Customs Regulations

Coming into Thailand:
Customs Regulations in Thailand are strict and enforced. Those in violation of regulations are subject to fines, and in extreme cases, imprisonment. Here is a brief synopsis of regulations as they stand:

Duty-Free Items:
You are entitled to bring no more than 200 cigarettes or cigars into the country without paying duty. In addition, tobacco up to a weight not exceeding 250 grams is duty exempt. One litre of wine or spirits may be brought into the country on a duty free basis, and you are entitled to bring in a ‘stills’ or ‘movie’ camera, five rolls of still film or three rolls of 8 to 16mm movie camera film for personal use.

VAT Refund for Tourists

As a tourist, you are not required to pay Value Added Tax (VAT) on items more than 5,000 Baht that you intend to take out of Thailand. For most people the amount returned is very welcome and a pleasant surprise, so it is well worth making the effort to collect the paperwork you need for a refund. It is not that difficult to do either.

Stores participating in the refund scheme display a sign stating: “VAT Refund for Tourists”. If you make a purchase from these stores, ask for a VAT Refund Form (P.P 10) and keep the original tax invoice(s) a store gives you.

That is really all you need to do. If you take that paperwork to the 'Customs Inspection for VAT Refund' desk at Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Hay Yai, Phuket or U-Tapao International Airports, you will be granted a tax refund. Bear in mind that the tax refund process is the final stage of your journey in Thailand - you will have gone through passport control on your return leg before you arrive at the appropriate counter. You can only make claims on the day you leave the country.

Thai Embassies

The following is a list of Thai Embassies and their contact details around the world:

Australia
Royal Thai Embassy
111 Empire Circuit
Yarralumla ACT 2600
Tel (02) 6206 0100 
Fax (02) 6206 0123
http://canberra.thaiembassy.org/

Austria
Royal Thai Embassy
Cottaggasse 48, A-1180 Vienna
Tel. (43-1) 478-3335
Fax. (43-1) 478-2907,479-0588
Email: embassy@thaivienna.at
http://www.thaiembassy.at/

When and Where to Travel

Where? When?Wherever you travel in the world, it is important to get the timing right. Not knowing about a country’s seasons and possible weather conditions can turn your holiday into a nightmare. Likewise, gathering some basic details about what to expect will help you make the right decisions about where and when to go.

As far as Thailand is concerned, the best time of year for a visit is between November and February. Generally, the weather is cooler during this period and there is certainly less rain than at other times in the year. However, Thailand is a big country with a diverse landscape. There is somewhere to visit whatever time of the year you visit the kingdom.

Thailand’s SeasonsThailand’s seasons are reasonably uniform through the country, but there are some regional differences. What follows is a summary of the seasons as they impact the kingdom’s various regions:

Visa Issues

Visas to Thailand:Regulations covering the issuance of Thai visas are found in Immigration Act B.E. 2522 (1979) section 5, 12 (1), 34 (15). Essentially, although every visitor to Thailand requires a valid passport, whether you need a visa to enter Thailand is dependent on the period of time you are expecting to stay in the kingdom and your nationality.

Visitors from a number of countries must obtain their visas before entering Thailand. Other visitors will be issued with a visa on arrival at an international airport, a border crossing, or an immigration checkpoint. A limited number of countries have agreements with Thailand that enable their citizens to enter Thailand without a visa. Visas are issued either by consulates and embassies outside Thailand, or the Immigration Bureau of the Royal Thai Police within Thailand.

Public Holidays

In Thailand most workers do not receive the generous holiday/vacation leave allowances people do in the west, although this is offset by the greater number of public holidays Thais enjoy. Many public holidays are based around festivals. Clearly, Thai people want to make the most of these holidays by taking a break or visiting relatives at home in a different province. They are very often periods of significant increase in domestic tourism and travel. During some of the Thai public holidays, you might find hotels and resorts fully booked and it might not be possible to get transportation to the places you want to visit. Clearly a bit of planning is in order.

The festivals that often take place during public holidays are great times to see aspects of ‘real’ Thailand and to feel more involved than you usually might. This is especially true of the Songkran festival. They can though be periods of frustration if travel plans do not go right. Reserve hotels and buy tickets at least a few weeks in advance. In addition, avoid the hassles getting back to Bangkok on the last day a holiday by staying a couple of extra days out of town.

General Info

Thailand – An overview Thailand… as rich in geographic diversity as it is rich in history and culture. There are few places on earth that offer the visitor so much… jungles and mountains, rivers and countryside, islands and beaches, temples and palaces, cities and technology… Thailand has everything a visitor could ask for - and substantially more besides. But most tourists and potential visitors would know these fundamental facts – but what about the REAL Thailand? What does the first time visitor know about Thailand? Here are some details… Thailand was for centuries known as ‘Siam’, the official title changing to ‘Muang Thai’ (‘home of the free’) in 1939.  The country is located in Southeast Asia and borders Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Malaysia. It has a population of nearly 65 million in a country roughly the same size as France and has 3,219 kilometres of coastline.