Country Specific Info.

The United States State Department produces Consular Information Sheets with health, safety and other country information for every country in the world. They are one good source of information, though you should look at multiple sources of information and take your own personal situation into account when selecting a country to study in.

The latest Consular Information Sheet for Thailand is below. We do not take responsibility for this information or edit it in any way. You can access the State Department travel site directly at: http://travel.state.gov/travel/

November 04, 2009

COUNTRY DESCRIPTION:  

Thailand is a constitutional monarchy. Thailand adopted its current constitution following an August 19, 2007, referendum. Multi-party elections held on December 23, 2007, under the provisions of the new constitution resulted in the People\'s Power Party (PPP) winning a plurality of the seats in the lower house of Parliament and the formation of a coalition government. In December 2008, a revised coalition led by the previous opposition party, the Democrat Party, came to power. Most of the population is Buddhist and ethnically Thai. Standard Thai is the official language of Thailand and is spoken in every province, though many areas also have a local dialect, and in the deep south, a variant of Malay is widely spoken. Most Thais working in the tourist industry and in businesses dealing with foreigners can speak at least rudimentary English. Thailand is a popular travel destination, and tourist facilities and services are available throughout the country. At many tourist attractions, including national parks, foreigners are charged admission fees up to ten times higher than those charged to Thais. Read the Department of State\'s Background Notes on Thailand for additional information.

REGISTRATION / EMBASSY LOCATION:

U.S. citizens living or traveling in Thailand are encouraged to register with the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate at the Department of State\'s travel registration page in order to obtain updated information on local travel and security. U.S. citizens without Internet access may register directly with the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. Registration is important; it allows the State Department to assist U.S. citizens in an emergency.

Local embassy information is available below and at the Department of State\'s list of embassies and consulates.

U.S. Embassy Bangkok

95 Wireless Road, Bangkok 10330, Thailand

Telephone: 66-2-205-4049, 02-205-4049 (within Thailand)

Emergency after-hours telephone: 66-2-205-4000, 02-205-4000 (within Thailand)

Facsimile: 66-2-205-4103, 02-205-4103 (within Thailand)

U.S. Consulate Chiang Mai

387 Wichayanond Road, Chiang Mai 50300, Thailand

Telephone: 66-53-107-700, 053-107-700 (within Thailand)

Emergency after-hours telephone: 66-81-881-1878, 081-881-1878 (within Thailand)

Facsimile: 66-53-252-633, 053-252-633 (within Thailand)

ENTRY/EXIT REQUIREMENTS:

U.S. citizen tourists staying for fewer than 30 days do not require a visa but must possess a passport that has at least six months validity remaining and may be asked to show an onward/return ticket. Persons entering Thailand by air without a visa are allowed to stay in Thailand for 30 days per visit. Persons entering Thailand by land without a visa are allowed to stay in Thailand for 15 days per visit. The duration of stay in Thailand for persons who enter Thailand without a visa cannot exceed 90 days during any six-month period, counting from the date of first entry. After 90 days, travelers must apply for a new visa at a Thai embassy outside of the country. Travelers must pay a Passenger Service Charge in Thai baht when departing from any of Thailand\'s international airports. This charge is now included in airline ticket prices at Bangkok\'s main airport, Suvarnabhumi International Airport.

When a traveler enters the country, Thai Immigration stamps in his or her passport the date on which the traveler\'s authorized stay in Thailand will expire. Any traveler remaining in Thailand beyond this date without having received an official extension will be assessed an immediate cash fine of 500 Baht per day, up to a maximum of 20,000 Baht, when departing Thailand. Any foreigner found by police to be out of legal status prior to departure (during a Thai Immigration \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"sweep\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\" through a guesthouse, for example) will be jailed, fined, deported at his or her own expense, and may be barred from re-entering Thailand.

In this regard, U.S. citizens should be aware that private \"visa extension services,\" even those advertising in major periodicals or located close to Immigration offices or police stations, are illegal. A number of U.S. citizens are arrested at border crossings each year when the visas and entry stamps they have obtained through these illegal services are discovered to be counterfeit.

Some HIV/AIDS entry restrictions exist for visitors to and foreign residents of Thailand; however, these restrictions are generally not enforced. Please verify this information with the Royal Thai Embassy before you travel.

Thailand\'s entry/exit information is subject to change without notice. For further information on Thailand\'s entry/exit requirements, contact the Royal Thai Embassy, 1024 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C., 20007, telephone (202) 944-3600, or contact the Thai consulates in Chicago, Los Angeles, or New York City. Visit the Royal Thai Embassy website for the most current visa information.

Information about dual nationality or the prevention of international child abduction can be found on our website. For further information about customs regulations, please read our Customs Information page.

SAFETY AND SECURITY:

The State Department is concerned that there is a continuted risk of terrorism in Southeast Asia, including in Thailand. U.S. citizens traveling to Thailand should therefore exercise caution, especially in locations where Westerners congregate, such as clubs, discos, bars, restaurants, hotels, places of worship, schools, outdoor recreation venues, tourist areas, beach resorts, and other places frequented by foreigners. They should remain vigilant with regard to their personal security and avoid crowds and demonstrations. For more information on terrorist threats against U.S. citizens worldwide and steps to take as a result of these threats, please see the Worldwide Caution.

From May 2008 - April 2009, political protests on the streets of Bangkok involving anti-government and pro-government demonstrators led to the death of eight Thai citizens and injuries to over 700, including a U.S. citizen who was injured by an exploding tear gas canister, and an additional death in Chiang Mai. Most of the casualties occurred around the Government House compound and the two Bangkok airports, Suvarnabhumi International Airport and Don Muang Airport, which were temporarily occupied by the People\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s Alliance for Democracy (PAD). Thailand experienced similar demonstrations, primarily in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, during the political unrest that led to a military coup in September 2006.

The Department of State advises all U.S. citizens residing in or traveling to Bangkok to monitor events closely, to avoid any large public gatherings, and to exercise discretion when moving about Bangkok. All demonstrations are unpredictable, and any demonstration can turn violent without warning. For this reason, the Embassy encourages all U.S. citizens to monitor local media for announcements of possible demonstrations and to avoid the areas where demonstrations might occur. If a demonstration is expected to pass near U.S. Embassy facilities, Embassy entrances and functions may be restricted, depending on circumstances.

The far south of Thailand has been experiencing almost daily incidents of criminally and politically motivated violence, including incidents attributed to armed local separatist groups. On March 15, 2008, two bombs exploded at the CS Pattani Hotel in Pattani Province in southern Thailand. Two people died and thirteen were injured. A car bomb exploded in Yala Province on the same day, killing the driver. Although the separatist groups have continued to focus primarily on Thai government interests in the southern provinces, some of the recent violence in the area has targeted public places, including areas where tourists may congregate. On September 17, 2006, a series of bombs detonated in a commercial district of Hat Yai, killing one U.S. citizen and injuring another. In 2005 two U.S. citizens were injured when a bomb detonated in the Hat Yai airport. Attacks in the area have increasingly been targeted against commercial areas where foreigners congregate. The U.S. Embassy prohibits U.S. Embassy personnel from traveling to the far south of Thailand - Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala, and Songkhla provinces, including the town of Hat Yai - without prior mission approval, and Embassy personnel may travel there only on mission-essential travel.  The Department of State urges U.S. citizens to defer non-emergency travel to these areas. If U.S. citizens must travel to these areas, they should exercise special caution and remain vigilant with regard to their personal security. Travelers should be aware that Thai authorities have on occasion instituted special security measures in affected areas, such as curfews, military patrols, or random searches of train passengers.

The U.S. Embassy recommends that U.S. citizens defer travel along the Thai-Cambodian border in the area of the Preah Vihear temple because of a border dispute between the two countries. Thai and Cambodian soldiers have been stationed along the border in this area since July 2008 and have exchanged gunfire on several occasions. Until the situation has been resolved, U.S. citizens should exercise extreme caution if they must travel to areas along the Thai-Cambodian border where troop activities are reported.

From 2004 to 2006, seven Lao-American and Hmong-American citizens were murdered in northern and northeastern Thailand near the border with Laos. During the same period, a number of non-U.S. citizens with ties to Laos were also murdered in this region of Thailand. In addition, in March 2006 a Hmong-American disappeared from his residence in Chiang Mai along with seven other individuals. In most of these cases, no arrests have been made. If U.S. citizens, particularly Lao-Americans or Hmong-Americans, travel to these areas, they should exercise caution and remain vigilant with regard to their personal security. It is also recommended that persons wishing to travel to border areas check first with the Thai Police and the U.S. Consulate General in Chiang Mai, the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, or the U.S. Embassy in Vientiane as appropriate.

The Thai/Burma border is the site of on-going conflicts between the Burmese Army and armed opposition groups as well as clashes between Thai security forces and armed drug traffickers. Pirates, bandits, and drug traffickers operate in these border areas. There remains a possibility of significant flare-ups of military activity on the Burmese side of the border that could spill over into immediately adjacent areas of northern Thailand. Visitors should travel off-road in undeveloped areas only with local guides who are familiar with the area. Border closings and re-openings occur frequently, and U.S. citizens considering traveling into Burma from Thailand should be aware that in the event of a border closure they may not be able to re-enter Thailand. In light of the continuing unsettled situation along the Thai border with Burma and the possibility of frequent closings to all traffic, the Department of State recommends that all U.S. citizens exercise caution when traveling in remote or rural areas immediately adjacent to the Burma border.

Tourists should obtain information from Thai authorities about whether official border crossing points are open, and should cross into neighboring countries only at designated crossing points. Licensed guides can help ensure that trekkers do not cross inadvertently into a neighboring country.

For the latest security information, U.S. citizens traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department of State\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s Bureau of Consular Affairs\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\' website, which contains current Travel Warnings and Travel Alerts as well as the Worldwide Caution.

Up-to-date information on safety and security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free within the U.S. and Canada, or by calling a regular toll line, 1-202-501-4444, from other countries. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).

The Department of State urges U.S. citizens to take responsibility for their own personal security while traveling overseas. For general information about appropriate measures travelers can take to protect themselves in an overseas environment, see the Department of State\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s extensive tips and advice on traveling safely abroad.

CRIME:

Although the crime threat in Bangkok remains lower than that in many U.S. cities, crimes of opportunity such as pick-pocketing, purse-snatching, and burglary have become more common in recent years. Travelers should be especially wary when walking in crowded markets, tourist sites, and bus or train stations. Many U.S. citizens have reported having passports, wallets, and other valuables stolen in Bangkok\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s Chatuchak Weekend Market, usually by thieves who cut into purses or bags with a razor and remove items surreptitiously. Police at the Market usually refuse to issue police reports for foreign victims of theft, requiring them instead to travel several miles to the central Tourist Police office. Violent crimes against foreigners are relatively rare. However, there has been a recent upsurge in violent crime against tourists, including the murder of several independent travelers, on the southern islands of Phuket and Koh Samui. Independent travelers should exercise caution and stay in the vicinity of other travelers, especially in the beach areas of these islands.

Reports of serious crimes involving taxis or \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"tuk-tuks\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\" (three-wheeled taxis) are also relatively rare, although attempts to charge excessive fares occur regularly. Several taxi-related incidents involving foreign passengers occur in Bangkok each year. U.S. citizens should not hesitate to ask to be let out of a taxi immediately if the driver is acting suspiciously or driving erratically. (See also the Safety and Road Conditions section.)

When arriving at Bangkok\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s airport, travelers should use only taxis from the airport\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s official taxi stand, cars from the airport limousine counters, or airport buses. All major hotels in Bangkok can also arrange to have a car and driver meet incoming flights. It is uncommon for Thai taxis to pick up additional passengers. Travelers should be wary of drivers seeking to do so and should never enter a cab that has someone besides the driver in it.

U.S. citizens frequently encounter taxi drivers and others who tout gem stores or entertainment venues. These touts receive kickbacks or commissions that drive up the prices of the goods or services, and travelers should not accept tours or other offers from them. Scams involving gems, city tours, entertainment venues, and credit cards are common, especially in areas heavily visited by tourists. Credit cards should be used only in reputable, established businesses, and the amount charged should be checked for accuracy.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) receives over a thousand complaints each year from visitors who have been cheated on gem purchases. Gem scams usually follow a predictable pattern. Someone approaches a tourist outside of a well-known tourist attraction such as the Grand Palace or the Jim Thompson House and says that the attraction is closed. The friendly stranger quickly gains the tourist\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s confidence and suggests a visit to a temple that is supposedly open only one day per year; the stranger then mentions in passing that a special once-a-year government-sponsored gem sale is going on and directs the tourist to a waiting tuk-tuk. At the temple, another stranger - sometimes a foreigner - engages the tourist in conversation and, by seeming coincidence, also mentions the \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"special\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\" gem sale. The tourist agrees to go look at the gem shop and is soon convinced to buy thousands of dollars worth of jewels that can supposedly be sold in the U.S. for a 100% profit. When the tourist actually has the goods appraised, they turn out to be of minimal value, and the shop\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s money-back guarantee is not honored. No matter what a tout may say, no jewelry stores are owned, operated, or sponsored by the Thai Government or by the Thai royal family. Lists of gem dealers who have promised to abide by TAT guidelines are available online from the Buying Gems & Jewellery in Thailand section of the Tourism Authority of Thailand\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s website and detailed information on gem scams can be found on numerous web sites. A traveler who has fallen victim to a gem scam should contact the local branch of the Tourist Police or call their country-wide toll-free number: 1155.

Although most bars and entertainment venues operate honestly, some, especially in tourist areas such as Patpong, at times try to charge exorbitant amounts for drinks or unadvertised cover charges and threaten violence if the charges are not paid. If victimized in this fashion, travelers should not attempt to resolve the problem themselves but should instead pay the price demanded and then seek out a nearby Tourist Police officer for help in getting restitution. (If no officer is nearby, the Tourist Police may be contacted toll-free by dialing 1155.)

There have been occasional reports of scopolamine drugging perpetrated by prostitutes or unscrupulous bar workers for the purpose of robbery. (Scopolamine is a powerful sedative.) Tourists have also been victimized by drugged food and drink, usually offered by a friendly stranger, sometimes posing as a fellow traveler on an overnight bus or train. In addition, casual acquaintances met in a bar or on the street may pose a threat. Travelers are advised to avoid leaving drinks or food unattended and should avoid going alone to unfamiliar venues. Some trekking tour companies, particularly in Northern Thailand, have been known to make drugs available to trekkers. Travelers should not accept drugs of any kind, as the drugs may be altered or harmful, and the use or sale of narcotic drugs is illegal in Thailand.

Pirated Merchandise: Counterfeit and pirated goods are widely available in Thailand. The manufacture and sale of pirated goods, including music, movies, software, and counterfeit luxury goods and apparel, is a crime in Thailand and is frequently controlled by organized crime networks. In addition, bringing these goods back to the United States may result in forfeitures and/or fines. More information on this serious problem is available in the intellectual property section of the U.S. Department of Justice website.

INFORMATION FOR VICTIMS OF CRIME:

If you are the victim of a crime abroad, you should contact the local police and the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate (see end of this sheet or see the Department of State\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s list of embassies and consulates). This includes the loss or theft of a U.S. passport. The embassy/consulate staff can, for example, help you find appropriate medical care, contact family members or friends and explain how funds may be transferred. Although the investigation and prosecution of the crime are solely the responsibility of local authorities, consular officers can help you to understand the local criminal justice process and to find an attorney if needed.

The local equivalent to the \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"911\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\" emergency line in Thailand is 191.

Please see our information on victims of crime, including possible victim compensation programs in the United States.

CRIMINAL PENALTIES:

While in a foreign country, a U.S. citizen is subject to that country\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s laws and regulations, which sometimes differ significantly from those in the United States and may not afford the protections available to the individual under U.S. law. Penalties for breaking the law can be more severe than in the United States for similar offenses. Engaging in sexual conduct with children or using or disseminating child pornography in a foreign country is a crime, prosecutable in the United States.

Persons violating Thai laws, even unknowingly, may be expelled, arrested, or imprisoned. For example, it is a criminal offense to make negative comments about the King or other members of the royal family. Thais hold the King in the highest regard, and it is a serious crime to make critical or defamatory comments about him. This particular crime, called \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"lese majeste,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\" is punishable by a prison sentence of three to fifteen years. Purposely tearing or destroying Thai bank notes, which carry an image of the King, may be considered such an offense, as can spitting on or otherwise defiling an official uniform bearing royal insignia.

The Thai Government has publicly stated that it will not tolerate the use of Thai territory as a base by groups trying to overthrow or destab