Thailand, Vietnam or Bali in December 2026 from India: Visa Rules, TDAC, e-VOA and Arrival Checklist

Which Beach Destination Is Easiest for Indians This December? (Quick Answer)

If "easiest" means the least paperwork before you fly, the order as of October 2026 is Thailand, then Bali, then Vietnam. What differs is how much you file in advance, and how early.

• Thailand: no visa for up to 30 days, plus a free Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) submitted within 3 days of landing.
• Bali: a paid e-VOA of IDR 500,000 (or a VOA bought on arrival), the free All Indonesia arrival declaration and a separate tourist levy of IDR 150,000.
• Vietnam: an e-visa of USD 25 (single entry) or USD 50 (multiple entry), which the Vietnamese embassy in New Delhi says can take up to 30 working days.

This ranking is about forms, not about who gets in. In all three countries the immigration officer at the border makes the final call.

Latest safe dates for a 20 December to 5 January trip

These dates are Visarun's own arithmetic from the official windows, not a promise from any government.

• Vietnam e-visa: apply by Friday 23 October 2026 (40 working days before departure, the embassy's most cautious window), and no later than Thursday 5 November, so that even the maximum 30 working days of processing end before you fly. Both dates count 24 November, announced as Vietnam's new Culture Day holiday, as a non-working day.
• Bali e-VOA: at least 48 hours before departure, so by 18 December; 1-2 weeks ahead is more sensible, since it stays valid for 90 days.
• All Indonesia declaration: from 17-18 December.
• Bali levy: online before you leave India.
• Thailand TDAC: on 18 or 19 December.

For full country detail, see our guides Thailand Visa for Indians 2026: Complete Guide, Vietnam e-Visa for Indians 2026 and Do Indians Need a Visa for Indonesia 2026, or the wider Visa-Free Countries for Indian Passport Holders 2026.

Thailand - 30-Day Visa Exemption, TDAC and Entry Checks

As of October 2026, Indian ordinary passport holders can enter Thailand without a visa for up to 30 days for tourism or short-term business. According to the Royal Thai Embassy in New Delhi, the scheme has applied since 15 September 2026 "until further announcement", so recheck the embassy page shortly before you fly.

For a 20 December arrival, 30 days covers the trip with room to spare: if the arrival day counts as day 1, the stay runs to 18 January 2027 (our arithmetic).

The stay can be extended once by up to 30 more days, solely at the immigration officer's discretion. Longer stays need a Thai visa, applied for only on the official e-Visa website, thaievisa.go.th.

Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC)

Every non-Thai national, including infants and children, needs a TDAC. The official FAQ says it is submitted within 3 days (72 hours) before arrival, counting the arrival date. For a 20 December landing, 18 or 19 December is the safe window by our reckoning.

The TDAC is free. Thailand's Ministry of Tourism and Sports says it can be submitted only through the Immigration Bureau website, tdac.immigration.go.th, and that sites asking for payment are not official.

What Thai immigration may check

Thai embassy pages state that visitors under the tourist visa exemption need cash or equivalent of THB 20,000 per person or THB 40,000 per family (as of October 2026).

India's embassy in Bangkok added its own checklist in an advisory reported by News On AIR in September 2026: a passport valid at least 6 months from arrival, confirmed return tickets, hotel bookings, at least THB 20,000 in cash per passenger and a TDAC completed within 72 hours before arrival. This is India's advice, not Thai law.

According to applicant reports on Reddit in September/October 2026, an Indian traveller to Phuket asked about extra checks for Indians; a reply said only those with the wrong documents get delayed, whatever their nationality.

Vietnam - e-Visa, Processing and Ports of Entry

Vietnam requires a visa from Indian ordinary passport holders: India's 1994 bilateral agreement exempts only diplomatic and official passports. Most tourists use the e-visa, which Vietnam issues to citizens of all countries.

As of October 2026, the official portal evisa.gov.vn lists USD 25 for a single-entry e-visa and USD 50 for multiple entry, valid for up to 90 days. The fee is paid online and is not refunded if the visa is refused.

According to applicant reports on Reddit in September/October 2026, an Indian family of four budgeted about INR 10,000 (USD 100) for their e-visas, matching four single-entry fees.

Processing time and when to apply

The Embassy of Viet Nam in India says an e-visa is processed within 5-30 working days after the complete application and fee are received, and advises applying 7-40 working days before departure. Processing often takes several working days; faster times quoted by travel sites are not on any official page we found.

For a 20 December arrival, our arithmetic gives Friday 23 October 2026 as the cautious deadline and Thursday 5 November as the last realistic date.

Vietnam does not email the result. Save your registration code, check the status yourself on evisa.gov.vn and print the e-visa: the embassy says the printed copy is shown with the passport at the checkpoint. The passport needs at least 6 months of validity after arrival.

Ports of entry

An e-visa works only at government-approved border gates. Air gates on the portal include Noi Bai (Hanoi), Tan Son Nhat (Ho Chi Minh City), Da Nang, Cam Ranh and Phu Quoc; since 2 December 2025, 83 gates accept e-visas.

Official sources disagree on whether your actual entry point has to match the one in your application. We recommend naming the airport you will actually land at and checking the portal if your route changes.

The embassy's FAQ (last modified January 2025) says no visa is required if you enter and exit via Phu Quoc, but 2026 reports describe narrower conditions, so check before booking.

Bali - e-VOA, Tourist Levy and Arrival Card

India is on the eligibility list for Indonesia's e-VOA, officially the Visitor Visa: a single-entry visa for a 30-day stay for tourism, business meetings, government visits, goods purchasing or transit.

As of 8 October 2026, the official portal evisa.imigrasi.go.id lists the fee as IDR 500,000, and card payments may carry extra bank charges. An increase has been announced but is not shown on the portal (see Recent Changes), so check the fee when you pay.

The e-VOA is valid for 90 days, but the 30-day stay counts from arrival. Indonesia's immigration website says the system sends the electronic VOA within 24 hours; the portal advises applying at least 48 hours before departure.

Details have to match your passport exactly and cannot be changed after processing; a mistake means no refund and possibly refused entry. The passport needs at least 6 months of validity from arrival.

Ngurah Rai airport in Bali is a listed port for e-VOA holders. A VOA can also be bought on arrival and paid at a designated bank counter in the immigration area.

All Indonesia arrival declaration

Since 1 October 2025, every passenger arriving from abroad completes the All Indonesia declaration, on allindonesia.imigrasi.go.id or the mobile app, from three days before arrival. It is free and combines immigration, customs, health and quarantine forms, so there is no separate electronic customs declaration (e-CD).

According to applicant reports on Reddit in September/October 2026, the e-VOA arrived within about a day, and travellers showed the All Indonesia QR code to customs after passport control.

Bali tourist levy

The levy is separate from the visa and is not paid to immigration. As of October 2026, Bali's provincial government charges IDR 150,000 per person, once per trip, before you leave Indonesia.

Payment is cashless. The province strongly encourages paying online through the Love Bali system before departure; airport and port counters and registered hotels, travel agents and attractions are also official channels. A QR-code voucher arrives by email.

Onward Tickets, Funds and Questions at Immigration

The three countries treat onward travel and money differently, and airlines may also check before you board. As of October 2026:

• Thailand: the official rule is the cash requirement above. We found no Thai official page listing an onward-ticket rule for visa-exempt entry; the return-ticket advice comes from India's embassy in Bangkok.
• Bali: Indonesia officially requires VOA holders to hold a return ticket or an onward ticket to another country, and the officer may ask to see it on entry.
• Vietnam: we found no official onward-ticket or proof-of-funds rule for e-visa holders. Carrying your return booking anyway is general prudence, not a legal requirement.

According to applicant reports on Reddit in September/October 2026, mostly from travellers outside India, airlines may refuse check-in for Thailand without a ticket out within the 30 days or a tourist visa. That is airline practice, not an official rule.

According to applicant reports on Reddit in September/October 2026, one Bali traveller was not given a boarding pass at the origin airport until showing proof of onward travel.

Keep the dates and addresses on your arrival forms consistent with your bookings. If you would like someone to look over the whole set, Visarun's experts can check your visa, arrival forms and documents before you fly. We are an agency, so the decision at the border stays with the immigration officer.

Look-Alike Visa Websites and How to Avoid Them

All three destinations have official warnings about copycat sites, so we recommend typing official addresses yourself rather than clicking ads.

Vietnamese authorities say fake e-visa sites resemble official portals, register misleading domain names and buy ads, often promising "instant visas", "urgent processing" or "guaranteed approval". The Embassy of Viet Nam in India says all websites other than the two official portal domains are invalid, and has warned of fakes impersonating the new pre-arrival information form.

Thailand's TDAC is free, yet a Thailand Business News report from April 2026 quoted the Immigration Bureau as saying about 10% of foreign travellers had registered through fraudulent TDAC websites.

Indonesia's immigration portal warns that sites offering e-VOA help for a service charge are not endorsed by the government. A May 2026 news report citing Australia's Smartraveller described fake sites charging a "processing" fee for the free arrival card, and local news reporting (Bali Live, August 2026) describes phishing pages imitating the levy site; we found no official Bali alert on this.

According to applicant reports on Reddit in September/October 2026, an agent's link and a search ad led one Bali-bound traveller to intermediary sites rather than the official ones.

Official addresses as of October 2026

• Thailand TDAC: tdac.immigration.go.th
• Thailand e-Visa for longer stays: thaievisa.go.th
• Vietnam e-visa: evisa.gov.vn or thithucdientu.gov.vn
• Vietnam pre-arrival information (optional pilot, Tan Son Nhat only): prearrival.immigration.gov.vn
• Indonesia e-VOA: evisa.imigrasi.go.id or indonesiavoa.vfsevisa.id
• All Indonesia declaration: allindonesia.imigrasi.go.id or its app
• Bali levy: lovebali.baliprov.go.id, plus airport and port counters and registered hotels, agents and attractions

Agencies, Visarun included, charge a service fee on top of government fees, which is legitimate when clearly disclosed. The red flags are a site that looks like a government portal, charges for a free form such as the TDAC or All Indonesia, or promises guaranteed approval or an instant visa.

Recent Changes (2025-2026)

• 1 October 2025: Indonesia made the All Indonesia arrival declaration mandatory for every passenger arriving from abroad.
• 2 December 2025: Vietnam's Resolution 389/NQ-CP took e-visa border gates to 83: 17 international airports, 27 land crossings and 39 seaports.
• May 2026: the Embassy of Viet Nam in India announced a voluntary Pre-arrival Information pilot at Tan Son Nhat airport.
• 12 August 2026: Indonesia's Director General of Immigration announced a planned VOA fee of IDR 750,000 for an e-VOA obtained from the home country and IDR 1,000,000 on arrival. As of 8 October 2026 this is announced, not in force: the official page still lists IDR 500,000, and we found no published effective date.
• 15 September 2026: Thailand's old 60-day visa exemption ended, replaced by 30-day and 15-day categories under Ministry of Interior announcements published in the Royal Gazette on 31 August. Indian ordinary passport holders fall under the 30-day scheme.

Rules can change again before December, so we recommend rechecking the official pages in the week you fly.

FAQ

Do Indians need a visa for Thailand in December 2026?

Not for stays of up to 30 days for tourism or short-term business, as of October 2026. Travellers still need a free TDAC and cash or equivalent of THB 20,000 per person or THB 40,000 per family.

Can I extend a 30-day visa-exempt stay in Thailand?

Once, by up to 30 more days, only at the immigration officer's discretion. Check the current fee with Thai immigration.

How early should I apply for a Vietnam e-visa for Christmas and New Year?

For a 20 December arrival, our arithmetic from the embassy's window gives Friday 23 October 2026 as the cautious date and Thursday 5 November as the latest realistic one. Results are not emailed, so keep your registration code.

Is the Bali e-VOA free?

No. As of 8 October 2026 it costs IDR 500,000, plus possible card charges. The All Indonesia declaration is free; the IDR 150,000 levy is a separate payment.

My e-VOA is valid for 90 days. Can I stay in Bali for 90 days?

No. The 90 days is the period in which the visa can be used. The stay is 30 days from your arrival date.

What happens if I overstay in Bali?

Indonesia's e-VOA portal warns of fines of IDR 1,000,000 per day and possible detention, deportation or a ban on future travel to Indonesia.

Do children need a TDAC for Thailand?

Yes. The official TDAC FAQ says all travellers, including infants and children, need one. It is free.

Is Vietnam's pre-arrival information form mandatory?

No. As of October 2026 it is a voluntary pilot at Tan Son Nhat airport in Ho Chi Minh City, and the Embassy of Viet Nam in India has warned of fraudulent sites impersonating it.

Does an approved e-visa, e-VOA or TDAC guarantee entry?

No. Indonesia states that issuing a Visitor Visa does not guarantee entry, and in Thailand and Vietnam the officer at the checkpoint also decides.