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Arriving in Bangkok

Welcome to Bangkok! If you are flying by plane you will land at the new Suvarnabhumi airport which officially opened in 2006 for international flights. Before you can set foot onto the Kingdom of Thailand you will need to fill out an Arrival card which is distributed by the Airlines (view image below). Next one the list is the Immigration process. Even though there are 130 passport control checkpoints, you will need to have a lot of patience as there is usually a long and endless queue that can take up to an hour until it is your turn. It can be quite a hassle, especially after a long flight.

Thai Airways


	The official airways of the Kingdom of Thailand.

Arrival Card

This is the Arrival Card (TM) you will receive shortly before landing or which already is included with your ticket. Make sure to fill in both sides (arrival and departure) before heading to the Immigration Desk as they rarely let you fill it out on the spot. The last thing you want to happen is to get sent back to the beginning of the endless queue after waiting a long time. It is important to keep this card during your whole stay as the TM number is required at many hotels. In case of losing this card, it is advised to arrive at the airport several hours before departure. Be prepared to deal with a lot of paperwork.

Arrival Card

Here a short explanation of all required fields on the arrival card. Please note to write clearly and in block letters and mark the option boxes with a [X].

Explanation

1) Family name
2) First name and middle name
3) Nationality. In case you are a double citizen mention the the nation of the passport you arrived with.
4) Mention whether you are a male or a female. Mark the boxes with an X.
5) Passport number - you will find it on the front page of your passport.
6) Date of Birth in the format of day / month / year.
7) Visa number. It is marked on your visa (a stamp) in your passport.
8) Address. Enter the full address of your residence in Thailand. If you are not sure, you can fill it in later.
9) Flight number. You will find the flight number on either your boarding ticket or on the ticket itself.
10) Signature
TM) TM number. Every arrival card has a different number. This is used for e.g. registration in a hotel.

Furthermore, you are required to fill in more information about yourself and about your visit: Type of Flight, whether it is your first trip to Thailand, whether you are traveling on a group tour or not, Accommodation, Purpose of your visit, Yearly Income, Occupation, Country of Residence and City, from which port you embarked and the port you will depart from.

This information is important for the Thai Immigration Bureau to track down and avoid visitors with different intentions for visiting the Kingdom of Thailand.

Exploring Bangkok and its neighboring countries

From the airport it is possible to continue your journey to different places via the Airport Bus Terminal. Many buses depart daily on an hour basis to the most popular tourist destinations such as Pattaya, Hua Hin, Kanchanaburi, Chiang Mai and Surat Thani (for Phuket, Krabi and Koh Samui). The tickets can be purchased directly at the terminal service counter and are relatively cheap.
Another option to travel to these destinations is by train that depart and arrive from the Hua Lampong station (MRT Metro terminal station). Most journey times are around 10-12 hours.

Many buses depart from the Mo Chit Bus Terminal (BTS Sky train terminal station or MRT Metro Chatuchak station) or the Eastern Bus Terminal (BTS Sky Train Ekkamai station) to nearly every place in Thailand. If you wish to travel abroad, contact a travel agent in Bangkok. Many mini and regular buses leave to Penang, Butterworth and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Vientiane in Laos or Phnom Penh in Cambodia several times a day. Unfortunately, there is no train that crosses any of the Thai boarders.

	Flight times to Thailand
	Europe: 12 hours direct (16 hours with transit) Australia: 9 hours direct (12 hours with transit) West coast USA: 16 hours direct (21 hours with transit) East Coast USA: 22 hours direct (12 hours with transit) Japan: 5 hours direct (7 hours with transit)

Transportation

Taxi
The best and most efficient way to get to your hotel or place you are staying at is by taxi. They can be found outside of the Arrival platform or upstairs at the Departure platform (if you want to avoid paying the 50 Baht airport fee).
Learn more

Airport Bus
Another popular way to travel directly into the heart of the city is with the Airport bus. It departs every 20 minutes and costs 120 Baht per person. This method of travel is good if you are alone and want to save up some money.
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Car rental
If you prefer being your own chauffeur take advantage of the Car Rental Information desk at the Airport. You will need a valid international driver�s license and some spare money to deposit. While driving yourself is fun, it can be very difficult to do in Bangkok as the rules are often ignored and the driving is reckless. Furthermore it can be difficult finding a parking space.
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Limousine
The difference between a Limousine and a Taxi driver is that the car doesn�t go by using the Meter. You can hire a Limousine driver for the whole day and pay him by the hour. While in some countries Limousine means a nice long car with 8 windows, the opposite can be found in Bangkok. The cars are usually of Japanese or German brand and have the special green license plate.
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Suvarnabhumi Airport

Visa

Hotels

Bangkok offers one of the biggest and most beautiful shopping centers and weekend markets in Asia. Find whatever you like, starting from cheap fake products to first class designer wear - Bangkok has it all. Find the best shopping places on one glance with our guide

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