Arriving in Bangkok: the mistakes that cost first-timers money

Most arrival mistakes are small and cheap to avoid: a booth with a poor rate, a tick-box on an ATM screen, a taxi without a meter. Together they can cost real money and a bad first evening.

Since filming: the free TDAC arrival card became compulsory on 1 May 2025; file it within the three days before you land. Since 15 September 2026 most passports get 30 days visa-free, not 60, and for tourism only. Foreign currency over US$15,000 must be declared. This page reflects the current rules; the entry rules guide and the TDAC guide have the details.

If you’ve arrived before, skip to the money and taxi sections. For the full route, arrival card to hotel door, see the complete arrival guide.

Mistakes before you reach the desk

1. Not checking which airport you land at

Bangkok has two. Suvarnabhumi (BKK) takes most international flights. Don Mueang (DMK) handles low-cost carriers and flights from smaller Thai cities and regional hubs.

Read the code on your ticket before you plan your ride. Many of the tips below work at both.

2. Skipping the arrival card

Complete the TDAC first, within the three days before you land. It is compulsory for foreign visitors, it is free, and the only official portal is tdac.immigration.go.th. Sites that charge are middlemen. The TDAC guide goes field by field.

3. Having no answers ready at immigration

Officers ask a few things more than any others: how long you’re staying, what you plan to do and where you’re sleeping the first night. Answer quickly and you’re usually waved through. Hesitate or have no answer and you may be sent for extra screening.

Write the answers down and keep them in your wallet or phone: your length of stay, a one-line itinerary, and the name of your first hotel. It takes two minutes at home.

4. Volunteering a plan to work

Tourist entry does not allow work; if you plan to work, get the right visa first. On a visa exemption or tourist visa, the purpose of your trip is tourism, and mentioning work or study, even volunteering, brings more questions.

Check your passport’s current allowance on the Royal Thai Embassy or immigration.go.th site, and plan any longer stay with a visa before you fly.

5. Packing medication without checking the rules

Opioid painkillers and other narcotics need a special permit from the Thai FDA. You also need to package them correctly and declare them. The catch: the permit takes time, so apply well before you fly.

Look up each drug on the FDA’s traveller permit site. The packing guide covers the wider medicine rules.

6. Bringing a vape

Vapes and e-cigarettes are illegal to bring in. They are confiscated, and you can face a fine. Leave them at home.

Mistakes with money

7. Buying baht at home

Rates in Thailand usually beat home bureaus. Arrive with a little of your own currency or just a card, and exchange here.

8. Using the first exchange booth you see

The booths in the arrivals hall are the convenient ones, and the rates are weaker. Follow the signs for the Airport Rail Link down to the basement, where a row of exchange counters sits beside the rail entrance.

It’s only a short walk, and nothing advertises them. Compare the boards before you hand anything over.

9. Changing small notes

Exchange counters give a better rate on large notes such as US$100 and US$50 bills. Small denominations get a worse rate.

Declare foreign currency over US$15,000 or the equivalent. Thai baht over 450,000 must be declared too; the entry rules board has the detail. Your home country may set its own limit for taking cash out.

10. Withdrawing small amounts again and again

Thai ATMs charge foreign cards a flat fee per withdrawal, so compare the fee on the screen. Take out a bigger sum less often rather than several small ones.

If you’ll use ATMs through the trip, a travel debit or credit card that covers foreign transaction fees and ATM fees can pay for itself. Check what your own bank charges on top.

11. Accepting the ATM’s “home currency” offer

The screen asks whether to charge you in baht or in your own currency. Choose baht, which gives you the card network’s rate. The home-currency option is dynamic currency conversion, where the machine sets its own exchange rate. Decline it every time.

Mistakes with your phone

12. Arriving with a locked phone, or the wrong plan

A phone locked to a home-carrier contract won’t take a new SIM, and you’re stuck on roaming. Ask your carrier to unlock it before you leave.

Then match the plan to the trip. A short stay suits an eSIM or a tourist SIM from the AIS or True counters in the arrivals hall. For a long stay, take a tourist SIM or eSIM for the first days, then buy a local prepaid plan at a mall shop within the first week and ask staff for their best current promotion.

The packing guide has more on phone setup.

Mistakes getting to the city

13. Eating at the arrivals cafés

The cafés by the arrivals area charge airport prices for ordinary food. At Suvarnabhumi, eat at Magic Food Point on level 1, next to the taxi exit, or wait until you reach a neighbourhood with local places.

14. Taking a taxi the wrong way

Use the regulated airport taxi stand. Take a queue ticket from the machine and choose a regular or a large taxi. The ticket carries a taxi number that matches the number on the cab.

Keep the ticket. It has the driver’s details and is your record if you have a problem, so never hand it over.

Then:

• Insist on the meter. Tell the driver your destination and ask for it to be switched on. Fixed fares are a common attempt, even at the airport.
• Expect the surcharge. You pay the metered fare plus a small airport surcharge, and tolls are extra, paid by the passenger.
• Pay with small notes. Hand over a large one and the driver may swap it for a smaller note and give you the wrong change.
• Watch the route on Google Maps.

If you don’t want that hassle, Grab and Bolt both work from the airport, straight to your accommodation. Your bank may add a foreign transaction fee.

On your own or travelling light, the Airport Rail Link in the basement connects to both the BTS and the MRT. The complete arrival guide has the route.

Mistakes with strangers

15. Showing your money

Two approaches turn up at the airport and across the tourist hotspots:

• The friendly stranger who asks to see your money. A foreigner befriends you and, a short way into the conversation, asks to see currency from your country. Never take out your wallet or show cash to someone you’ve just met.
• The stranded traveller. Someone, often a foreigner of any nationality, says they’ve lost their ticket or can’t afford a meal, and asks you for money. Walk away.

For more, see scams in Thailand.

Save the tourist police number before you leave the arrivals hall: 1155.