Thailand travel guide

Since September 15, 2026, visitors from 60 countries and territories, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia and all EU states, can stay in Thailand visa-free for up to 30 days for tourism. That is half the 60 days allowed until mid-September, so older guides are now wrong. Everyone also has to file the free Thailand Digital Arrival Card online before landing. This guide covers both, plus when to go to each region, getting around, money, mobile data, calling and plugs, all checked against official Thai sources in October 2026.

Entry rules: the new 30-day visa exemption

Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a summary of the revised visa schemes, effective September 15, 2026, for ordinary passport holders. The main points:

• 30-day visa exemption for 60 countries and territories. The list includes the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, India, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway and all 27 EU member states.
• 15-day exemption for Mauritius and Seychelles.
• Visa on arrival at designated checkpoints only for Azerbaijan, Belarus and Serbia, with a fee of 2,000 baht.
• Separate bilateral agreements cover some other countries, with different stay lengths.

If you need longer than 30 days, or you are going for anything other than tourism, apply for the right visa before you travel. Rules differ by nationality, so check your country on the ministry summary or with your nearest Thai embassy, and look again close to departure, because these schemes change.

The Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC)

Thailand’s arrival card is now filed online. The Immigration Bureau’s TDAC site states that all passengers must complete the Thailand Digital Arrival Card and that foreigners must submit it within the 3 days before their arrival date. The official site is tdac.immigration.go.th, and it says plainly that no fee is required. Copycat sites that charge for the form are not the government service, so type the address yourself rather than clicking an ad.

The same notice reminds visitors that they may not work without a work permit.

Best time to visit, by region

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) describes three seasons nationwide: a cool season from November to February (around 18 to 28°C), a hot season from March to May (around 28 to 38°C) and a rainy, or green, season from May to October. The south does not follow the same calendar on both coasts, which matters if you are planning a beach trip.

Region	Most comfortable	Wettest	Notes
Bangkok and central Thailand	November to February	May to October	Hottest March to May
North (Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai)	November to February	May to October	Nights in the hills can be cold in the cool season
Andaman coast (Phuket, Krabi)	November to February	May to October	Follows the national rainy season
Gulf coast (Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Koh Tao)	Outside November and December	November and December	Heaviest rain comes later than elsewhere

The Thai Meteorological Department explains why the Gulf side is different: in November and December the northeast monsoon and low-pressure troughs bring heavy rain to the southern east coast, sometimes with flash floods. Its long-term averages put November rainfall on the southern east coast at nearly twice the west coast’s. If you want a beach in November, the Andaman side is the safer bet.

Photo by Anantachai Saothong on Unsplash

Getting around

In Bangkok, the BTS Skytrain and the MRT avoid the worst of the road traffic and reach most central areas. Taxis, tuk-tuks and songthaews (shared pickup trucks) fill the gaps, and you should agree on a price or insist on the meter before you set off. For long distances, domestic flights save time, and trains and long-distance buses cost less.

If you are thinking of renting a car or a motorbike, TAT’s visitor information advises checking road rules, licence requirements, insurance and safety guidance first. Make sure your travel insurance covers riding a motorbike, since many policies exclude it unless you hold the right licence. Drinking alcohol is banned on trains and at stations.

For flights and places to stay, our guides on how to find cheap flights and how to book hotels walk through the process, and the flight search and hotel booking comparisons list the sites we would start with.

Money

The currency is the Thai baht (THB). Cards work in hotels, malls and larger restaurants, but street food stalls, markets, songthaews and many small guesthouses run on cash, so carry some baht every day. ATMs are easy to find in towns and tourist areas. Expect your own bank’s foreign transaction fees on top of any charge from the Thai ATM, and when a machine or card terminal offers to charge you in your home currency, choosing baht usually gets you a better rate.

TAT also promotes a tourist e-wallet, TAGTHAi EASY PAY, that lets visitors pay at participating businesses by scanning Thai QR codes. Check its current terms before relying on it.

Getting online

TAT recommends a local SIM card or portable Wi-Fi for reliable connectivity. An eSIM does the same job without a queue at the airport, as long as your phone supports one.

Pelesim, one option, sells prepaid data-only Thailand eSIMs with fixed-GB plans or daily-unlimited day passes that have a fair-use limit. You install it at home, and the plan starts when it first connects in Thailand. Hotspot sharing is allowed, and you can get a refund within 30 days of purchase if the eSIM has not been activated. To compare providers side by side, see our top 5 eSIMs for Thailand, or the unlimited data eSIM list if you stream or work on the road.

Calling home and calling Thai numbers

Messaging apps such as WhatsApp call contacts who use the same app over the internet, which is fine for friends at home. A dive shop, a clinic, your airline or your bank’s card line is a different matter: to reach a landline or a regular mobile, use an app that calls the phone network, such as CallTuv.

It calls regular landlines and mobiles from your browser or phone, pay as you go from $0.03 a minute, with credit that never expires. It makes outgoing calls only. See how to call home from abroad for the other options.

To call a Thai number from abroad, dial +66 and leave out the leading 0. TAT’s head office number shows the pattern: it is written as +662 250 5500 for international callers. While you are in Thailand, the Tourist Police answer on 1155, 24 hours a day, and the TAT Call Centre on 1672 handles tourist information.

Plugs and voltage

Thailand runs on 220 volts at 50 Hz. TAT says sockets take both flat parallel pins (as in the US and Japan) and two round pins (as in most of Europe and Asia), and some hotels and offices also have three-pin outlets. Bring a travel adaptor anyway, because not every socket takes every plug.

If you are coming from a 110-volt country, check the label on each charger. Phone and laptop chargers are usually rated for 100 to 240 volts and only need an adaptor. TAT advises against bringing single-voltage 110-volt appliances and suggests buying 220-volt versions locally instead, because converters bring their own risks with grounding, ratings and frequency.

Staying longer: remote work, visas and setup

The 30-day visa exemption suits a holiday. For a season in Chiang Mai or a winter on the islands, Thailand has visas built for longer stays, including one aimed at remote workers. These are the main routes as Thai embassies and the Board of Investment (BOI) described them in October 2026. This is not legal or tax advice, and embassies differ on documents and fees, so check with the one that serves you.

The Destination Thailand Visa (DTV)

The DTV covers “workcation” stays by digital nomads, remote workers and freelancers, as well as soft-power activities such as Muay Thai, Thai cooking courses and medical treatment.

• Money: proof of at least 500,000 baht, for example bank statements. Embassies ask for different periods of statements.
• Length: valid for 5 years, with multiple entries and up to 180 days per entry. Each entry can be extended once at an immigration office for up to 180 more days. After that you leave and re-enter on the same visa.
• Fee: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists 10,000 baht. Embassies charge in their own currency, for example £300 in London.
• Where: online at thaievisa.go.th.
• What you cannot do: work for Thai companies or freelance for Thai clients, or get a Thai work permit.
• Family: a spouse and children under 20 can come as DTV dependants.

Other long-stay routes

• Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa, remote worker category: for higher earners, with an average personal income of at least USD 80,000 a year over the last two years, an established employer and health insurance of at least USD 50,000. It lasts 5 years, renewable for 5 more.
• Retirement visas: for people aged 50 or over with 800,000 baht in a Thai bank, a pension of at least 65,000 baht a month, or a mix of the two. The one-year O-A version also requires health insurance of 3 million baht.

If you entered visa-free, the immigration officer can extend your 30 days once, by up to 30 more, if you apply before your permitted stay ends. Overstaying costs 500 baht a day, up to 20,000 baht. If you hand yourself in after more than 90 days of overstay you face a ban on returning, starting at 1 year, and longer bans if you are arrested.

Tax

The Revenue Department treats you as a tax resident if you spend 180 days or more in Thailand in a calendar year. Residents pay Thai tax on foreign income only when they bring it into Thailand, in the year it arrives, and income earned before 1 January 2024 is exempt even if it is brought in later. A DTV holder who stays most of the year and moves salary into a Thai account should get advice on this.

Setting up for a month or more

• Address reporting: your landlord, host or hotel must report a foreign guest to immigration within 24 hours on a TM30 form. If you rent privately, ask the owner whether it has been done.
• 90-day reports: anyone staying more than 90 days in one go must report their address to immigration every 90 days. A late report is fined 2,000 baht.
• Short rentals: under Thailand’s Hotel Act, paid lodging rented by the day or week counts as a hotel and needs a licence, unless it is rented by the month or longer. A monthly lease on a condo is the usual legal choice for a long stay.
• Data: a travel eSIM works for the whole stay. If you need a Thai number for deliveries or local apps, add a local SIM from an operator shop.

Where remote workers base themselves

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) names Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Phuket, Ko Samui, Hua Hin and Krabi as its main destinations for digital nomads and workations. It calls Chiang Mai “second to none” for coworking spaces, Phuket “a hotspot for global remote workers” and Ko Pha-ngan “an idyllic location for remote workers”.

Before you go: a short checklist

• Check that your nationality is on the 30-day list, and that 30 days covers your trip.
• File the TDAC on the official site within the 3 days before you land.
• Carry baht for small purchases and tell your bank you are travelling.
• Install your eSIM at home and switch it on when you land.
• Save 1155 in your phone for the Tourist Police.