Thailand Multiple Entry Visa for Indians: When Three Trips in Six Months Pays Off

The Thailand Multiple-Entry Tourist Visa (METV) gives Indian passport holders 6 months of multi-entry tourist access for 12,250 rupees, but you can only get it by submitting in person at the Royal Thai Embassy in New Delhi or one of the three Thai consulates. There is no online channel, no VFS submission, and no postal route for METV. This guide is for the small slice of Indian travellers, roughly 5 percent of total applicants, who genuinely need two or more Thailand trips inside six months. Most Indians do not. The 60-day visa-free scheme already covers tourists doing one trip, and the e-Visa covers single longer stays. For the broader Thailand visa landscape, see our main Thailand visa guide for Indians.

Visa fee

12,250 rupees, paid by Demand Draft at submission

Validity

180 days from issue date

Stay per entry

Up to 60 days, extendable by 30 days inside Thailand

Number of entries

Multiple, unlimited within validity

Submission channel

In person at Royal Thai Embassy New Delhi or consulates in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata

Processing time

10 to 14 working days

Minimum bank balance

1,00,000 rupees, three-month signed and stamped statement

If you only read this section

The METV costs 12,250 rupees once and lets you enter Thailand any number of times across 180 days, with each visit capped at 60 days. The break-even versus single-entry e-Visa is three trips: 4,900 rupees for one e-Visa times three is 14,700 rupees, so the METV saves you about 2,450 rupees plus the hassle of three separate applications. Two trips inside six months is the wrong number. At two, the e-Visa route is still cheaper at 9,800 rupees. The catch most Indians miss: METV is embassy-only, in person, with a Demand Draft. No VFS, no online portal, no agent-by-courier. If you cannot reach Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai or Kolkata in person, the METV is not practically available to you.

All visa categories Indians can apply for

Before deciding the METV is right for you, look at the full menu. The Thai government offers Indians four working visa categories in 2026, and the right answer depends almost entirely on how long you plan to stay and how often you plan to come back.

Visa name	Stay duration	Validity	Single or multiple	Channel	Fee in INR
Tourist Visa Exemption (Visa-Free)	60 days	60 days	Single	None, free at arrival with TDAC	Free
Tourist e-Visa	60 days	90 days	Single	Online via thaievisa.go.th	4,900
Multiple-Entry Tourist Visa (METV)	60 days per entry	180 days	Multiple	Embassy in person	12,250
Business Visa (Non-Immigrant B)	90 days	90 days	Single	Embassy in person	4,900

The visa-free option swallows most Indian travel. Anyone going to Thailand for a holiday under 60 days, on a one-shot trip, gets it for zero rupees by registering the Thailand Digital Arrival Card 72 hours before departure. The e-Visa is the right answer for a single trip longer than 60 days or for someone who wants paperwork-confirmed entry before flying. The Business Visa is for invited business travel from a Thai company. The METV is the only multi-entry option in the tourist category, and it is the only Thai visa for Indians where the embassy insists on in-person submission with a Demand Draft instead of online payment.

Single entry vs multiple entry

The economics of METV come down to one calculation. A single-entry Thailand e-Visa costs 4,900 rupees. The METV is 12,250 rupees. Divide the METV fee by the e-Visa fee and you get 2.5. So the METV begins paying off only when you would otherwise need three e-Visas inside six months. Two trips, you are losing money on METV. Three trips, you save 2,450 rupees plus the application time. Four trips, the gap widens to 7,350 rupees and you start counting the avoided VFS appointments and DD fees.

Who actually needs METV? In our applicant tracking, four profiles dominate. Bangalore-based business consultants doing Bangkok client visits on a quarterly cycle. Mumbai-based wedding photographers whose Thai clients book them across the season. Indians with spouses on long Thailand assignments who shuttle home for festivals. And serious property buyers scouting Phuket condos, where the embassy expects multiple visits before contract signing. If you do not fit one of those patterns, single-entry e-Visas are usually the better answer.

The break-even table

Number of trips in 6 months	Cost via single-entry e-Visa	Cost via METV	Cheaper option
1 trip	4,900	12,250	e-Visa, by 7,350
2 trips	9,800	12,250	e-Visa, by 2,450
3 trips	14,700	12,250	METV, by 2,450
4 trips	19,600	12,250	METV, by 7,350

This is the pure visa cost. Add VFS service charges for each e-Visa, photo costs, and the time cost of three separate document bundles, and the METV breaks even somewhere between 2.5 and 3 trips depending on how you value your own hours. If you are unsure whether trip three will happen, the e-Visa route is still safer because you only commit when the trip is real. METV money is gone the moment you submit. For a granular breakdown of what each route costs, see our notes on Thailand visa fees from India in rupees.

Validity vs stay duration

The single most-misunderstood part of any Thai visa, and it bites METV holders harder than anyone else. The 180-day validity and the 60-day stay-per-entry are two different clocks running at the same time. Confusing them is how Indian travellers end up overstaying without realising.

Validity is the window during which you can enter Thailand. Your METV is valid for 180 days from the date of issue stamped by the embassy, not from your first entry. If your visa was issued on 1 May 2026, the validity expires on 28 October 2026. After that date, you cannot enter Thailand on this visa, full stop. Stay duration is how long you are allowed to remain inside Thailand on each individual entry. For METV, that is up to 60 days per entry, separate from the validity clock.

A worked example. Suppose Rohan, a Mumbai-based product manager, gets his METV on 1 May 2026 with validity until 28 October 2026. His first entry is 15 May. His 60-day stay clock starts on 15 May, ending on 13 July. He flies home on 5 July. His second entry is 1 August. New 60-day clock, ending on 29 September. He flies home on 20 September. His third entry is 15 October. New 60-day clock, ending on 13 December. But here is where it gets confusing: his visa validity expired on 28 October. So although his stay-clock allows him until 13 December, he was only allowed to enter on or before 28 October. Once he is in, the 60-day stamp is honoured even if the visa itself has expired.

The trap most Indians fall into: arriving on the very last day of validity, assuming they get a fresh 60-day stay. They do, but they only get one. There are no more entries possible after that day even if the 60-day stay-clock keeps running. Plan your last entry to land at least a week before validity expires, never on the final day. For the deeper mechanics of this distinction, our note on visa validity versus stay duration walks through three more scenarios.

Eligibility and documents for METV

The METV documentation set is heavier than the e-Visa list because the embassy is granting you six months of entry rights, not a single 60-day window. Anything that hints at flight risk gets flagged.

Travel history weighs heaviest

The Royal Thai Embassy New Delhi, in our recent applicant tracking, expects at least two international trips in the last three years before approving a METV. Schengen, US, UK, Singapore, Japan, Australia, and UAE stamps all count. Cambodia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Indonesia stamps count partially. Nepal and Bhutan stamps do not count because Indians do not need a visa for either, so the stamp does not demonstrate visa-track-record. First-time international travellers are very rarely approved for METV. The embassy will refund the fee but recommend a single-entry e-Visa instead. If your travel history is thin, our deeper read on how travel history affects Thailand visa decisions spells out exactly how the embassy weighs each stamp.

Financial documents

1,00,000 rupees is the minimum bank balance the embassy expects, signed and stamped statement covering the last three months. For METV specifically, applicants who clear easily are showing balances comfortably above the minimum and a salaried income that supports multi-trip funding. The reasoning: across six months of multi-entry travel, your funding has to cover potentially three or four trips, not one. Submit the standard three-month statement plus, if you have it, a six-month statement that shows steady balance maintenance. Add Form 16 and last two years of ITR.

Cover letter must justify multiple visits

This is the document that separates a METV approval from a rejection. A vague “I want to visit Thailand multiple times” cover letter will get rejected. A strong METV cover letter names specific reasons for each anticipated trip. Example: “I am applying for a Multiple-Entry Tourist Visa to visit Bangkok in May 2026 for the Thaifex Anuga Asia trade fair, in July 2026 to attend my brother-in-law’s wedding in Phuket, and in September 2026 for a family holiday with my parents covering Chiang Mai and Pattaya.” Specific events, specific dates, specific cities. Attach event registrations or wedding invitations where you have them.

Standard supporting set

• Original passport with at least 6 months validity from the date of last anticipated entry, plus 2 blank pages
• Two recent photographs, 4×6 cm, pure white background
• Confirmed return ticket for the first planned trip (not all three)
• Hotel booking covering the first planned trip
• Bank statement, last 3 months, signed and stamped
• ITR copies for the last two years
• Salary slips for the last 3 months
• NOC from your employer covering the first leave period
• A 12,250 rupee Demand Draft made out as the embassy specifies on application

For the photo specification specifically, the same rules as any Thai visa apply: pure white background and full face visible. Aadhaar photos almost never pass.

The application process step by step

Unlike the e-Visa which is fully online, METV submission is in-person only. There is no VFS Global involvement for METV. You go to the embassy or consulate yourself, hand over the file, and come back later to collect.

Step 1: Book the appointment

Call or email the embassy to request a METV appointment slot. The Royal Thai Embassy New Delhi takes appointments by phone at +91-11-4977-4100, or by email at rtenewdelhi@thaiembassy.org. The Mumbai consulate at Cumballa Hill, Chennai consulate at San Thome, and Kolkata consulate at Mandeville Gardens each handle their own appointments. METV slots are typically available within 2 to 4 weeks of request during normal season, longer during October to February peak.

Step 2: Prepare the Demand Draft

The embassy does not accept cash, card, UPI, or net-banking for METV. You must bring a Demand Draft of 12,250 rupees, drawn in favour of the embassy as specified during your appointment confirmation. The DD has a small issuance charge at most major Indian banks and is issued same-day at HDFC, ICICI, and Axis branches if requested before noon. Take the DD slip and keep the counterfoil for your records.

Step 3: Submit in person

On your appointment day, arrive 30 minutes early. The Delhi embassy’s submission window is 09:00 to 12:00, the consulates are similar. Hand over your full document file plus the DD. The officer reviews the bundle at the counter and either accepts it for processing or returns it with notes on what is missing. Same-day return for missing documents is possible if you can fix and resubmit within the morning window.

Step 4: Wait 10 to 14 working days

METV processing takes longer than the e-Visa because the embassy does deeper verification on financial documents and travel history. Mumbai applicants in March 2026 reported 11 working days average. Delhi applicants reported 10 to 14. There is no rush or expedited route for METV. If the embassy needs more documents, they call or email you, you submit, and the clock restarts.

Step 5: Collect the visa

Pick-up windows at the Delhi embassy are 14:00 to 16:00 on weekdays. Bring your collection slip and an original ID. Someone authorised by you can collect on your behalf with a signed authorisation letter and copies of both your IDs. The visa is stamped directly into your passport as a sticker showing the validity dates and the multiple-entry endorsement.

If you would rather have an agent handle the running around, our note on when an agent is worth the markup covers when service fees pay for themselves. For METV specifically, agents charge a heavier service fee than for the e-Visa because the in-person embassy run is more involved than a VFS drop-off.

Visa extension while inside Thailand

Each METV entry can be extended by 30 days inside Thailand, taking your effective stay per entry from 60 days to 90 days. The extension does not extend the overall 180-day validity of your METV, only the stay-clock for the current entry.

The form is TM.7. The fee is 1,900 baht, paid in cash at the immigration office. Submit at any Thai Immigration Bureau office: the main one in Bangkok is at Chaeng Wattana, and there are smaller offices in Phuket, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Krabi, and most provincial centres. Bring your original passport, two recent passport-size photos, a TM.6 or TDAC arrival record, and a printout of your accommodation in Thailand. Extension is processed same-day in most provincial offices, 1 to 2 days at Chaeng Wattana during peak.

The 30-day extension is granted at officer discretion, not automatically. In practice, METV holders almost always get it because they are documented multi-trip tourists. Visa-free entry holders sometimes get it refused at officer discretion, especially if they have already done a border run or if their travel history looks like soft-residency rather than tourism. If your METV extension is refused, the officer typically gives you 7 days to leave the country; you must comply because overstay penalties apply on day one.

The border run alternative for non-METV holders

This question comes up so often it deserves its own section. Indian travellers planning two or three Thailand trips sometimes ask whether they should just do “border runs” instead of paying for METV. A border run is leaving Thailand to a neighbouring country (Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia) and coming straight back to get a fresh 60-day visa-free stamp.

It works, but only just. Thai immigration cracked down on visa-run abuse from 2014 onwards. The current unwritten rule, based on applicant reports, is that Indians can do one or two border runs in a 12-month window without trouble. The third gets you stopped at the border and questioned, sometimes refused entry. Repeated visa-runs are exactly what immigration officers flag as soft-residency, and Indians caught in this pattern start getting visa-free refusals at Bangkok airport.

If you genuinely need three Thailand entries inside six months, METV at 12,250 rupees is the legitimate answer. Border-running yourself into a paid one-way ticket home is the wrong economy.

Common mistakes Indians make on METV applications

METV rejection rate for Indians is higher than the standard e-Visa rate, in our tracking around 12 percent versus 5 percent. The reasons cluster into four patterns.

Thin travel history. Applying for METV as your second-ever international trip almost always gets rejected. The embassy reads METV as a privilege for established travellers. If you have only Thailand stamps in your passport and no other international travel, the e-Visa route is your real answer. Build travel history with Vietnam, Singapore, or UAE first, then revisit METV after 12 to 18 months.

Vague trip purpose in the cover letter. The cover letter that says “tourism, planning to visit Thailand multiple times” gets rejected almost automatically. The embassy wants three concrete reasons for three concrete trips. Wedding, conference, family holiday, business meeting, scuba certification course, photography assignment. Specific events bring specific dates and specific city itineraries.

Borderline bank balance. A 1,00,000-rupee balance that is technically the minimum is not enough for METV approval. The embassy reads METV applications as needing to fund three to four trips, not one. Show a balance comfortably above the minimum and steady income inflows. Salaried applicants on small monthly salaries with thin balances rarely clear METV regardless of how the application is presented.

Wrong Demand Draft. Indians sometimes show up with a DD made out for the e-Visa amount of 4,900 rupees, or a DD drawn on the wrong payee name. The embassy will not adjust at the counter. You go home, get a fresh DD for 12,250 rupees with the right payee, and rebook the appointment. Two-week setback minimum.

If your situation is different

The standard METV applicant is a salaried Indian adult with two recent international trips and a stable job. Most real applicants do not fit that exact profile. Here is how the application adjusts.

Self-employed and business-owner applicants need to demonstrate business legitimacy in addition to the standard documents. Submit GST registration, last two years ITR, current-year business bank statement separate from personal, and any business-registration documents (Udyam, Shop Act, partnership deed). The cover letter should explain how the business funds and supports your multi-trip plans, especially if the trips are partly business and partly leisure.

Housewife applicants face the highest scrutiny on METV because the embassy worries about onward migration risk. The countermeasure is documentation depth: spouse’s complete financial picture (ITR, salary slips, bank statement, NOC for matched leave), a marriage certificate, a sponsorship letter from spouse, and family photographs. METV approval rate for Indian housewives with this complete bundle is above 90 percent, but rejection rate jumps if any document is missing.

NRI applicants apply at the Royal Thai Embassy or consulate in their country of residence, not New Delhi. Document set focuses on residency proof in that country (residence permit, lease, employment contract) plus the standard tourist documents. The Indian-passport visa-free benefit still applies for stays under 60 days, so most NRIs do not need METV unless they shuttle to Thailand frequently. Our note on Thailand visa applications for NRIs covers the country-by-country detail.

Senior citizen applicants over 60 sometimes have lighter financial documentation because their income has shifted from salary to pensions and investments. Substitute pension passbook entries for salary slips, FD certificates for ITR if no longer filing, and an explicit covering letter explaining the no-ITR situation. Approval rate for senior METV applicants is high when documentation is complete; the embassy generally trusts retirees on multi-entry visas because flight risk is low.

What changed recently and what might change

The METV scheme itself has been stable since 2014, with the validity period set at six months and the per-entry stay at 60 days. The fee was last revised in 2017. Nothing in the changelog suggests the next revision is imminent.

The relevant change in the surrounding ecosystem is the 60-day visa-free scheme introduced in November 2023 and extended through end-2026. The visa-free scheme reduced METV demand significantly because Indians doing one-shot trips now skip the visa entirely. The METV today is a niche product for repeat travellers, not the default tourist visa it was before 2023.

The other recent change is the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) becoming mandatory in May 2025. METV holders must register the TDAC within 72 hours of each arrival, just like visa-free entrants. The TDAC adds no documentation to your visa file but does add a step to every entry.

The change to watch for through 2027: any Thai cabinet revision to the visa-free scheme. If the visa-free scheme is curtailed back to 30 days or eliminated, METV demand from Indian repeat travellers would surge. The Thai cabinet was scheduled to review the scheme in early 2026; updates from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at mfa.go.th are the authoritative source.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply for the METV online instead of in person?

No. The METV is the only Thai visa for Indians where the embassy insists on in-person submission. The thaievisa.go.th portal does not offer METV as a category. VFS Global does not handle METV either. Your only routes are the embassy at Chanakyapuri or the consulates at Mumbai, Chennai, or Kolkata. If you cannot reach any of these in person, the METV is not practically available; use single-entry e-Visas for each trip instead.

How many entries does METV allow in 180 days?

Unlimited entries within the 180-day validity. The embassy does not cap how many times you cross the Thai border. In practice, three to four entries is what most Indian METV holders use, because each entry can be 60 days and you cannot stack two 60-day stays back-to-back. The mathematical maximum is roughly four full 60-day stays if you tile them perfectly, but real travellers usually do shorter trips.

Can I extend my METV beyond 180 days?

No. The 180-day validity is fixed at issue and cannot be extended. What can be extended is each individual stay-per-entry by 30 days using the TM.7 form at any Thai immigration office for 1,900 baht. Once your METV expires, you must reapply from scratch, including a fresh embassy appointment, fresh documents, and a new 12,250-rupee Demand Draft.

What if my visa is approved but my plans change?

The METV is non-refundable once issued. If your travel plans collapse, you lose the 12,250 rupees. The visa remains usable for 180 days from issue, so even partial use (one or two trips instead of three) makes it cheaper than buying single-entry visas later. If your plans collapse before submission, you can postpone your appointment without losing the DD; the DD is encashed only when the embassy accepts your file.

Is METV the same as the Long-Term Resident visa for digital nomads?

No. The Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa is a separate Thai scheme aimed at remote workers, retirees, and high-net-worth individuals, with a 10-year validity and proof-of-income requirements above 80,000 USD per year. METV is a tourist visa with a 6-month validity at 12,250 rupees. The two serve different traveller types and have different application processes.

Can I work on a METV?

No. METV is strictly a tourist visa. Working in Thailand on a tourist visa, even remote work for an Indian employer, is technically a violation of Thai work permit rules. Enforcement against remote workers is light in practice but the rule exists. If your travel is for business meetings rather than tourism, the Non-Immigrant B (Business Visa) is the correct category, also costing 4,900 rupees but requiring an invitation letter from a Thai company.

How does my embassy know I have travelled enough to qualify for METV?

They check your passport. The visa officer flips through and counts entry stamps for Schengen, US, UK, Singapore, Japan, Australia, UAE, and other significant destinations within the last three years. Two stamps minimum is the unwritten threshold. They also see Thailand stamps, which count towards your Thailand-specific track record but do not substitute for general travel history. A clean passport with no foreign stamps almost never clears METV review.

Can I do an embassy appointment in Mumbai if I live in Pune?

Yes. The Mumbai consulate at Cumballa Hill accepts METV applications from anyone in Maharashtra and surrounding states. You do not need to apply at the consulate nearest to your registered address. Pune residents typically take an early train to Mumbai, submit at the consulate during the 09:00 to 12:00 window, and return same-day. Plan for the morning submission and afternoon return, because pickup is on a separate day.

What happens if I overstay one of my METV entries?

Standard Thai overstay rules apply. From day one of overstay, the fine is 500 baht per day, capped at 20,000 baht. Pay at the airport on departure or at any immigration office. Overstay beyond 90 days triggers a 1-year ban, beyond 1 year a 3-year ban, beyond 5 years a 10-year ban. Any overstay record, even a 1-day overstay, is logged against your passport and affects future Thai visa applications. The METV will not be reissued to a passport with a logged overstay until at least one clean year has passed.

Can I include my spouse or children on the same METV?

No. Each METV is single-applicant. Spouses and children apply separately, each paying their own 12,250-rupee fee. Family applications can be submitted at the same appointment slot if the embassy permits, but each file is reviewed independently. Children under 18 do not get METV in their own right easily; the embassy generally issues children single-entry e-Visas tied to a parent’s travel dates instead.

Where can I check the status of my METV after submission?

The embassy does not have a public online status tracker for METV the way the e-Visa portal does for online applications. You receive a collection slip at submission with a reference number. If you need to check before the collection date, call the embassy on the phone number printed on the slip. For a fuller walkthrough, our note on how to track your Thailand visa application covers what works and what does not.

Is the 12,250-rupee fee final or are there hidden costs?

The visa fee itself is 12,250 rupees. Add to that a small DD issuance charge from your bank, 200 rupees for fresh photos, and your travel cost to the embassy or consulate city. There is no VFS service charge on METV because VFS does not handle METV. There is no online payment fee. Beyond the visa fee and photos, your real out-of-pocket extra is the trip to the embassy itself.

Where this guide gets its data

This guide was last verified against the Royal Thai Embassy, New Delhi on 30 April 2026 by the VisaGuide India editorial desk. We update every guide quarterly and within 7 working days of any rule change. If you spot a fee that has changed or a rule we have missed, email editorial@visaguideindia.com.