Just Landed in Thailand? Your First 7 Days

Mobile data in Thailand is fast, cheap and near-universal; 4G and 5G cover the cities and most tourist areas, and even the islands have solid coverage. A prepaid SIM registered to your passport is the norm, and many newcomers rely on mobile data before bothering with fixed home internet. Speeds and pricing are among the best value in the region.

Typical cost: Tourist SIMs run 200 to 600 THB for 8 to 30 days of data, while a monthly prepaid plan with generous data is roughly 200 to 400 THB. Home fibre from AIS Fibre or True Online is about 500 to 700 THB a month for fast, reliable speeds, though installation may need a Thai contact or address paperwork.

Thailand runs heavily on cash and on the domestic QR system, PromptPay, which is used everywhere from street stalls and wet markets to taxis. Cards work in malls, supermarkets and mid-range restaurants, but you will still need cash daily, and many small vendors accept only cash or a PromptPay transfer.

Opening an account: Opening an account as a foreigner is possible but branch-dependent: Bangkok Bank, Kasikornbank (KBank) and Krungsri (Bank of Ayudhya) are the most foreigner-friendly. Most branches want a long-stay visa, a work permit or a Certificate of Residence from immigration; a plain tourist stamp is often refused, so bring your lease, TM30 and any visa paperwork. Some newcomers use an agent or a specific branch known to help foreigners. Once open, the bank app plus PromptPay becomes your main way to pay.

Cash: Cash is king for markets, taxis, street food and small shops. Keep small notes (20s, 50s, 100s) as vendors rarely break a 1,000 THB note, and set up a Thai bank account plus PromptPay as soon as you can so you can pay by QR like locals. Until then, a Wise or Revolut card plus periodic large ATM withdrawals keeps fees down.

Tipping: Tipping is not obligatory. Leaving loose change or rounding up is normal and appreciated; nicer restaurants and hotels often add a 10 percent service charge, in which case no extra tip is expected. There is no tipping culture for taxis beyond rounding up the fare.

Thailand imposes address-reporting obligations on foreigners rather than a single national registration. Under the TM30 rule, the owner or possessor of the accommodation (landlord, hotel, condo juristic person, or the tenant) must notify immigration of a foreigner staying there, typically within 24 hours of arrival at that address or of re-entering the country. Separately, any foreigner permitted to stay 90 days or more must file a 90-day report of their current address every 90 days, in person, by post, or online. Neither is a residency permit; they are address notifications that immigration uses to track long-stay foreigners, and proof of them is frequently requested for visa extensions and bank accounts. Keep the receipts.

Deadline: TM30 within 24 hours of arriving at the address; the 90-day report every 90 days of continuous stay, with a short window before and after the due date.

Where: The Immigration Office for your province (in Bangkok, the Immigration Division at Chaeng Watthana), or online via the Immigration Bureau's TM30 and 90-day reporting systems and the associated apps.

Bangkok has the BTS Skytrain, MRT metro and Airport Rail Link, plus buses, motorbike taxis and canal boats; ride-hailing is cheap and avoids fare haggling. A Rabbit card taps you through the BTS while a stored-value card covers the MRT. Outside Bangkok you will lean on Grab, songthaews (shared pickup trucks), tuk-tuks and rented scooters, and in Chiang Mai or on the islands a scooter is close to essential.

From the airport: From Suvarnabhumi (BKK): the Airport Rail Link to central Bangkok (about 45 THB, roughly 30 minutes), an official metered taxi from Level 1 (about 350 to 450 THB with the 50 THB surcharge and tolls), or a Grab. From Don Mueang (DMK): the SRT Dark Red Line into the city, the A1 or A2 airport bus (about 30 to 50 THB), or a metered taxi or Grab. Always join the official public taxi queue rather than accepting a driver who approaches you.

Most newcomers rent a serviced condo or apartment, easily found on Facebook expat groups, DDproperty, Hipflat or through local agents, whose fees are usually paid by the landlord rather than you. Monthly rentals are common, and a 12-month lease unlocks the best prices while sub-six-month or short stays cost significantly more. Viewing several places in person before signing is worth the effort, as photos flatter and building management varies wildly.

Typical rent: A one-bedroom condo runs roughly 15,000 to 28,000 THB a month in central Bangkok, 8,000 to 15,000 THB in Chiang Mai, and more on popular islands like Phuket or Koh Samui, especially in high season. Older non-serviced apartments and rooms further from the BTS can be much cheaper.

Deposit norm: Typically two months' rent as a deposit plus one month upfront, so budget three months' rent to move in. Electricity and water are billed on top, and landlords sometimes add a small markup on the government electricity rate; get meter readings and the deposit terms in writing, as disputes over returned deposits are the most common tenant complaint.

Thailand has excellent private hospitals, especially in Bangkok (Bumrungrad, Samitivej, Bangkok Hospital and BNH), with English-speaking doctors, modern facilities and short waits, which is why the country is a medical-tourism hub. Public hospitals are far cheaper but busier and more Thai-language, so most expats default to private care and to the plentiful pharmacies, which sell many medicines over the counter without a prescription.

How to access it: For non-emergencies, walk in to a private hospital's outpatient department or a clinic, no referral needed, register with your passport, and pay per visit. Costs are transparent and consultations are often cheaper than you expect. In an emergency call 1669 for an ambulance, though in cities a Grab straight to a private hospital's emergency department is frequently faster than waiting for one.

Insurance: There is no automatic public cover for foreigners, so private health insurance, whether a local Thai policy or an international plan, is strongly advised; certain long-stay and retirement visas legally require proof of health insurance to be granted. Pay-as-you-go at private hospitals is workable for minor issues, but a serious admission or surgery can run into hundreds of thousands of baht, so do not go uninsured for long.

• Greet with a wai (palms together, slight bow) and return one when older or senior people offer it; in business a handshake is also fine.
• Remove your shoes before entering homes, many guesthouses, temples and some shops and clinics; watch for a pile of shoes at the door as your cue.
• Dress modestly at temples: cover shoulders and knees, remove shoes and hats before the main hall, and never climb on or pose disrespectfully with Buddha images.
• Keep your cool. Raising your voice or losing your temper in public makes both parties 'lose face' and almost never gets results; a calm smile does.
• Use your right hand or both hands to give and receive things, and pass money or documents politely rather than tossing them down.
• Avoid pointing your feet at people, food or Buddha images, and do not step over someone; the feet are considered the lowest, least clean part of the body.
• Learn a few words: 'sawatdee' (hello), 'khop khun' (thank you), adding 'khrap' if you are male or 'kha' if female, and it will be warmly received.

• Never disrespect the monarchy or Buddha images; lese-majeste laws are strict and strictly enforced, and even careless social-media comments have led to serious charges.
• Women should not touch monks or hand things directly to them; place items down or pass them via a man instead.
• The head is considered sacred, so avoid touching people's heads, including children's, however affectionate the gesture feels.
• Buddha tattoos, decorations or images used casually can cause real offence and have caused problems at the airport for visitors.
• Drugs carry severe penalties despite cannabis being decriminalised; the rules are shifting and unevenly enforced, so do not assume anything is fully legal.