Indian citizens planning international travel in late-2026 are confronting the most fluid visa landscape in more than a decade. From the United States’ return to nearly universal in-person interviews, to Europe’s tightening of the 90/180-day rule and Thailand’s decision earlier this month to scrap its generous 60-day visa-exempt stay, requirements that once remained stable for years now change with just weeks—or days—of notice. Speaking to ET Hospitality World on 29 September, Sandeep Arora, Director of Brightsun Travel India, described how this volatility has altered the very first step of trip-planning. “Clients ask about airfare, but the bigger question is: will a slot even be available at the consulate before the departure date?” he said. Schengen embassies in India logged a record 1.15 million short-stay applications in 2025, with refusal rates exceeding 14 per cent; the numbers for 2026 are running higher as students, business travellers and leisure tourists all compete for appointments. Visa policy churn is not confined to the West. Thailand has introduced an online Digital Arrival Card that must be completed within a three-day window before entry, while its Cabinet approved a sweeping overhaul of visa-exemption and visa-on-arrival schemes in May. The United Arab Emirates now insists that most non-immigrant visa interviews be scheduled in an applicant’s country of nationality, forcing many Indians who previously “visa-ran” to third countries to rethink their itineraries. Even destinations marketed as “visa-free” frequently attach hidden conditions such as proof of onward travel, hotel bookings or mandatory health insurance. In this environment, Arora argues, experienced travel advisers provide value long before documents are lodged. They sequence bookings so that non-refundable airfares or hotel deposits are committed only after a realistic visa timeline is mapped out; they cross-check transit rules that can trip up travellers on split tickets; and they tailor financial and employment evidence to the applicant’s exact profile rather than pasting generic templates. Most importantly, advisers are frank about what they cannot do—guarantee approval. Their role, Arora concludes, is to eliminate preventable errors that turn small fees into large losses. For India’s rapidly expanding outbound market, smart planning is becoming as important as the destination itself.
Source: ET Hospitality World
