewal to a 45 percent jump in arrivals and higher average spend. Travellers must still complete the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) three days before departure. Failure to do so has resulted in on-arrival fines, so travel managers should embed MDAC reminders in trip-approval workflows.
![Thailand and Malaysia extend visa-free entry for Indians through 2026; Vietnam cuts e-visa time to 24 hours]()
For travellers who prefer expert guidance rather than DIY form-filling, VisaHQ’s India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) can handle everything from MDAC submissions to Vietnam’s expedited e-visa applications. The platform tracks the latest Southeast Asian entry policies, checks documents for compliance, and sends automated deadline alerts—helping both holiday-makers and corporate road warriors avoid costly mistakes.
Vietnam did not scrap visas but has halved processing time for its 90-day multiple-entry e-visa to under 24 hours and signalled that full visa-waiver talks with India are “on the table.” Search traffic for Da Nang and Phu Quoc spiked 200 percent on Google India the morning the news broke.
Why this matters: Indian companies can organise regional conferences and incentive trips with lower lead times and cost. SMEs exporting to ASEAN can schedule short-notice meetings without wrestling with appointment slots at VFS centres. However, travellers should still monitor admissibility rules—over-stays in Thailand attract hefty fines and Malaysia imposes stiff penalties for incomplete MDAC filings.
The Thai Tourism Authority expects the waiver to lift Indian arrivals beyond the record 70,800 logged in 2018, noting that India now ranks among the country’s top five source markets. Airlines have already announced extra Bangalore–Phuket and Mumbai–Krabi frequencies to capture demand around Holi and the summer school break.
Malaysia, which first tested visa-free entry for Indians in January 2025, attributed its renewal to a 45 percent jump in arrivals and higher average spend. Travellers must still complete the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) three days before departure. Failure to do so has resulted in on-arrival fines, so travel managers should embed MDAC reminders in trip-approval workflows.
For travellers who prefer expert guidance rather than DIY form-filling, VisaHQ’s India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) can handle everything from MDAC submissions to Vietnam’s expedited e-visa applications. The platform tracks the latest Southeast Asian entry policies, checks documents for compliance, and sends automated deadline alerts—helping both holiday-makers and corporate road warriors avoid costly mistakes.
Vietnam did not scrap visas but has halved processing time for its 90-day multiple-entry e-visa to under 24 hours and signalled that full visa-waiver talks with India are “on the table.” Search traffic for Da Nang and Phu Quoc spiked 200 percent on Google India the morning the news broke.
Why this matters: Indian companies can organise regional conferences and incentive trips with lower lead times and cost. SMEs exporting to ASEAN can schedule short-notice meetings without wrestling with appointment slots at VFS centres. However, travellers should still monitor admissibility rules—over-stays in Thailand attract hefty fines and Malaysia imposes stiff penalties for incomplete MDAC filings.
