Iran, Thailand allow visa-free entry to Indian passport holders; list of places to travel without visa in holiday season

Updated on: Dec 18, 2023, 08:33:22 IST

By Krishna Priya Pallavi, Delhi

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Thailand and Malaysia are now visa-free for Indian passport holders. Left: The Sumeru mountain palace; Right: Batu Caves. (Pexels)

Indian passport holders can rejoice as several countries are waving off visa requirements. Here are other nations you can travel to in the holiday season.

The upcoming year is a great opportunity for Indian passport holders. Why, you ask? Well, many countries have recently waived visa requirements for Indian tourists. You can take full advantage of this new rule to travel to your heart's content without the added headache of figuring out visa rules and getting a visa approved for visiting a new nation. While Iran was the most recent country to announce visa-free travel for Indian passport holders, other nations in this list are Thailand, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Kenya. Therefore, Indians during the holiday season can now travel to several destinations with extended visa-free privileges.

(Also Read | 2024 Long Weekends: Best places to travel in India on your long weekends in 2024. See detailed itinerary)

Countries Indians can travel to without visa in holiday season

Earlier last month, the Thailand government delighted Indian tourists by announcing that Indian passport holders will not require a tourist visa to enter Thailand from November 10, 2023, to May 10, 2024. The Thai authorities made the temporary visa exemption for a 30-day stay for tourism purposes. Sri Lanka also announced the same provision for Indian travellers till March 31, 2024, for a 30-day stay. This week, Iran waived visa requirements for 33 countries, including India. Last month, Malaysia allowed Indians a 30-day visa-free arrival from December 1, 2023. Lastly, Kenya will also permit tourists from any corner of the globe to enter without a visa.

Apart from the recent additions of Thailand, Malaysia, Kenya, Iran and Sri Lanka to the list of countries that allow Indian tourists to enter without a visa, over 20 more nations do not require a visa to enter for Indian passport holders. They are --

Cook Islands

Fiji

Micronesia

Niue

Vanuatu

Oman

Qatar

Barbados

British Virgin Islands

Dominica

Grenada

Haiti

Jamaica

Montserrat

St Kitts and Nevis

St Vincent and the Grenadines

Trinidad and Tobago

Bhutan

Kazakhstan

Hong Kong

Nepal

El Salvador

Mauritius

Senegal

Tunisia

Macao (SAR China)

Gabon

Madagascar

Rwanda

Meanwhile, a few other countries offer visa-on-arrival options for Indian passport holders. They are Seychelles, Maldives, Indonesia, Samoa, Tanzania, Marshall Islands, Palau Islands, Tuvalu, Iran, Jordan, St. Lucia, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Timor-Leste, Bolivia, Burundi, Cape Verde Islands, Comoro Islands, Djibouti, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Togo, and Zimbabwe.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Krishna Pallavi Priya
Krishna Priya Pallavi is a journalist with over 9 years of experience, covering health, fashion, pop culture, travel, wellness, entertainment, festivals, mental health, art, decor, fitness, and sex and relationships. She is an alumna of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Dhenkanal, and holds an undergraduate degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi. Her strong academic foundation informs her analytical and detail-oriented approach to storytelling, helping her uncover stories where none seem to exist. Before joining Hindustan Times, Pallavi worked with some of India’s leading media organisations. She spent close to three years at India Today, where she honed her newsroom skills and developed a sharp editorial sensibility. She also worked for over a year and a half at Vagabomb, ScoopWhoop’s feminist digital platform, where she explored stories through a gender-sensitive, socially aware lens. Pallavi has a deep interest in global fashion trends and international fashion seasons, and enjoys interviewing celebrities and tracking pop culture movements—interests that frequently translate into engaging, reader-friendly stories. Alongside lifestyle and entertainment, she has a keen eye for impactful health and wellness journalism, regularly interacting with doctors, designers, and digital content creators to bring nuance and credibility to her work. Born and raised in Haryana, Pallavi remains deeply connected to her ancestral roots in Odisha. Her ability to spot fresh angles brings curiosity and depth to stories she pursues. When not chasing deadlines, she enjoys spending time with her dog, planning her next vacation, reading, running new trails, and discovering new destinations.Read More

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