Asia Visa and Travel News
Kazakhstan has officially established a timeline for rolling out its QazETA electronic travel authorization system. Under a government decree issued on October 10, 2026, the requirement will be introduced gradually beginning November 1, before becoming mandatory on July 1, 2027. The ETA will be free of charge and will apply to visa-exempt travelers from countries including the US, UK, Canada, and Australia.
Thailand is moving forward with two separate proposals to tax travelers. A 450-baht tourist arrival tax is approaching government review, while the Finance Ministry is seeking public feedback on a proposed 1,000-baht departure tax. Neither measure has been approved, but together they could add 1,450 baht to the cost of visiting Thailand by air.
Since October 3, 2026, Cambodian embassies and consulates have stopped issuing visas as physical stickers placed in passports. Visas issued by Cambodian diplomatic missions are now being delivered electronically, following months of preparations that included expanding the e-Visa system and modernizing its certificates.
One day after officially launching its electronic visa system, Turkmenistan has unveiled its new e-Visa portal. The platform now provides details on available visa categories, required documents and processing times ranging from 24 hours to seven business days. For tourists, notably, no letter of invitation appears among the mandatory documents.
Long known for its highly restrictive entry procedures, Turkmenistan is beginning to simplify its requirements. As of October 1, 2026, the State Migration Service is officially rolling out its electronic visa, or e-Visa, system. A dedicated online application portal also appears to have been created, while foreign nationals can now complete registration procedures online.
Several Bangladeshi diplomatic missions are warning of ongoing disruptions affecting the processing and issuance of visas and “No Visa Required” (NVR) endorsements. The delays are linked to a technical issue affecting the central system operated by the Department of Immigration and Passports. The online visa application portal, however, remains accessible.
After several months of testing, Thailand’s Immigration Bureau has officially launched the THIM application. Already downloaded more than 600,000 times, the app provides access to the TDAC digital arrival card and is expected to gradually bring together several immigration services, including stay extensions, 90-day reporting and Visa on Arrival.
Japan is gradually preparing for the introduction of JESTA, its future electronic travel authorization system for certain visa-exempt travelers. Expected to launch during fiscal year 2028, the program is beginning to take shape: travelers should need a new authorization for each new entry, some visitors may no longer receive an entry stamp in their passport, and Japan’s tax-free shopping procedures will need to be adapted to this shift toward digital immigration records.
Syria is seeing a strong rebound in international arrivals, with 719,000 foreign visitors recorded in the first half of 2026. As Damascus looks to make the country easier to access and support the tourism recovery, the status of its e-Visa remains unclear: launched in 2024 before the change of government, the system is currently unavailable and its official portal simply says it is “coming soon”.
India has added a new service to its official e-Visa portal allowing travelers to transfer certain valid e-Visas to a new passport. Initial tests conducted by VisasNews show that the procedure is limited to one-year and five-year authorizations and is intended for cases where the previous passport has been lost, stolen, or was not returned to its holder.
Just days before the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix and one month ahead of the FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival 2026, Azerbaijan is temporarily relaxing its visa procedures. Depending on the event and subject to certain conditions, eligible travelers can obtain a visa upon arrival at the country’s international airports.
China is simplifying a mandatory but little-known requirement for foreign travelers. Since September 21, 2026, visitors staying somewhere other than a hotel can register their accommodation online without having to visit a local police station.
Thailand has opened its automated immigration gates at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport to arriving travelers from 33 nationalities, including those from the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. However, four conditions currently need to be met to use the eGates.
Nepal is preparing a system that would allow foreign visitors to use their phones for certain identity checks during their stay. Passport and visa information displayed in the immigration app could be accepted instead of the physical passport for some procedures, including hotel check-ins and domestic flights. The project is also designed to help authorities locate and assist travelers more quickly in an emergency, an issue brought into sharp focus by the devastating floods of August 26, 2026.
Lao authorities are temporarily granting a 180-day validity period for e-Visa approval letters, up from the usual 60 days. Approval notifications sent to travelers now explicitly mention the measure, which does not change the permitted length of stay in Laos, still limited to 30 days.
