Thailand & Singapore from the UK on an Indian Passport (2026)

You have the flights in your basket. Bangkok for ten nights, a couple of those spent in Singapore on the way home. You are about to pay, and a half-remembered fact reassures you: "Indians get 60 days in Thailand visa-free, so I am covered."

Stop before you click. That rule changed in 2026, and the version most travel blogs still repeat could leave you scrambling at a Bangkok immigration desk with a stay shorter than your hotel booking.

This guide is for Indian passport holders living in the UK who are planning Thailand, Singapore, or both. We will walk through what actually applies in 2026, where the traps are, and when it is worth getting help versus doing it yourself.

Thailand: the 60-day rule is the thing that changed#

For a while, Indian passport holders enjoyed a generous 60-day visa-free entry to Thailand. That is the claim still floating around forums and outdated articles. Here is the update that matters.

In plain terms: the easy, long, free entry is going away or has gone. What replaces it is a short Visa-on-Arrival, which is fine for a quick trip but not for the kind of multi-week stay many people plan around Thailand.

Your reliable longer-stay route: the Thailand eVisa#

If you want a proper Thailand holiday rather than a 15-day dash, the dependable option is the Thailand Tourist eVisa. As of 2026:

• It allows a 60-day stay, and is generally extendable by around 30 days at a local immigration office once you are in the country.
• You apply online before you travel through the official portal at thaievisa.go.th.
• The fee is roughly US$74 at the time of writing (this floats, so confirm it on the portal).

Applying ahead of time removes the airport uncertainty entirely. You arrive with the visa already granted, rather than queuing to buy a Visa-on-Arrival and hoping the requirements have not shifted again.

Here is how the two Thailand options compare:

	Visa on arrival	eVisa (tourist)
Stay	About 15 days	About 60 days
Apply	At airport	Online before travel
Best for	Short trips	Longer trips

The Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) — separate, and mandatory#

Whichever visa route you use, do not confuse the visa with the arrival card.

So a typical longer Thailand trip in 2026 looks like: apply for the eVisa online, then complete the TDAC in the 72 hours before you land. Two separate steps, two separate portals.

Singapore: you need a visa, full stop#

This one surprises people, because Singapore feels so traveller-friendly. But Indian passport holders are not visa-free for Singapore. You need a visa to enter for tourism.

The Singapore e-Visa#

• Indian passport holders apply for the Singapore e-Visa through the SAVE system, which is done via an authorised agent — including UK-based authorised agents.
• The visa is typically valid for up to 2 years, allowing a 30-day stay per visit.
• The fee is around S$30 at the time of writing (confirm the current figure, as it can change).

Because the application runs through an authorised agent rather than a simple self-serve government form, this is one of the cases where having someone prepare it correctly genuinely saves friction. A multi-entry, two-year validity visa is also worth getting right if you expect to return.

The money-saver most people miss: visa-free transit#

If Singapore is only a stopover on your route — say, transiting on the way back to the UK — you may not need a Singapore visa at all.

We will be honest with you: if you are only passing through Singapore and you hold a valid UK residence document, the transit facility may make a Singapore visa unnecessary. We would rather tell you that than sell you a visa you do not need.

The SG Arrival Card#

Just like Thailand, Singapore has an arrival card that is separate from the visa.

A clean planning sequence#

If you are doing both countries on one trip, here is a sensible order of operations.

How to plan a Thailand and Singapore trip

1. Confirm the current Thailand rule first. Before you book dates, check whether the 15-day Visa-on-Arrival or the longer eVisa route fits your stay, and verify the in-force position on official Thai channels.
2. Decide your Thailand route. Short trip? Visa-on-Arrival may suffice. Two weeks or more? Apply for the Thailand eVisa online ahead of travel.
3. Check Singapore: visit or transit. If you are stopping over with a valid UK document, look at the 96-hour Visa-Free Transit Facility before applying for anything. If you are properly visiting, prepare the Singapore e-Visa via an authorised agent.
4. Book flights and accommodation only once your stay length matches your visa. Do not let a 15-day entry collide with a 20-night booking.
5. Complete the arrival cards last. TDAC for Thailand and the SG Arrival Card for Singapore, each within 72 hours of arrival.

DIY versus using a service — the honest version#

Can you do all of this yourself? Yes. The Thailand eVisa portal and Singapore's SAVE process are both designed to be used, and plenty of travellers complete them without help.

Where people come unstuck:

• Outdated information. The Thailand change is recent, and old articles will mislead you into the wrong stay length.
• The agent requirement for Singapore. The SAVE system runs through authorised agents, which catches people out who expect a one-click government form.
• Document quality. Wrong photo specs, a passport too close to expiry, or a mismatched onward ticket cause delays and rejections.
• Knowing when you do not need a visa at all. The transit facility is easy to overlook.

This is where a service earns its keep — not by doing something magical, but by submitting a clean, correctly documented application and by telling you honestly when you can skip a step. That is exactly what we focus on at NriDirect. If you want us to prepare and lodge your application properly, our third-country eVisa service covers Thailand and Singapore for UK-resident Indian passport holders.

We also handle the reverse direction — the India e-Visa expertise that UK residents often need for relatives or return trips — and the same careful approach applies to outbound visas. You can read more about how we work on the third-country eVisa service page.

Related reading#

If you are mapping out wider travel from the UK on an Indian passport, these guides pair well with this one:

• Third-country eVisas for UK residents in 2026 — the overview of how outbound visas work from the UK.
• Schengen visa from the UK on an Indian passport — if Europe is on your itinerary too.
• Dubai and UAE visa from the UK on an Indian passport — another common stopover and holiday route.

The bottom line#

For 2026, the headline is simple: do not trust the old "60 days free in Thailand" line, and do not assume Singapore is visa-free. Confirm the current Thailand position before you book, choose the eVisa if you want a real holiday rather than a short trip, and check whether Singapore's transit facility lets you skip a visa entirely. Then handle the arrival cards as the final step.

If you would rather not second-guess any of it, we are happy to prepare your application cleanly and tell you straight when you do not need one. Start with our third-country eVisa service.

---

This article is general information for UK-resident Indian passport holders and reflects our understanding at the time of writing in 2026. Visa rules, fees, and arrival-card requirements change frequently and without much notice — always confirm the current position with the official Thai and Singapore government sources before booking or travelling. NriDirect is an independent agent and is not affiliated with any embassy, consulate, government authority, or VFS Global.