Bangkok, Thailand
Do the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) online before you land — it's free and now required. On arrival, ignore the taxi touts on the arrivals level: go DOWN to Level 1 for the official metered taxi, or take the Airport Rail Link to beat the traffic. Keep some baht in cash for a SIM.
Since May 2025 every foreign arrival must complete the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) online, up to 3 days before arrival. It's free at tdac.immigration.go.th — save the emailed QR confirmation to show at immigration. If you haven't done it, use the airport wifi to complete it before you reach the desk.
Scam warning: Only tdac.immigration.go.th is official and free. 'TDAC' sites that charge a service fee are third parties, not the government.
Join passport control with your Thai accommodation address to hand. Many nationalities enter visa-free for a limited stay, but the length depends on your passport — check your own eligibility before you travel. Queues here can be long.
Walk out through the green 'nothing to declare' channel unless you're carrying goods over the duty-free limits or restricted items.
Check the baggage screens for your flight to find the right carousel, and keep your bag-tag receipt until you've left the airport.
File a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) at your airline's baggage desk in the reclaim hall before you exit — it's much harder afterwards.
Almost every Thai bank ATM charges a flat foreign-card fee of about 220 THB per withdrawal, on top of your own bank's fees — so take out a larger amount at once rather than several small withdrawals. As always, decline any offer to charge you in your home currency and choose baht.
Scam warning: The 220 THB fee is charged per transaction regardless of amount; 'dynamic currency conversion' on top costs even more.
AIS, TrueMove and dtac kiosks in the arrivals area sell cheap tourist SIMs with generous data — worth it, since ride apps and maps need a connection. They take cash, so withdraw baht first.
Arrivals is Level 2, where touts shout 'taxi?' and offer flat 'limousine' fares — walk past them. Go down to Level 1 and use the official public-taxi kiosk: press the button, take the printout with your bay number and the car's registration, and make sure the driver runs the meter. You pay the meter plus a 50 THB airport surcharge and any expressway tolls.
Scam warning: Touts on the arrivals level charge several times the metered fare. If a driver says the 'meter is broken', get out and take the next one.
The Airport Rail Link runs from the basement (level B) into the city in about 30 minutes, avoiding road traffic. It goes to Makkasan (connect to the MRT) and Phaya Thai (connect to the BTS Skytrain).
Grab and Bolt both work at BKK and let you pay in-app with a set price and no haggling. You'll need a connection (SIM or roaming); follow the pickup point the app shows you.
Before leaving the baggage hall, file a PIR at your airline's baggage desk and keep your tag receipt and a photo of the bag. You'll get a reference to track the claim.
Get out and use the official public-taxi kiosk on Level 1, or order a Grab/Bolt. If you feel cheated or unsafe, note the car's plate and call the Tourist Police on 1155 (English-speaking).
Report it to airport police, then contact your country's embassy or consulate for an emergency travel document. Keep a photo of your passport's ID page on your phone before you travel.
Go to an airport medical point or information desk, or call the local emergency number (shown in this airport's arrival tips) — it usually works from any phone, even with no SIM. Numbers differ by country, so don't assume 112 works everywhere.
Do not leave immediately — note the ATM's bank and location, then call your card issuer to block the card. Machines inside bank branches are safer to retrieve from than standalone ones.