Guides

Discover the ultimate Thailand Guides from The Thaiger, your one-stop resource for all things Thailand. Immerse yourself in local culture, explore breathtaking nature, indulge in vibrant cuisine, and learn to navigate the country’s lifestyle with ease. Find informative articles to help plan your unforgettable journey to Thailand – from top destinations and hidden gems to visa information and essential tips. Our in-depth guides are expertly crafted and regularly updated to provide you with the latest insights. Experience Thailand like never before with our guides that cater to seasoned travellers and first-timers alike.

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  • Coming back to Thailand? Here are some of the steps you need to know about.

    Want to come back to Thailand? Whilst the borders are still closed to simple visa-on-arrival and general tourism, you CAN get back to the country at this time if you have the resources, patience and need to get the requisite paperwork together. There will be red tape, stumbles and conflicting information. But be persistent and you’ll be able to travel…

  • Police have yet to investigate illegal hiring of foreign teachers at international school in Phuket

    Chalong police in Phuket say they have yet to start investigating the illegal hiring of foreign teachers at an international school in Rawai, south of the island. Palm House International School allegedly hired foreign teachers illegally in which 2 were arrested by Phuket Immigration police on November 4. Somkiet Sarasin, the leading investigator of the case, says the 2 Brits…

  • “Bad Medical Student” group takes to Twitter to discuss downfalls of medical industry in Thailand

    A new group, inspired by the Bad Student protesters, has taken to naming itself Bad Medical Students, as it stormed Twitter to reveal the downfalls of studying medicine in Thailand. The hashtag #นักศึกษาแพทย์เลว (Bad Medical Student), has now gained over 86,000 Tweets after the Assistant Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Chiang Mai university encouraged the group to voice…

  • 60 day Tourist Visa stiff income requirement being wound back

    The hefty income requirement for Thailand’s Tourist Visas look like they’re being wound back following online backlash and low uptake. Previously, travellers were excited to learn they could visit a “Covid-free” Thailand, but their moods dipped after learning of the steep financial proof they needed in order to be granted under the revised Tourist Visa provisions. Now, some embassies and…

  • The King to give royal land title deeds valued at 10 billion baht to universities

    King Vajiralongkorn is set to give royal land title deeds worth 10 billion baht, to 2 universities and 2 schools today in a ceremony at Bangkok’s Dusit Palace. The title deeds cover more than 100 rai of land along the Ratchawithi Road in Dusit district. Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University will receive deeds that cover 60 rai, while Suan Dusit University…

  • Government aims to offer work permits to foreigners who invest at least US$1 million

    Probably the most expensive Work Permit in the world. The Thai government is considering offering work permits to foreigners who invest at least US$1 million in Thai property or businesses. The Centre for Economic Situation Administration has approved a proposal to grant work permits to eligible Elite Card holders. In order to qualify, they must have the top-tier Thailand Elite…

  • We must establish travel bubbles – Thai tourism operators demand action

    There has been a surge of domestic tourism in Thailand. But even that ‘surge’ is underwhelming when compared to the previous international traffic, 27% of it from China, in the ‘good old days’. Last year there were nearly 40 million overseas arrivals. Even places like Phuket and Khao Lak, usually starting to fill up with international travellers for the traditional…

  • Phuket gets ready for foreign yachts, high-spending tourists hoped to revive economy

    With hopes that high spending tourists will help revive the crippled economy, Phuket is jumping on the new scheme allowing those travelling on super-yachts and cruise ships to dock in Thailand and enter on the Special Tourist Visa. Phuket officials have come up with guidelines for the province’s reopening to foreign tourists and will submit it to the Centre for…

  • Getting Back to Thailand, the latest information about ASQs and STVs | VIDEO

    Whilst some restrictions have been eased, there has been a doubling down on other restrictions for travel back to Thailand at this stage. Here’s all the latest information about the Social Tourist Visa (STV), ASQ (Alternative State Quarantine), golf courses. And then there’s the Thai baht which is causing problems as well. The situation is very fluid but we do…

  • Thailand “relaxes” visa criteria to draw in more tourists

    In an effort to revive the tourism industry after a quiet 7 months without foreign tourists, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says they’ve “relaxed” the criteria for issuing tourist visas and are now allowing foreigners from countries considered a “medium risk” for spreading Covid-19 to apply for a tourist visa. Thailand will start allowing some foreigners to enter on a…

  • Foreigners report alleged visa scam in Koh Samui

    A Thai woman in Koh Samui allegedly ripped off at least 8 foreigners by offering visa extension services and taking off with the money. A group of foreigners reported the scam to officers at the Bo Phut police station, saying they placed deposits ranging from 10,000 baht to even 100,000 baht, but the services were never fulfilled. A man posted…

  • When next in Thailand, don’t do these things – VIDEO

    Most of the time you’re spoiled for choice with things to do in Thailand. It’s what makes the country so popular for overseas visitors, and as a place to live. But there are a few things that may be worth avoiding, despite being available, during your time in the Land of Smiles. Here’s The Thaiger’s Top 10 list of potential…

  • Some immigration offices open tomorrow for last minute visa extensions

    The latest amnesty is up tomorrow (October 31) and some immigration offices will be open for those who still need to apply for visa extensions. Those who miss the deadline could face fines for overstay, immigration officials warn. The extensions all go into effect on November 1 and allow a 60 day stay. Some immigration offices that are typically closed…

  • Reminder from Thai Foreign Affairs about staying in Thailand after October 31

    The following was sent by Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reminding foreigners about staying in Thailand after the current visa amnesty expires… “Mr. Tanee Sangrat, Director-General of the Department of Information and Foreign Ministry Spokesperson reiterated that all stranded foreign nationals who wish to stay in the Kingdom of Thailand beyond 31 October 2020 need to submit an application for…

  • Don’t forget to extend your visa! Thai Immigration warns about fines for late applicants

    Still need to extend your visa? You have until Halloween, October 31. With the visa amnesty deadline approaching, Thai Immigration Bureau is reminding foreigners to get their visa in order by the end of this month. Late applicants will be fined, they say. No matter when the visa is extended, as long as it’s before the deadline, it will go…

  • 145 more on Special Tourist Visa arrive in Bangkok

    145 people on the new Special Tourist Visa arrived in Bangkok yesterday from Guangzhou, China, the second group after Thailand’s 7 month ban on international tourists. 39 people on the new long stay visa arrived last week, a small, yet significant step forward for Thailand as it pries open the borders for tourists, albeit with a lot of paperwork, restrictions…

  • The World’s 50 Best Foods… Thai massaman curry tops the list

    The humble Thai massaman curry has topped a list of the World’s 50 Best Foods, compiled by the CNN Travel team. Thailand’s smooth coconut milk and potato-based curry (add meat, tofu or vegetables of your choice) comes in at Number 1, with 2 other popular Thai dishes also making it into the World’s Best food list. The hot and spicy…

  • Chinese travellers CAN depart China and travel to Thailand on the STV

    Another day and another day of confusing news and discussion about the Special Tourist Visa and, specifically, the Chinese arrivals. BKK Post posted this yesterday, without clarification. The headline said… “China says will maintain ban on outbound tours due to virus risk” The story, whilst not incorrect, confused a lot of readers who thought that meant ALL Chinese travellers and…

  • Negative Covid-19 results for first group on the Special Tourist Visa

    Surely, the most anticipated and followed tourists ever to grace Thailand’s shores. All 39 visitors who flew in from China this week on the new Special Tourist Visa have tested negative for Covid-19. While it’s a small group, they’re the first foreign tourists to arrive since travel restrictions were imposed in late-March. More international tourists are expected to arrive next…

  • Top Gastric Treatments in Turkey

    You might have heard positive chat regarding plastic and cosmetic surgery in Turkey, but you might not have heard that the country is also an attractive destination for other medical procedures. Like Thailand, Turkey’s popularity for medical tourism is not limited to just plastic surgery – besides treatments such as hair transplants and cosmetic dentistry, you can also undergo gastric…

  • So, how’s Thailand doing with Covid-19? – OPINION

    OPINION by “Issan John” According to some, Thailand’s a leading success story, with minimal deaths and an equally minimal effect on daily life. According to others, it’s fudging the figures and on the brink of economic collapse, and the only solution is to “open the borders”, take a risk with Covid-19, and welcome back the tourists it allegedly relies on…

  • Now they’re coming… Special Tourist Visa flight set for Tuesday – Tourism and Sports Minister

    After much confusion and a few apparent ‘misunderstandings’, Chinese tourists on the Special Tourist Visa will actually arrive on October 20 and 26. At least that’s what Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn says, according to the Bangkok Post. The first group is said to arrive 4 days from now in Bangkok (if they actually applied for the visa this…

  • No one in Guangzhou applied for the Special Tourist Visa, Foreign Ministry

    Not a single person from Guangzhou, China, actually applied for the new Special Tourist Visa. That’s the sad and bizarre truth, according to Thai media outlet Siamrath. Around 120 to 150 tourists had “planned” to arrive in Phuket on October 8 from Guangzhou, China, but “administrative issues” claimed to be the reason for the delayed flight. Those problems with administration…

  • “Administrative issues” delayed Special Tourist Visa flight

    A senior tourism official told Reuters reporters that “administrative issues” are the reason for the delayed trip of foreigners on the Special Tourist Visa. Other officials claimed the postponement was done to help ease Covid-19 fears for Thai tourists planning on travelling to Phuket for the annual Vegetarian Festival later this month. A group of 120 to 150 foreigners on…

  • Special Tourist Visa flight postponed, National Security Council confirms

    After much confusion about when the group of Chinese tourists will arrive in Phuket, the secretary general of Thailand’s National Security Council confirmed that today’s flight has been deferred to October 25. Officials decided to postpone the flight and reschedule it after Phuket’s Vegetarian Festival is finished. The annual spectacle is known to draw large crowds. The council’s secretary general…

  • Covid-19 testing units ready for tourists at Phuket International Airport

    Covid-19 mobile testing units are now stationed at the Phuket International Airport, ready to test foreign tourists, but there’s been some confusion exactly when they will arrive. Foreign tourists on the Special Tourist Visa were set to fly in from Guangzhou, China and arrive in Phuket today, then the Phuket governor said the trip is postponed, and then the Thai…

  • First batch of Special Tourist Visa arrivals for Phuket ‘postponed’, no refunds

    If you were a traveller, trying to get accurate information about how and when you could return to Thailand, you’d be rightfully confused. So are we. Now it emerges that the arrival of the first Special Tourist Visa travellers, headed for Phuket, has been postponed at least until the end of the month. Scheduled charter flights for Scandinavian and Chinese travellers…

  • Special Tourist Visa flight to Phuket delayed, tourists to arrive after the Vegetarian Festival

    The country’s first tourists to arrive since April’s border closures are not arriving tomorrow as originally expected. Phuket ‘s governor now says they’ll be arriving after the island’s annual Vegetarian Festival which runs from October 17 to 25. He hasn’t clarified when he requested the delay for foreign tourists to start coming back to Phuket, and he hasn’t confirm exactly…

  • Thailand now accepting applications for permanent residency

    Thailand is now taking applications for permanent residency from now until December 30, 2020. The number of expats who can apply is capped at 100 per nationality plus 50 stateless individuals. But permanent residency isn’t easy to get in Thailand and applicants need to speak Thai. Local blogger and Samut Prakan school employee Richard Barrow posted on Facebook saying he tried applying…

  • Hard truths about travelling to Thailand, right now

    OPINION Just a year ago, you could book a flight, booked a hotel, and in many cases, just arrived to receive a visa-on-arrival stamp in your passport. A few hours later you were sitting on a beach sipping colourful drinks out of tall glasses. Just one year later and being a tourist in Thailand is very difficult, if not impossible…