Which country needs which visa? — the eight destinations, on one page
Four of the eight countries Indians travel to most now need no visa at all, two give it on arrival, and two still need an application in advance. Here is the current rule for each, what it costs, how long it takes, and the one document immigration always asks for.
The eight, at a glance
| Country | Rule for Indians | Cost | How | Lead time | Also needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thailand | Visa-free, 30 days (since 15 Sep 2026) | Free | Digital Arrival Card online | Within 72 hrs of landing | Return ticket, hotel booking |
| Malaysia | Visa-free, 30 days, through 31 Dec 2026 | Free | Malaysia Digital Arrival Card online | Within 3 days of travel | Return ticket, hotel booking |
| Sri Lanka | Free ETA — must still apply | Free for Indians | eta.gov.lk | Before you fly; usually same day | ETA approval on your phone |
| Maldives | Free visa on arrival, 30 days | Free | At the airport | None | Confirmed hotel booking + return ticket, checked at immigration |
| Indonesia (Bali) | Visa on arrival, 30 days, extendable once | IDR 500,000 (≈ US$35) + Bali levy IDR 150,000 | At the airport; levy paid online before landing | None for the visa; levy before you fly | Levy QR code, return ticket |
| UAE (Dubai, Abu Dhabi) | Apply in advance | Varies by airline / agent | e-visa via airline or agent; on arrival only with a valid US/UK/EU visa or green card | 2–4 working days | Printout of the e-visa, hotel booking |
| Singapore | Apply in advance | Agent fee | e-visa via an authorised agent — no visa on arrival | 3–5 working days | Approval, hotel booking, return ticket |
| Vietnam | e-visa in advance (Phu Quoc only: visa-free short stay) | US$25 single-entry, 90 days | evisa.gov.vn | 3–5 working days | Printout of the e-visa |
Three things that catch people out
“Free” is not “automatic”. Sri Lanka’s ETA is free for Indians and still mandatory — apply at eta.gov.lk before flying. Thailand’s and Malaysia’s arrival cards are free and still checked. Treat all three as a form to file, not a formality to skip.
The UAE on-arrival rule is narrow. It applies only if you hold a valid US, UK or EU visa or a US green card. Everyone else — most travellers — applies in advance through the airline or an agent, and it takes two to four working days.
The hotel confirmation is a document. The Maldives, Thailand, Malaysia and the UAE all ask to see where you’re staying. Our confirmation is in the format immigration expects; print it or keep it on your phone.
What we do with each booking
Every Worldwide booking from us comes with the entry rule for that country, the official link, and a document checklist — and for the UAE and Singapore, the e-visa arranged alongside the hotel. Rules change: Thailand’s window shortened from 60 to 30 days in September 2026, Malaysia’s visa-free window has an end date. We re-check with every booking, and the destination pages carry the current rule.
Last reviewed: 18 October 2026
Thailand (30 days, with a free Digital Arrival Card), Malaysia (30 days, through 31 December 2026, with a free Digital Arrival Card), and the Maldives (free visa on arrival, 30 days). Sri Lanka's visa is free for Indians but you still have to apply online for the ETA before flying — it's free, not automatic.
The Maldives (free) and Indonesia, including Bali (IDR 500,000, about US$35, plus the Bali tourist levy of IDR 150,000 paid online beforehand). The UAE gives visa on arrival only to Indians who also hold a valid US, UK or EU visa or green card — everyone else applies in advance.
The UAE (e-visa through the airline or an agent, two to four working days), Singapore (e-visa through an authorised agent, three to five working days — no visa on arrival for Indians), and Vietnam (e-visa at evisa.gov.vn, US$25, three to five working days; Phu Quoc alone is visa-free for short stays).
An online form that replaced the paper arrival card. Thailand's must be filed within 72 hours of landing; Malaysia's within three days of travel. Both are free, take ten minutes, and immigration asks to see the confirmation. We send the link with every booking to those countries.
For the UAE and Singapore we arrange the e-visa alongside the hotel booking. For Vietnam and Sri Lanka we send the official link and a one-page how-to and check the approval before you fly. For the visa-free and on-arrival countries we send the arrival-card link and the document checklist. None of it is complicated; all of it goes wrong when left to the night before.
Tell us what you need. We’ll handle the rest.
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