Frequently Asked Questions

Is there any required vaccination for visiting Thailand?

No specific vaccination is required, but you should ensure that your vaccination (including tetanus and polio) are kept up to date. Hepatitis A is also strongly recommended.

I'm concerned about malaria, is it a risk?

There is indeed a risk of malaria, but it is very limited. Bangkok and most provinces in the central region as well as major tourist resorts and large cities are free from malaria. Only rural areas, especially those in the mountainous and border areas are still at certain risks. But as anti-malaria treatments are not quite effective and have uncomfortable side effects, it is rather recommended to take precautions against mosquito bites, especially at night. You can use reppelents, like skin spray and electrical plugs, sleep under a mosquito net, and wear long sleeved clothes.

Can I drink tap water?

No, it is not drinkable. Even if Bangkok tap water is supposed to be drinkable, nobody drinks it. You can find bottled water everywhere. Ice is made of drinkable water, so it is safe to have ice in your drinks.

 For information about Thai food, see our page about culture

Is Thailand a safe country?

Yes and no. Like many things in Thailand, it depends on how you look at it. Thailand gives the impression of being a very safe country, because you can get around easily and you hardly ever feel threatened. There are security guards everywhere (most of them looking very bored), and people still talk to each other, so, unlike France for example, a woman can't be raped in the subway by some lunatic while everyone is doing his best to look elsewhere. Such a lunatic here is most likely to be beaten to death by a mob of angry people. And this is where we see the other side of the safe country: things can get hot very quickly. The murder rate is high, and the newspapers are always full of stories of people getting killed, sometimes for trifling matters.

So Thailand is safe provided you're not looking for trouble. Provoking or humiliating a Thai is looking for trouble. Behaving like a moron in a bar is looking for trouble. So don't switch off your brain at the boarding gate (!) and try not to take unnecessary risks. Thai men may look small and harmless, but they all know at least the basics of Thai boxing, and they don't believe in the old-fashioned one to one duels, they will go ten to one against you.

 For information about scams and rip-offs, see our page about "dos and don'ts" in Thailand

What about the roads?

The roads are not safe, with more than 13,000 people dying every year (nearly three times as much as France, for about the same population). People drive recklessly and most of them don't have a driving licence. There has been campaigns recently against drunk driving, and a law has been passed to ban the use of mobile phones while driving, but it is still a slaughter every time there is a special occasion, like New Year holidays (in January and in April). As a tourist, at least make sure you wear a helmet if you ride on a motorbike. We see too many tourists riding motorbikes with no helmet and bare-chested. We also see many of them with bandages or limping after an accident, and these are the lucky ones.

Do I need a visa to visit Thailand?

It depends on your passport. Passport holders from Western Europe, North America and Australia/NZ can enter the kingdom without any visa and stay for 30 days. Passport holders from some other countries must apply for a visa on arrival and are allowed to stay for 15 days. And passport holders from other countries must apply for a tourist visa before they leave their country.

People who can enter Thailand without a visa and stay for 30 days must hold a passport from either:
- USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa
- Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK
- Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korean, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam
- Bahrain, Brunei, Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates
- Brazil, Chile, Peru

 This list is given for information only, please check the complete list of countries at Thaivisa website

What if I want to stay for more than 30 days?

Then you must apply for a tourist visa, at the Thai embassy of your country, before you leave. A tourist visa will grant you a permission of stay of 60 days. You can also apply in a neighbouring country. Make sure you have all the required paperwork.

What if I want to stay for more than 60 days?

You can have your tourist visa renewed in Thailand. Just find the closest Immigration Bureau. A renewal will grant you antoher 30 days, so on a whole you can stay three months on a tourist visa. You can then apply for another one or two extensions, 15 days, then one week, but it's not always granted, and after that you must leave the kingdom anyway.

Can I stay for more than three months?

You can cross a border and apply for another tourist visa, for instance in Laos, Malaysia or Cambodia. This is called a "visa run". There used to be a lot of people doing visa runs every three months and living in Thailand several years on tourist visas, either working illegally or living on various revenues. But now the rules have tightened a lot, and no more than two tourist visas are allowed per year. So you can't stay more than six months per year in Thailand on a tourist visa. Visa renewals are also subject to more and more requirements, but they change faster than we can type, so make sure you have up-to-date information from a specialized website or a lawyer.

If I want to stay permanently, what can I do?

Apply for a retirement visa if you are over 60, or for a business visa and a work permit if you are working, or for a marriage visa if you plan to get married. There are not many other options, as Thailand strongly discourages foreigners to live in Thailand. Those who choose to live here must also accept the fact that they won't be granted any rights (notably foreigners can't own land). Most of the foreigners living in Thailand have nothing more than a one-year visa, with the obligation to report to the Immigration Bureau every 90 days. Only very few of them have a residency permit, and very, very few are granted the Thai nationality (it's a very long and difficult process, which includes singing the Thay hymn in front of a crowd, taking an exam in Thai, etc.).

I have a two-month tourist visa, can I go out of Thailand for a few days during that time?

If you have a single entry visa, then you must ask (and pay) for a re-entry permit (available at the airport), or else your visa will be voided. If you have a multi-entry visa, then you can go out and come back without any formality.

How do I know exactly how much time I'm allowed to stay?

Be careful: the period of validity of your visa and the period for which you can stay in Thailand are two different things. For instance your visa can be issued in January and it can be used for three months, but it doesn't mean you can stay in Thailand until March. It means you have until March to enter Thailand and use your visa. What matters is the date in red that is stamped in your passport when you first enter the country. It usually says "permitted of stay until" or "extension of stay". This is the date that matters. You must always be careful not to overstay this permission.

What should I do if I overstay my visa?

Report to the Immigration Bureau as soon as you can, pay the overstay fine and be prepared to leave the country. This is the only solution.

Can I accept a job while on a tourist visa?

Never engage in any working activity while on a tourist visa. If you are taking up a job, make sure your employer provide a proper visa, with a legal procedure.

Where can I get up-to-date information?

Laws can change very quickly in Thailand, and procedures and paperwork can also vary from one embassy to another. If you need to obtain a work permit or a marriage visa, we strongly recommend that you do it through a lawyer and thus save a lot of hassle. If you need to go on a visa run to renew your visa, you can go on your own but make sure you read the latest reports from other people, for example in the Thaivisa forum. You will be aware of the required paperwork, prices, scams, etc. Some agencies also organize visa runs, but basically if your paperwork is in order you don't need an agency to cross a border and fill in a few forms.

 Thaivisa.com: latest news about visas, visa runs, work permit, and residency in Thailand
 Thaivisa.com Forum: visas, residency and work permits