Passports and Visa

All visitors to Thailand require valid passports, but visas are not necessary for most nationalities for a stay of up to 30 days. Other nationalities can obtain 15-day visa on arrival. For a longer visit a tourist visa, issued by overseas Thai consular offices, is valid for a stay of up to 60 days. It must be used within three months from the date of issue and can be extended.

  Health

Certificate of inoculation against cholera and yellow fever are not required, unless arriving from an infected area. Some remote areas of Thailand are still malarial, so visitors should take appropriate facilities and hospitals, the high quality and low cost of which attract many visitors from countries where such amenities are either not available or very costly.

  Electricity

The electricity current is 220 volt AC (50 cycles) throughout the country. Many different types of plugs and sockets are in use. Travellers with electric shavers, hair dryers, tape recorders and other appliances should carry a plug adapter kit. The better hotels will make a available 110-volt transformers.

  Tap Water

Tap water is clean but drinking from it directly should be avoided. Bottled water is recommended.

  Time

The time in Thailand is seven hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (+7 hours GMT).

  Office & Banking Hours

Most commercial concerns in Bangkok operate on a five-day week, usually from 8 am to 5:00 pm. Many stores open seven days a week from 10:00am to 10:00pm. Government offices are generally open between 8:30am and 4:30pm with a noon to 1pm lunch break, Monday to Friday except public holidays. Banks are open Mondays to Fridays from 9:30am to 3:30pm except on public holidays.

  Tipping

Tipping is not standard practice in Thailand, although it is becoming increasingly common. Many larger hotels and restaurants add a 10% service charge to the bill. Taxi drivers do not expect a tip but the gesture is appreciated and 10-20 baht is acceptable for porters.

  Emergency Telephone Numbers

- Central Emergency (Police, Ambulance, Fire):191
- Highway Patrol:1193
- Crime Suppression:195 or 0-2513-3844
- Tourist Police (English, French and German spoken):1155

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