Electricity runs on 220 volts 50 cycles in Thailand. Most outlets accommodate two round or flat plugs.

          If you have electronic or electrical devices with three-prong plugs, bring an adapter that converts the plug to two prongs. Three-prong outlets are not as common as two-prong outlets.

          Thai currency is the Thai Baht, divided into 100 satangs. The small satang coins are generally only useful when paying a bill that requires them. It’s easy to gather a pocketful of one, five and ten Baht coins which are easily deposited into various charity boxes on shop counters throughout the country. Paper currency is commonly available in denominations of 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 Baht bills.

          You can’t use foreign currency to purchase goods or services inside Thailand, as you can in some other Asian countries. You must exchange your foreign currency for Thai Baht. This is easily accomplished at the airport, at banks, or at hotels. There is no black market for currency in Thailand. You will get the best rates outside of your hotel.

          ATMs are readily available throughout the country and have interfaces in English and sometimes other languages. This is the easiest way to get local currency. If your ATM card is issued by a major bank, then you can most likely use it in Thailand to withdraw funds from your bank account back home and receive it in Thai Baht at a fair exchange rate.

          There is a big business in counterfeit ATM cards and credit cards in Thailand and across Asia, so you would do well to protect your credit card number and shield the keyboard from view when using an ATM.
Be especially careful of ATM kiosks at locations other than at a bank, as fake keyboards are sometimes installed over the regular keyboard to capture ATM numbers and pins.

          Citizens of 40 countries plus Hong Kong are allowed to enter Thailand and remain for up to 30 days without a visa. These visitors may only stay for up to 90 days within any 6-month period from the first date of entry (days are cumulative and don’t have to be consecutive).

          Citizens of a further 20 countries may obtain a ‘visa on arrival’ good for 15 days. If you plan to stay longer than 15 days, you can get a tourist visa or ‘non-immigrant’ visa that allows you to stay up to 90 days. You must apply for these longer visas outside of Thailand at a Thai embassy or consulate.

          There are other visas available for retirees, residents, students and other categories. For information about Thai visa regulations, the list of countries whose citizens are allowed to enter without a visa, and the documentation required, consult the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website (www.mfa.go.th).

          Legally, any foreigner doing work in Thailand must have a work permit. The wording of the law is vague and so can be enforced or not enforced with little legal recourse. If you are coming to work for a company in Thailand, the company should be able to help you obtain the necessary work permit.

          If you are coming to Thailand for charity work or to attend meetings, technically you also need a work permit. However, this is rarely enforced. Thai officials generally don’t want to inconvenience visitors or casual business people. However, if you plan to stay for an extended period of time, and if you are essentially living and working in Thailand, then you may be challenged to produce a work permit.

          To protect the livelihood of Thai nationals, there is a list of jobs that foreigners may not hold. These tend to be lower level jobs, but many are related to real estate, sales and tourism. Consult the Thai government websites for details about these jobs and for information about working in Thailand. You can also find useful information and discussion forums on the Internet if you have further questions.