Visa-free countries for Indians (2026): 6 easy trips

Rules checked against official sources in October 2026. Rules change; we confirm them again when we plan your trip.

Some of the best family holidays from India need no visa in advance at all. Of the countries we plan trips to, six are easy for Indian passport holders: three are visa-free, two give a visa on arrival and one has a free online ETA.

Easy does not mean nothing to do. Most of these countries now want an online arrival card or declaration before you land. This round-up lists what each one asks for, from its official sources. Our full visa guide covers every country we plan trips to.

Thailand: visa-free for 30 days

From 15 September 2026, Indian passport holders can enter Thailand without a visa for tourism and stay up to 30 days, until further announcement. Every traveller fills in the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) online in the 3 days before arrival. It is free on the official site, tdac.immigration.go.th.

Thailand has changed this rule several times, so we check it again before you travel. Our Thailand trip covers Bangkok, Krabi and Phuket in 7 nights.

Malaysia: visa-free for 30 days, until 31 December 2026

Indian citizens can enter Malaysia without a visa for up to 30 days. Carry a passport valid for at least 6 months, confirmed return flight tickets and a confirmed hotel booking, and submit the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) online 3 days before arrival.

The exemption is set to end on 31 December 2026. For travel after that, we confirm the rule when we plan your trip. Note that our Singapore and Malaysia trip also needs a Singapore visa, which is arranged in advance.

Mauritius: no visa required

Mauritius lists India as “No visa required”. You show these on arrival:

• Passport valid beyond your intended stay
• Return ticket
• Confirmed hotel booking
• Enough money for your stay

The immigration officer at the airport decides how long you may stay and has the final say on entry. Mauritius also links to an online “All-in-One Travel Digital Form” for arrivals; we check whether it applies to your dates. See our Mauritius trip.

Bali (Indonesia): visa on arrival

Indian passport holders can get Indonesia’s B1 tourist visa on arrival for IDR 500,000, or apply for it online in advance as an e-VOA on evisa.imigrasi.go.id. It allows up to 30 days, extendable once for another 30 days.

• Passport valid for at least 6 months
• Onward or return ticket out of Indonesia
• Arrival card, submitted online within 3 days before arrival
• Bali’s separate tourist levy of IDR 150,000 per international tourist, paid online on the Love Bali site

Our Bali trip runs 8 nights across Seminyak, Uluwatu, Nusa Penida, Gili Trawangan and Ubud.

Maldives: visa on arrival

The Maldives grants a tourist visa on arrival with no pre-approval. Before you land, each traveller, children included, submits a free Traveller Declaration on the official IMUGA portal, up to 96 hours before arrival.

• Passport with a machine-readable zone, valid for at least 1 month. Passports with extended validity are not accepted.
• Confirmed return ticket
• Prepaid confirmed booking at a registered resort, hotel or guesthouse
• Enough money for the stay
• Yellow fever vaccination certificate, if applicable (children under 1 are exempt)

Each child needs their own passport. How long the visa on arrival lets you stay is not something we quote from memory; we confirm it when we plan your trip.

Sri Lanka: a free ETA

Sri Lanka is the one on this list where you apply before travel. Indian passport holders need an Electronic Travel Authorisation, and since 25 May 2026 it is free for Indian nationals. Apply on eta.gov.lk before you fly. It gives 30 days, with a double entry allowed within that period.

What visa-free still asks of you

• An online arrival form for most of these countries: the TDAC for Thailand, the MDAC for Malaysia, the arrival card for Indonesia and the IMUGA declaration for the Maldives.
• A deadline for each form, usually a few days before landing.
• Passport validity rules, which differ by country: 6 months for Bali and Malaysia, 1 month for the Maldives.
• Proof of your plans, such as return tickets and hotel bookings, where the official list asks for them.

And in every case, the immigration officer at the airport makes the final decision on entry.

Countries that need a visa in advance

For contrast, the UAE (unless you hold a qualifying visa or residence permit), Singapore, Japan, New Zealand, the UK and the Schengen countries of Europe all need a visa arranged before you travel. Vietnam and Georgia have online e-Visas. Each has its own page in our visa guide.

Visa-free travel questions