What to Do Before Traveling to Thailand
If you want to travel to Thailand, you must make certain preparations before boarding your flight to ensure your journey progresses as smoothly as possible without any sudden disruptions. As a country with a high volume of visitors each year, Thailand has detailed immigration policies to ensure the safe and legal entry of tourists, and failing to follow these policies could see you turned away at the border.
Continue reading this article to find out what steps you need to take to ensure you can arrive in Thailand without encountering any immigration issues to drag down your trip.
Book Your Tickets to Thailand
The first step you should go through is to book a plane ticket to Thailand either through an airline’s official website or through a travel agent. If you are staying in the country temporarily, you will need to secure a return or onward ticket as you need to make sure you leave Thailand by the time your visa expires.
If you are currently living in one of Thailand’s neighboring countries such as Vietnam and Laos, it's possible to travel over the border by land and sea rather than by air. However, it is quicker and easier to fly to Thailand by plane, especially when dealing with immigration matters on arrival.
Obtain the Correct Visa
In most cases, you need to acquire a Thai visa to gain legal entry into Thailand. You should plan for this many weeks or even months before your trip, as it involves completing a full application process.
However, depending on your nationality, you may qualify for a Thai visa exemption scheme or the Visa on Arrival program, enabling you to stay temporarily in Thailand without needing to apply for a visa before arriving. These are suitable for short stays in Thailand for the purpose of tourism.
If you are not eligible for these programs or want a longer stay, you must apply for a Thai visa, but make sure it is the correct one you need before getting started. There are multiple Thai visas available, each one matching a specific lifestyle or purpose. What visa you need depends on how long you will be spending in Thailand and your reasons for traveling there:
Make Sure Your Passport is Valid
Before applying for a visa or arriving in Thailand, you need to have a valid passport. By Thai immigration law, a passport must have at least 6 months of validity remaining on the travel document and must have at least 2 blank pages left. Therefore, it's important to check the expiry date of your passport and whether there is enough space for the immigration officers to stamp your document.
If your passport is expiring in less than 6 months, you will need to apply for a new one at the embassy representing your home country. Because applying for a new passport or amending it takes time, it's always best to get it done at least 3 months in advance.
Apply for Travel Insurance
For peace of mind while in Thailand, having travel insurance is a must. In case of a medical emergency, accident, or theft, having travel insurance can reimburse some or all of the costs, ensuring no large surprise expenses jeopardize your trip. While in most cases, travel insurance is completely optional, it is mandatory for some Thai visas such as the LTR Visa.
Some insurance providers offer Thailand health insurance policies specifically designed for both tourists and long-term visa applicants.
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Ensure you have the Right Documents
Much like other countries, Thailand has a few entry requirements that you have to satisfy before arriving. When you reach an immigration checkpoint, you will have to present some documents to the border officers. Which documents you need to show depends on your visa, but you will generally have to present the following documentation:
Under some circumstances, you may need to provide additional documentation. This is a common procedure if you are bringing any medication, are from a certain nationality, or require certain accommodations while you’re in the country. It’s best to consult the nearest Thai Embassy to see if you need to acquire supplementary documentation.
Exchange Your Currency into Thai Baht
Thailand generally only accepts Thai baht as a valid form of currency, and all payments to Immigration or other government agencies must be in baht. Most major credit cards are accepted in Thailand but many vendors and establishments only accept cash, so you will need to convert at least some of your currency into Thai baht. You can exchange your currency at one of the following locations:
Before exchanging your currency, it's important to review the rates. This is because exchange rates constantly fluctuate on a day-to-day basis and you receive more funds if you go through a conversion process while the rates are low. While convenient, the many currency exchange centers located across Thailand often give poor exchange rates compared to banks or airport currency exchanges, so you may want to convert before traveling to tourist destinations.
You will likely need some money already converted into Thai baht the moment you’ve landed in Thailand. Getting some of your funds converted before your arrival will save you time with paying a visa fee, booking a taxi, or purchasing train tickets to get you quickly to your accommodation.
Make Sure Your Accommodation is Properly Booked
Before arriving in Thailand, you need to make sure you have a place to stay. You will also need to provide proof of accommodation for most Thai visa applications, which can be in the form of a hotel reservation document. You may need to bring confirmation of your hotel booking as the officer may ask for it at the border. If you are staying with friends or at an Airbnb, have the street address handy.
Prepare for a Long-Term Stay or Frequent Visits
If you want to stay long-term in Thailand, you need to make additional preparations. If you’re planning on staying for a long period, you need to make sure your visa is renewable or you can apply for an extension. You also need to have enough finances to accommodate your stay, insurance that will cover you for the entire duration, and an understanding of how to complete your 90-day report in Thailand.
If you are planning on making frequent visits to Thailand, you should check to see if your Thai visa allows you to make multiple trips into and out of the country. Some visas enable you to fly into and out of Thailand without a re-entry permit, resulting in less immigration hassle and making travel more convenient. Others, however, are canceled as soon as you leave the country, forcing you to apply for another.
Get Immigration Guidance from a Professional Thai Visa Consulting Agency
If you want to apply for a Thai visa or have any questions about preparing for your trip, partner with Siam Legal’s Thai visa team for expert guidance. We are a full-service law firm and visa consultancy with over 20 years of experience in helping foreigners travel to and enter Thailand legally and smoothly. Our Thai visa team has the skills and knowledge to ensure that you can enjoy your time in Thailand without being held back by immigration issues and delays.
Contact Siam Legal International today and book a consultation with our Thai visa consultants, so you can visit or build a new life in Thailand conveniently and without any interruptions to your stay.