Only Vietnam fits a three-month winter into a single visa: its e‑visa covers 90 days and costs $25 on evisa.gov.vn. Thailand now stops at 60 days even with an extension, while Sri Lanka’s free ETA and India’s free e‑visa both cover 30 days, so each of those needs a second step before day 31.
The visa rules below are for Russian passport holders and were checked on 24 October 2026. Other nationalities should confirm the numbers on each government site before booking flights.
Do Sri Lanka and Goa work for three months on a free permit?
Neither does on its own, because both free permits stop at 30 days. Since 25 May 2026 Russians get a tourist ETA for Sri Lanka at no charge through eta.gov.lk, and since 1 January 2026 India’s 30-day e-Tourist visa carries no consular fee for Russian citizens. Each one needs a second step to reach 90 days.
Sri Lanka allows two entries, but the second entry only gives you the remainder of the same 30 days, and a longer stay requires a paid extension whose price is listed at immigration.gov.lk. India’s 30-day visa is multiple-entry yet cannot be extended or converted. For a full season the portal offers a one-year e‑visa with a cap of 180 days in a calendar year, and the length of a single stay on it is worth checking at indianvisaonline.gov.in before you buy tickets.
How many days does Thailand give a Russian passport now?
Thirty days at the border plus one 30-day extension at an immigration office, which costs 1,900 baht (about $55), so 60 days in total. The decree appeared in the Royal Gazette on 31 August 2026 and took effect on 15 September, replacing the 60-day regime. Anyone stamped in before that date keeps the longer stamp until it runs out.
Russian media report that land entries on the visa-free rule are capped at two a year, and that officers may ask for a return ticket, proof of accommodation and cash of 20,000 baht per person (40,000 baht for a family). Confirm the period of that two-entry cap before you plan a border hop. A third month therefore needs a visa arranged in advance or a trip to another country, and the old cheap land-border hop no longer resets the clock. I treat a land crossing as a bad base for month three, since with the cap of two a year the crossing you are counting on can be refused. Our earlier note on the change is here: Thailand cuts visa-free stay to 30 days.
Can one Vietnam e‑visa carry a whole winter?
Yes, if you apply before you fly. Russians get 45 days visa-free, in force until 14 March 2028 under resolution 44/NQ-CP, and an e‑visa for up to 90 days costs $25 single-entry or $50 multiple-entry. It cannot be extended from inside the country, so choose the validity for the whole season at the start. Since 22 June 2026 every traveller also fills in a free electronic arrival card at prearrival.immigration.gov.vn before flying, so add it to the checklist next to the e‑visa.
I’d carry the paper approval as the main copy and keep the file on the phone as a backup, since a flat battery at the counter is a likelier problem than the portal. The portal rejects most Russian bank cards, and a wrong port of entry in the form can end with you being turned around at the gate. If the card is a problem, I file e-visas end to end at BestBus Vietnam: I pay the state fee with my own card, set the entry point for your flight, and resubmit free of charge with a refund if the application is refused. What is included and how fast it goes is described on the page for the 90-day e‑visa service. Message me on WhatsApp with your arrival date and city.
What does a winter cost in Da Nang and Nha Trang?
About $870 a month for one person in Da Nang with a rented scooter and basic insurance, and $805-830 without the insurance. Rent is the big variable: a one-bedroom on a local Vietnamese platform runs 8-9 million dong (about $300-340), while foreign agents list comparable flats at 10-17.9 million dong ($385-690). Treat these figures as a guide, not a quote.
Nha Trang is cheaper at the bottom end: a studio in a residential area starts around $220 a month. Prices there rise 20 to 30 percent over the New Year, so book December and February separately from the holiday weeks. A local lunch costs $1.6-3 and a scooter $40-100 a month. For a month-by-month budget, see cost of living in Nha Trang in 2026, and for the Thailand side of the comparison, Vietnam vs Thailand cost of living for expats in 2026.
Budgets for Phuket, Goa and southern Sri Lanka swing widely by area, so price them from current listings for your own dates.
How do you get there in winter 2026/27?
Azur Air has announced direct flights to Nha Trang from seven Russian cities: three flights in 12 days from Moscow, two from Samara and one from each of the others. Aeroflot and Azur Air are also listed for Colombo. Check the carrier’s schedule for Phuket, Goa and Colombo before buying. If your dates are fixed, pick the visa first and the ticket second, because an e‑visa needs about a week of margin.
When does the dry season actually start in each place?
Goa and Phuket are dry from November, southern Vietnam from December, and central Vietnam together with southern Sri Lanka only from January. A month of difference decides where to land if your flights are fixed for early winter. With November flights I lean towards Goa or Phuket over Da Nang, because the rainy tail of the monsoon can spoil the first weeks of an otherwise perfect season.
- Goa: dry from November to February, daytime around 25-30 °C, sea near 28 °C.
- Phuket: the good season opens in November, around 30 °C, rising to 32-33 °C from December to February.
- Nha Trang and the south: dry from December, 25-32 °C.
- Da Nang and Hoi An: November still falls in the rainy season, and the weather dries out by January.
- Southern Sri Lanka: rain in early December, dry from January, and whale season off Mirissa runs January to March.
Which one should you pick?
Take Vietnam if you want one document for the whole winter. Thailand suits people who are ready to leave and re-enter for the third month, and Sri Lanka or Goa fit better as a stop of up to a month, or longer only with the paid ETA extension or India’s one-year e‑visa. Three things decide it: how many days the visa covers without leaving, when the dry season starts, and what housing costs on your dates.
| Destination | What you get on arrival | How to reach 90 days | Dry season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vietnam | 45 days visa-free or e‑visa for 90 days | e‑visa from home, no border hops | south from December, central coast from January |
| Thailand | 30 days visa-free | 30-day extension for 1,900 baht, the rest by leaving | Phuket from November |
| Sri Lanka | free ETA for 30 days | paid extension | south coast from January |
| Goa | free e‑visa for 30 days | one-year e‑visa, up to 180 days a year | from November |
The e‑visa form can be filled in on the government portal in one evening, and flats in the south book without any agent. But if your flight is under two weeks away or you have no card for the payment, send me your departure date and I will tell you which e‑visa validity to take for your winter.
