Thailand travel Q&A (2026): answers for first-timers

Most visitors from 60 countries and territories can enter Thailand without a visa for up to 30 days (tourism only) under the rules in force since 15 September 2026, and everyone must file the free Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) within the 3 days before arrival. The Tourist Police number is 1155, and the rainy season runs from mid-May to mid-October.

How long can I stay in Thailand without a visa, and do I need a TDAC?

The list includes the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, all EU states, Switzerland, Norway, Japan, New Zealand, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and the UAE; anyone admitted before 15 September may stay until the date stamped in their passport. Visa on Arrival (15 days, 2,000 THB) now covers only Azerbaijan, Belarus and Serbia, and bilateral agreements continue (90 days for South Korea, for example).

• Passport valid for at least 6 months on entry, and proof of onward travel within your permitted stay.
• Funds: official pages disagree for visa-exempt visitors; the safe figure is 20,000 THB per person or 40,000 THB per family, checked at the officer's discretion.
• Extension: once, by up to 30 days, at an immigration office (form TM.7, at the officer's discretion; the long-standing fee is 1,900 THB).
• Land borders: visa-exempt entries overland are capped at two per calendar year (not applied to Malaysian, Bruneian, Indonesian or Singaporean passports).

Who has to file the TDAC, and when?

Everyone who is not Thai, arriving by air, land or sea, has needed the Thailand Digital Arrival Card since 1 May 2025. File it within the 3 days before arrival (arrival day included), up to 10 people per submission, with a new card for every entry. Transit passengers who stay airside and crew are exempt; the THIM app (launched 25 September 2026) is an optional way to file.

Is there an ETA or entry fee? No. The Electronic Travel Authorisation announced in 2024 never launched, and the proposed 450 THB tourism fee is still a draft (early 2027 is the stated target); nothing is collected today.

Which airport will I land at, and how do I get into town?

Luggage fees, the regional airports (Phuket, Krabi, Chiang Mai, U-Tapao, Sukhothai, Khon Kaen, Udon Thani, Ubon Ratchathani) and how far each is from town are on the Thailand airport transfers page.

How should I travel between Thai cities?

Distances and realistic drive times for 16 destinations, from Pattaya and Hua Hin to Udon Thani and Chiang Mai, are in the road trips from Bangkok table.

How can I tell a licensed taxi or transfer car?

Look at the plate. Yellow means registered for hire; green with white characters is a licensed "service car" (airport and hotel transfers, tour cars); white is private and not licensed to sell rides, except app ride-hailing cars, which keep white plates but carry Department of Land Transport stickers. A paid van (more than 7 seats) should have a yellow plate numbered in the 30s.

How much does an ATM withdrawal cost in Thailand?

The 220 THB figure in older guides is out of date. If an ATM or card terminal offers to charge you in your home currency (dynamic currency conversion), that conversion costs extra; choose baht.

VAT refund: spend at least 2,000 THB per shop per day at stores showing the "VAT Refund for Tourists" sign, get form P.P.10 with the tax invoices on the day, and fly out from an international airport with the goods within 60 days. Purchases of 20,000 THB or more must be shown to Customs before check-in. VAT stays at 7% until 30 September 2027.

Cash limits: declare more than 450,000 THB in Thai banknotes or more than USD 15,000 in foreign banknotes to Customs; taking out more than 50,000 THB in baht needs Bank of Thailand permission (2,000,000 THB to neighbouring countries).

Paying for a pre-booked transfer: on the Smile Taxi Service network nothing is charged when you book; you pay the driver in cash (THB) at the end, or ask by WhatsApp or LINE for a PayPal card link (+5%).

Should I get an eSIM or a Thai SIM card?

A Thai number matters only for services that send one-time passwords to local numbers (drone registration in Thailand is one).

• Thai eSIM sells data-only eSIMs for Thailand on the AIS, TrueMove H and dtac networks: the QR code arrives by email, and validity starts when the eSIM first connects in Thailand.
• Switch data roaming on for the eSIM line and off for your home line.
• The regional transfer sites in the Smile network give a free 500 MB eSIM with an airport pickup, on request.

Phone compatibility, carrier locks and troubleshooting are covered step by step in the eSIM guide for Asia.

When is the rainy season in Thailand, and when should I go?

Festivals to plan around: Songkran on 13–15 April and Loy Krathong on Tuesday 24 November 2026. Dengue peaks in the rainy season, so daytime mosquito protection matters most from May to October.

Which Thai laws and customs catch visitors out?

Temples: cover shoulders and knees, take shoes off before entering buildings, never point your feet at a Buddha image, and women should not touch monks. The Grand Palace also refuses shorts, mini skirts, sleeveless, see-through or crop tops and torn or tight trousers; it opens 08:30–16:30 and foreigners pay 500 THB. Queen Sirikit's royal cremation is on 15–19 December 2026 next to the palace, and closures for those dates had not been announced when we checked.

What number do I call in an emergency in Thailand?

The US CDC advises drinking bottled or filtered water rather than tap water, and a yellow fever certificate is needed only if you arrive from a country listed as infected. Before paying for a tour, check the operator on the Department of Tourism's licence check (TAT issues no licences).

Transparency: Smile Taxi Service, its regional transfer sites and Thai eSIM, linked on this page, are affiliated with Asia Travel Forum. Everything we say about them comes from the operators' published terms.