Thailand

The extreme south of the country has an equatorial climate and the centre and north have a tropical monsoon climate. Rainfall is abundant throughout the country and mainly falls between Jun-Oct when it is warm, humid and cloudy.

Baht

11 - 12 hours

Tourism Authority of Thailand 17-19 Cockspur Street London, SW1Y 5BL tel: +44 20 7925 7820, 0906 3640666* fax: +44 20 7925 2512 e-mail: info@thaismile.co.uk website: www.thaismile.co.uk

GMT +7

Thai, English widely spoken, Some Chinese

220V Adapter required

Driving is on the left. International Driving Permit required

10-15% in restaurants where no service charge is included. It is customary to tip porters & hotel personnel

Bank: 0930-1530 Mon-Fri
Office: 0800-1700 Mon-Fri, 0830-1200 & 1300-1630 Mon-Fri (Government offices)
Shops: 1000-2100 Mon-Sun, 1000-2000/2200 (department stores)

Bangkok Don Muang (BKK)

Buddhist

1 Jan New Year's Day, Feb/Mar* Magha Bucha Day, 6 Apr Chakri Day, 13-15 Apr Songkran (Thai New Year), 1 May Labour Day, 5 May Coronation Day, May/Jun* Visakha Bucha, 1 Jul Mid Year Bank Holiday, Jul* Khao Phansa Day (Buddhist Lent), 12 Aug HM The Queen's Birthday, 23 Oct Chulalongkorn Day, 5 Dec HM The King's Birthday, 10 Dec Constitution Day, 31 Dec New Year's Eve.
* The religious festivals are determined by the Buddhist lunar calendar and therefore are difficult to predict. The dates provided here are estimates.

Compulsory vaccinations: Yellow fever certificate if arriving from infected areas. The countries & areas included in the endemic zones are considered as infected areas. Exempt infants under 9 months.

Recommended immunisations: Diphtheria, hepatitis A, hepatitis B*, Japanese B encephalitis*, malaria, polio, TB*, tetanus, typhoid*, rabies*
* recommended in some circumstances, travellers making 3 or more visits per year, stays of more than 3 months in a rural area, high-risk occupational groups & backpackers staying more than 1 month.

Risks: Malaria exists all year in rural (particularly forest and hilly) areas throughout the country mainly toward the international borders. There is no risk in cities and the main tourist resorts (eg Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Phuket, Koh Samui). Rabies.

Required, but NOT by the following:
1) Nationals of Thailand with a Certificate of Identity
2) Nationals of Singapore with a Certificate of Identity and a visa
3) Temporary Passport holders of South Africa
4) SAR China Travel Permit holders

Passport Validity: Passports must be valid 6 months beyond intended length of stay

The following DO NOT require a visa:
1) Nationals of Thailand
2) For tourist visits up to 30 days by:
a) Holders of British passports endorsed British Citizen
b) Nationals of Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong (S.A.R. passport holders), Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland Rep, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Laos, Luxembourg, Macao (SAR passports), Malaysia, Monaco, Mongolia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United States & Vietnam
3) For tourist stays up to 90 days by nationals of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Korea (South), Peru

Notes: Visas are issued on arrival for tourist visits up to 15 days to nationals of Bhutan, China, Cyprus, Czech Rep, Estonia, Hungary, India, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Maldives, Mauritius, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Slovenia & Ukraine, provided:
a) holding confirmed tickets to leave Thailand within 15 days (must be submitted with application)
b) holding THB 10,000 per person or THB 20,000 per family
c) enter through a designated international checkpoint