A round-up published on 27 October by travel advisory platform VisaLiv highlights a significant jump in visa-free or visa-on-arrival (VOA) access for Indian passport holders in 2025. Thailand, Bhutan, Nepal, Indonesia, Mauritius, Fiji, Jamaica, Serbia, Barbados and the Maldives have all broadened entry concessions, lifting India’s overall ‘travel freedom’ score to its highest level since Henley & Partners began tracking rankings.
Thailand’s decision to waive visas for Indians until mid-2025 has already increased forward flight bookings from India by 32 per cent, according to Amadeus data. Island destinations such as Mauritius and Fiji are courting Indian weddings with fast-track ceremony permits, while Serbia’s inclusion offers corporates a Schengen-border alternative for conferences.
Although most of the listed countries limit stays to 30 days, several—Barbados and Jamaica among them—allow 90-day business visits, a boon for Indian professionals in the IT outsourcing and cruise-line support sectors. Travel insurers caution that medical cover requirements vary; businesses should verify policy wording against each country’s health-entry rules.
The expanded visa-free list strengthens India’s negotiating hand in pending mobility pacts with the EU and Gulf Cooperation Council, say policy analysts. However, they note that the gains will be meaningful only if India reciprocates—something New Delhi has historically been reluctant to do except within SAARC.
HR teams should update global mobility databases and educate employees on stay limits; overstays, even under VOA, can attract steep fines and future entry bans.
Thailand’s decision to waive visas for Indians until mid-2025 has already increased forward flight bookings from India by 32 per cent, according to Amadeus data. Island destinations such as Mauritius and Fiji are courting Indian weddings with fast-track ceremony permits, while Serbia’s inclusion offers corporates a Schengen-border alternative for conferences.
Although most of the listed countries limit stays to 30 days, several—Barbados and Jamaica among them—allow 90-day business visits, a boon for Indian professionals in the IT outsourcing and cruise-line support sectors. Travel insurers caution that medical cover requirements vary; businesses should verify policy wording against each country’s health-entry rules.
The expanded visa-free list strengthens India’s negotiating hand in pending mobility pacts with the EU and Gulf Cooperation Council, say policy analysts. However, they note that the gains will be meaningful only if India reciprocates—something New Delhi has historically been reluctant to do except within SAARC.
HR teams should update global mobility databases and educate employees on stay limits; overstays, even under VOA, can attract steep fines and future entry bans.
