Thailand e-Visa Photo and Visa Exemption for Indians

Indians can visit Thailand visa-free for 30 days from 15 September 2026. For longer stays you apply for a Thai e-Visa online and upload a photo. Here are the portal's photo rules.

Based on official sources · last checked

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Quick answer

Do Indians need a visa photo for Thailand?

Not for tourist trips of up to 30 days: the Royal Thai Embassy in New Delhi says Indian ordinary passport holders are visa-exempt for 30 days from 15 September 2026. For longer stays, apply at thaievisa.go.th and upload a JPG photo taken within six months, head 70–80% of the frame, plain light background.

Since 15 September 2026, Indian ordinary passport holders can visit Thailand visa-free for up to 30 days for tourism or short business trips, says the Royal Thai Embassy in New Delhi. That replaced the earlier 60-day exemption. For a longer stay, apply for an e-Visa at thaievisa.go.th and upload a JPG photo of up to 3 MB, taken within the last six months, with your head filling 70–80% of the frame on a plain, light-coloured background.

Thailand e-Visa photo size and requirements

File JPG or JPEG only, up to 3 MB
Pixel size Not published; the portal rejects photos whose resolution is too low
Head size 70–80% of the photo, centred and looking forward
Background Plain and light-coloured, with no spots, lines or curves
Photo age Taken within the last 6 months
Glasses Eyes clearly visible, with no glare; no sunglasses or tinted glasses
Others in the photo No other people or objects
Printed photo Not needed for the e-Visa upload

Make Thailand visa photo

These rules come from the e-Visa portal's own upload guidance. The portal also has a message saying the image height must be at least 160 pixels, but we could not tell which upload it applies to. The Royal Thai Embassy in Singapore's e-Visa photo page adds a vertical photo, a neutral expression with the mouth closed, no hats or earphones unless worn for religious reasons, and a plain white or off-white background.

Visa-free stays changed in 2026

The 30-day exemption, approved by Thailand's Cabinet on 14 July 2026, replaced the 60-day visa-free stay for Indian passport holders. The Embassy says it applies "until further announcement", and older articles may still mention 60 days, so check the Embassy's visa page before you travel.

Visa exemption for Indian passport holders

The Royal Thai Embassy in New Delhi says the 30-day visa exemption for Indian ordinary passport holders, for tourism and short-term business, has applied since 15 September 2026 and stays in place until further announcement. If you want to stay longer than 30 days, apply for an e-Visa before you travel.

Applying for a Thai e-Visa

Since 1 January 2025, all Thai visa applications go through the official e-Visa website, thaievisa.go.th. You upload a portrait photo as part of the application. The portal gives photo guidance and shows an error message if the resolution is too low.

Use a large, sharp JPG

The portal does not publish a pixel size, but it rejects photos with too low a resolution, so do not reuse a tiny file made for another form. A sharp JPG of a few hundred kilobytes stays well under the 3 MB limit.

How to prepare your Thai e-Visa photo

  1. Check whether you need a visa. Trips of up to 30 days for tourism or short business are visa-free for Indian ordinary passport holders. Apply for an e-Visa for longer stays.
  2. Take a photo on a plain light background. Look straight ahead with your eyes clearly visible, with no sunglasses, tinted glasses or glare. Nobody else and no objects should appear in the photo.
  3. Crop so your head fills 70–80%. Keep the head centred, and do not shrink the photo to a tiny size.
  4. Save it as a JPG of up to 3 MB. The portal accepts only JPG or JPEG files of up to 3 MB. If the file is not a JPG, such as a HEIC photo from an iPhone, convert it with the free 123PhotoTool JPEG converter.
  5. Upload it at thaievisa.go.th. Upload the photo with your e-Visa application and fix anything the portal flags.

Sample photos

Correct photo example: plain light background
Plain light background
Rejected photo example: glare on glasses
Glare on glasses
Rejected photo example: tinted glasses
Tinted glasses
Rejected photo example: coloured background
Coloured background
Rejected photo example: hair across eyes
Hair across eyes
Rejected photo example: too dark
Too dark

Samples show pose, lighting and background. Crop your own photo to the Thailand visa size.

Thailand visa photo FAQ

Not for trips of up to 30 days for tourism or short business. The Royal Thai Embassy in New Delhi says Indian ordinary passport holders have been visa-exempt for 30 days since 15 September 2026. Longer stays need an e-Visa.

A JPG or JPEG of up to 3 MB, taken within the last six months, with your head filling 70–80% of the photo, centred, on a plain, light-coloured background, with your eyes clearly visible.

The portal does not publish one, but it rejects photos with too low a resolution. Upload a sharp photo rather than a tiny file.

No. You upload the photo on thaievisa.go.th as part of the online application.

No. It was replaced by a 30-day exemption from 15 September 2026.

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Official sources

Last checked . Requirements and fees can change, so always confirm with the issuing agency before you apply. This site is independent and not affiliated with any government agency.