# Thailand Visa Processing Time from India (2026 Update) > A Thai e-Visa from India takes about 14 working days from fee payment. See when the clock starts, centre lead times and when you need no visa at all. _Published: 2026-10-16 · Reading time: 6 min · Words: 1417_ ## TL;DR The Royal Thai Embassy in New Delhi states approximately 14 working days from receipt of the visa fee payment for every e-Visa type. Indians visiting for up to 30 days for tourism or short business are visa-exempt from 15 September 2026, but must still file the TDAC 3 days before arrival. ## Key takeaways - Royal Thai Embassy, New Delhi: approximately 14 working days from receipt of the visa fee payment, for all e-Visa types. - From 15 September 2026 Indians get a 30-day visa exemption for tourism and short business; Visa on Arrival no longer covers India. - The free Thailand Digital Arrival Card must be submitted 3 days before arrival, even when you travel visa-free. - VFS minimum lead times: Chennai jurisdiction 3 to 5 working days, Mumbai 5, Pune and Goa 7, Ahmedabad 8. - Print the granted e-Visa: airlines and Thai immigration do not accept copies on phones. **According to the Royal Thai Embassy in New Delhi, a Thai e-Visa applied for from India takes approximately 14 working days from the date the Embassy receives your visa fee payment, for every visa type. Indian ordinary passport holders visiting for tourism or short business for up to 30 days need no visa at all.** ## Article This update draws on the Embassy's September 2026 e-Visa FAQ, the Royal Thai Consulates-General and the VFS Global centre pages, as published on the official sources, checked on 2026-10-15. All Thai figures are in working days, so weekends are not counted. ### Do you need to wait for a Thai visa at all? Check the visa exemption first, because it removes the processing question for most short holidays. From 15 September 2026, until further announcement, Indian ordinary passport holders can enter Thailand visa-free for up to 30 days for tourism and short-term business engagements (Royal Thai Embassy, New Delhi). Longer stays need a visa. - Visa on Arrival is not an option for Indians. Under the scheme effective 15 September 2026, Thailand's Visa on Arrival (15 days, THB 2,000) covers only Azerbaijan, Belarus and Serbia. An older Royal Thai Consulate-General Mumbai page still lists Indians for a 15-day VoA; the Embassy's September 2026 announcement supersedes it. - Visa-free travellers still have a deadline. Every passenger must complete the free Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC), which foreigners must submit 3 days in advance of their arrival date. If you plan to stay longer than 30 days, or you are going to study, work or use a long-stay route, you need an e-Visa and the timelines below apply. ### When does the 14-working-day clock start? Since 1 January 2025, every Thai visa for applicants in India is applied for online at thaievisa.go.th. The Embassy's FAQ gives the processing time as approximately 14 working days from the date of receipt of the visa fee payment. The clock does not start when you create your account or upload documents. The Royal Thai Consulate-General in Kolkata words it slightly differently in its January 2025 e-Visa guideline: approximately within 14 working days from the date the visa-fee receipt is issued. Kolkata also requires the fee to be paid within 14 days of submitting the complete application. - Create an account at thaievisa.go.th and verify your email. One account can file up to 10 applications at a time for you and your family. - Choose the visa category, upload your passport bio page, photo and supporting documents, and submit. - Pay the fee offline as your mission requires. The Embassy in New Delhi accepts no cash: you pay by bank transfer or UPI to its DBS Bank account, or by cash deposit at a DBS branch, then email the slip and the Payment Info Summary to the Embassy. - Processing runs from the payment receipt, and the granted e-Visa arrives by email. A late payment, or a payment slip that is never emailed, pushes back the start date. Visa fees are non-refundable in all circumstances, including when an e-Visa application is withdrawn. ### How long does each Thai mission and VFS centre take? Thailand has four missions in India. VFS Global runs centres under the three Consulates-General, and each publishes its own minimum lead time. These are the figures on the official pages: Office or centreStated processing or lead timeRoyal Thai Embassy, New Delhi (e-Visa, all visa types)Approximately 14 working days from receipt of the visa fee paymentConsulate-General Kolkata (e-Visa guideline, January 2025)Approximately within 14 working days from the date the visa-fee receipt is issuedVFS Kolkata, touristApproximately 14 working days; travel date at least seven working days from submissionChennai jurisdictionMinimum 3 to 5 working days from receipt by the Consulate-General ChennaiMumbai jurisdiction, touristMumbai minimum 5 working days; Pune and Goa minimum 7; Ahmedabad minimum 8The VFS minimums are the shortest gaps the centres accept between submission and travel. They are not promises. Where the figures differ, plan around the Embassy's 14 working days: it is the most recent statement, and the e-Visa covers every visa type except the Privilege Entry Visa for Thailand Elite members. Your office depends on where you are located. The Embassy in New Delhi covers Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, the North-Eastern states, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Chandigarh. Mumbai covers Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Chennai covers Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala, Karnataka and Puducherry. Kolkata covers West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. ### How early should you apply before your flight? Work backwards from your departure date. Fourteen working days excludes weekends, so the calendar time is longer, and the Embassy's checklists warn that additional documents or an interview may be requested. - Apply once your dates and bookings are fixed, and pay the fee promptly so processing starts. - Track the status by logging in at thaievisa.go.th. - Print the granted e-Visa. You must show the printout to the airline at check-in and to Thai immigration on arrival; copies on phones are not accepted. - Check that your centre is open for submissions. VFS Global put application acceptance at the Bengaluru Thailand centre on hold until further notice on 6 August 2026. For reference, a single-entry tourist e-Visa (TR) costs INR 3,000, with 3 months validity and 60 days stay. A multiple-entry tourist visa costs INR 13,500, with 6 months validity and 60 days per entry. These rates apply at the Embassy and all Consulates-General from 27 April 2026. ### What slows a Thai e-Visa down? The Embassy's September 2026 note on common mistakes lists the errors to avoid. Each one can mean a correction or a fresh application: - Name fields: enter your given name and surname exactly as in the passport, and leave the middle-name field blank. - Photo: colour, 630 x 810 pixels, ICAO standard, head and top of shoulders with the face filling 80-85% of the photo, plain white background. The FAQ asks for a photo taken within the last 6 months, JPG/JPEG up to 3 MB. - Location: Thai visas are issued only to applicants physically present in India throughout the e-Visa process. Upload proof of your current location, such as a house agreement, Aadhaar card or monthly electricity bill, and apply to the mission covering where you are. - Payment: follow your mission's payment route exactly and email the slip with the Payment Info Summary. ### How long do student, work and long-stay visas take? Student visas (Non-immigrant ED, INR 7,000 single entry) and work visas (Non-immigrant B Employment or IB, INR 7,000 single entry) follow the same Embassy e-Visa time: approximately 14 working days from receipt of the fee payment. Working in Thailand also needs a work permit, which is separate from the visa. The Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) costs INR 30,000 and is a five-year multiple-entry visa allowing up to 180 days per entry. The Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa adds a Board of Investment stage first: a result within 20 working days of complete documents, then pre-approval in 1-3 working days. The visa is then issued at a Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate-General, or the One Stop Service Center in Bangkok, within 60 days of the endorsement letter. The Embassy fee is INR 140,000 for 10 years. For categories, fees and checklists in one place, see our Thailand visa guide for Indian passport holders. If your Thai file needs supporting papers, Yatra For Fun's India office in Gurugram prepares flight reservations, hotel bookings, travel itineraries and cover letters. Packages run from INR 1,000 for a flight reservation to INR 3,000 for a reservation, hotel booking, itinerary and cover letter. Message us on WhatsApp at +91 95230 91018 or through our contact page. ### Frequently asked questions #### Can an Indian living in Dubai apply for a Thai e-Visa through the missions in India? No. The Royal Thai Embassy's e-Visa FAQ says Thai visas are issued only to applicants physically present in India throughout the e-Visa process. You apply to the mission covering where you are located. #### Does applying through VFS Global make a Thai visa faster? The official pages do not say so. The Embassy allows you to apply yourself or through processing companies such as VFS Global, BLS International or DU Digital, or a travel agent, and the stated e-Visa time is approximately 14 working days from fee payment. The Embassy is not responsible for incomplete applications filed by representatives. #### How do I receive my Thai e-Visa once it is approved? The granted e-Visa is emailed to you. Print it and show the printout to the airline at check-in and to Thai immigration on arrival, because copies on phones are not accepted. #### Is the Thai visa fee refunded if I withdraw my application? No. The Embassy's checklists state that visa fees are non-refundable in all circumstances, including when an e-Visa application is withdrawn. ## FAQ ### Can an Indian living in Dubai apply for a Thai e-Visa through the missions in India? No. The Royal Thai Embassy's e-Visa FAQ says Thai visas are issued only to applicants physically present in India throughout the e-Visa process. You apply to the mission covering where you are located. ### Does applying through VFS Global make a Thai visa faster? The official pages do not say so. The Embassy allows you to apply yourself or through processing companies such as VFS Global, BLS International or DU Digital, or a travel agent, and the stated e-Visa time is approximately 14 working days from fee payment. The Embassy is not responsible for incomplete applications filed by representatives. ### How do I receive my Thai e-Visa once it is approved? The granted e-Visa is emailed to you. Print it and show the printout to the airline at check-in and to Thai immigration on arrival, because copies on phones are not accepted. ### Is the Thai visa fee refunded if I withdraw my application? No. The Embassy's checklists state that visa fees are non-refundable in all circumstances, including when an e-Visa application is withdrawn. ## Sources 1. [Royal Thai Embassy New Delhi - Visa](https://newdelhi.thaiembassy.org/en/page/visa) — Royal Thai Embassy, New Delhi 2. [FAQs on Thailand's e-Visa for applicants in India (September 2026)](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cJAO6FtZ46gX5ekvxzAqViXnY88tke6v/view) — Royal Thai Embassy, New Delhi 3. [e-Visa application guidelines (January 2025)](https://kolkata.thaiembassy.org/en/publicservice/e-visa-application-guidelines-as-of-jan-2025) — Royal Thai Consulate-General, Kolkata 4. [Revision of visa exemption and VoA schemes 2026](https://newdelhi.thaiembassy.org/en/content/the-revision-of-thailand-s-visa-exemption-and-voa?cate=614489aad04d1e09fa498c92) — Royal Thai Embassy, New Delhi