A rather alarming story for someone like me who enjoys going to Thailand but hates carrying cash: some western tourists are being refused entry or even detained for not bringing sufficient hard currency along.
Thai Law requires tourists to arrive with a minimum of 10,000 Baht (~300USD) per person or 20,000 Baht per family (~600USD). I’ve never heard of that until I read this piece (warning: Daily Mail). You do not need actual Baht: the equivalent in your own currency will work.
In an effort to crack down on what Thai authorities call “begpacking” immigration agents are now more rigidly enforcing the minimum currency requirement. Begpacking is the act of backpackers (mostly from Europe and Australia) performing for cash (or outright begging) on the street.
During my last trip to Bangkok, I arrived with only about $20 cash in my wallet two crisp $100 bills I always keep for back-up in my suitcase. That would not have been enough had I been checked.
One German traveler reports that Thai authorities do not permit travelers to visit an ATM. That traveler was allegedly placed into a cockraoch-infested airport prison for 8hrs.
Be warned. Bring enough cash, out of an abundance of caution.
CONCLUSION
While I have not personally witnessed any “begpacking” in Thailand, I don’t fault Thai authorities to reacting to its proliferation by enforcing the law. Do yourself a favor and carry sufficient cash when you visit the Kingdom of Thailand to avoid any headaches.
I am sorta shocked you travel with so little cash. Now I clearly try to never pay with cash (as I want points) but things can come up where you need cash. I always have 5x$50 in wallet for emergency’s plus a few hundred at any given time.
“Emergency’s”? Hahah. That’s just pitiful for someone who considers himself an actual journalist.
Let’s not go there…
You are a good person, thank you at first you warm people, then you have to take in a lot of nonsense people are spouting about you, and don’t see the actual point your making. It’s quite sad how people can be, But thanks anyway, it will be really helpful for my trip next month.
haha you nitwit he is trying to give advice.
I also carry only $200 cash. And a whole bunch of credit and ATM cards. Been doing it for 10 years. All that cash puts you at a hight risk.
Well aren’t you special
bell end remark
I don’ t any intentions to go to Thailand .There are many countries in the world .Malaysia 90 days on arrival and no questions asked .
That is a very bad law. In many countries, no one but a fool would carry any serious amount of cash. Today we have internet banking. Cash is as ready as the nearest A.T.M. I always carry plastic. I bet all those that think it wise to carry cash get robbed often. WTF, I will rob you myself for being a careless idiot. Even here in the U.S. many law enforcement will rob you of anything as small as a twenty dollar bill. Some places where you should carry a (loose) roll of quarters. They will not confiscate pocket change.
Lol, where in the U.S. do authorities steal your money? That doesn’t happen. Can’t even type English properly.. I’m guessing you’re just a douche
Thanks for the heads up, Matthew. The FCQ and I are heading yo Thailand in a few months. We do not usually carry that mucb cash, but we will on this trip! We’ve been there several times, and I had no ckue this was the law. Scary.
Interesting that they won’t let you go to ATM. I go cashless and tap Schwab account for no-fee cash when absolutely necessary. I remember first time in Myanmar you had to change 2 or 300USD into scrip not even kyat. You could only spend it in the country and couldn’t convert.
Since we always stay at the venerable Oriental Hotel, my guess is that we would be allowed in, especially if their envoy met us at airport.
I do think that there is at least some good reason for the policy. They prefer to have tourists enhance the economy, not drain it.
Irresponsible to travel with so little cash. Just like it’s irresponsible to not use all the latches on your hotel room door.
Noted.
If you’re going on vaction abroad and do not bring at least $500 in cash, damn right you should go to jail……….lol.
I would not go to the extreme of jail but why not go back home.
avoid thailand… go dubai or india or china…..or any other eu country
Because I have a no-fee ATM card (even the 500 THB gouge in Thailand gets repaid)? And it’s relatively easy to make sure I don’t have all my ATM cards in my wallet in case I get pickpocketed or robbed? And currency exchange is a ripoff for a lot of places (I’m looking at you, Travelex) compared to ATMs who give interbank rate? And it’s a lot easier to not have excess cash to exchange at the end of a trip if I take out cash as I go along?
You don’t need Thai Baht. Any equivalent will do.
I also generally don’t carry large amounts of cash in the US, either, for pretty much the same reasons.
Since when US$500 has become a large amount of cash ???
In a plastic world, it most certainly is.
It’s more like $600, and yes, it is a pretty large amount of cash when ATM access and plastic acceptance is everywhere.
FabinhoBP, if you are carrying $500 cash to SE Asia, then you clearly have no clue. ATMs are omnipresent, andhotels/flights/buses+trains/tours can be booked and paid online with a CC.
With all due respect. They insist on 20000 baht and do not absolutely do not allow you to go to an atm which is just one level below.
Been there 5 times since 2012. Have never been asked about cash on my person. Flying into Phuket or Bangkok. – I stay at friends house 1 month at a time. –fyi
WARNING.
I was denied enter at Thai border for this reason.
I show $5000 in Norwegian currency.
They ask what kind of paper that was?
All in my group had to redraw Bath from the ATM behind the imigration office.
Travel to other destination can save you from a lot stupid problems.
Well, begpacking is popular in tourist destination in southeast asia. However, southeast asian officer is also quick to judge from looks. If you dress up or at least look rich, there’s a little chance to be scrutinized for cash. Backpakers, shorts, sandals, however… well…. they also sometimes hold you up for no reason, simply awaiting for an offer of bribe.
Hey! Its third world country!
Looks are important.Ive seen many western “white” tourist look like they just rolled out of bed, dirty, unwashed hair, with bathroom slippers and those oversize backpacks, looking like hippies, (or maybe they are) at airports.And then they go sit outside Starbucks and “beg.” It’s really shameful.
It depends on the destination, but I rarely bring more than $100 in cash with me. I mainly rely on credit cards and ATM withdrawals (Schwab) when I need to supplement with cash or am in a country where cash is king. Why bring USD when I can just withdraw money from an ATM in local currency for free with a much more favorable exchange rate? I also don’t like having too much cash on me because I’m afraid I’ll lose it somehow.
I’m actually in Bangkok for one day (stopover on the way from Bhutan) and this is slightly concerning to me. Flying Business class though, and I don’t think I’ll be mistaken for a backpacker (plus I already have a hotel booking). I’m assuming chances of being “checked” are pretty low?
I can’t remember the last time my wife and I carried that much cash into a country. We recently did Singapore/Malaysia (read: wealthy and not wealthy) and carried a total of $400 with us. We returned home with roughly $100. I understand Thailand’s reasoning and we’ll definitely be above the minimum when we visit next year, but it’s silly to think that carrying almost a thousand dollars of loose currency is a “requirement” for travelers these days in most countries, given credit/debit availability, ATMs, etc. if it’s a cash society, sure; otherwise be aware of the risk you’re putting yourself in. Cash can be a way of getting you out of jams, but losing it when you’re relying on it is a way to get into one.
If you’ve been to Thailand before you should know the money changers at the airport always offer a ripoff rate. I always arrive with several thousand baht I save from prior trips. Since most flights originating in the US arrive close to midnight I learned the hard way to always bring THB with me so I can pay for my arrival taxi and have my late night Soi Cowboy entertainment cash!
I would actually argue that the SuperRich in the SRT station at Suvarnabhumi offers the best rates in the Kingdom.
Not true.
Yes, SuperRich absolutely gives you the best rate to exchange currency. I have been all over Thailand and the best rate has always been SuperRich, there Head Office in Sukhumvit gives you a even slightly better rate than the Suvanarbhumi airport. Remember it’s outside the main terminals at the train station downstairs so it’s not regulated by the rip offs inside the terminals who all offer one rate only and a very poor one at that.
Also, note that that post from that German is almost certainly someone who immigration suspected of staying in Thailand for a very long time (multiple visa and VOA stamps, overstayed due to holiday, left to Laos, came back on an educational visa).
I’d guess someone coming to Thailand on an occasional holiday (and isn’t doing a “30-90 days, then leave for a day or three to re-enter” pattern) isn’t QUITE going to get the same scrutiny.
I think this person’s situation is very different from the ordinary traveler’s situation.
This German poster admitted to overstaying by 2 days and doing a quick turn-around visa run to Laos. It’s a little unclear – changing his fifth tourist entry (four tourist visa plus one VOA) into an “ED” visa (presumably “education” – he talks about studying at a Thai language school) – so I have a feeling that he was looked at differently than the normal tourist entering on the normal 30 day visa waiver that most western tourists get. I’ve entered Thailand 18 times in the last 10 years for short 5-10 day visits (via airports and land borders) and never once been asked to physically show any money.
German passport holders get a 30 day visa waiver (which I’m guessing he’s referring to as a “visa on arrival,”) so his actual “tourist visas” allowed him 60 day stays. That’s already 9 months in Thailand…
Purely speculation, but I’m guessing that the immigration officer doubted his true intentions. And based on news articles I’ve read, I’m surprised he was able to continue on for so long.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/work/693976/visa-runs-now-illegal-for-tourists-say-police
I agree it’s fine for Thailand to enforce it’s immigration laws as written. Would you say the same about the US? Or would that be racist?
–It amazes me the number of people that don’t carry any cash.
–What happens if the ATM machine eats your ATM card? I was in a Thai bank when someone came in trying to recover her eaten ATM card. If it was in one of those ATM machines in front of a 7-11, where would you go to recover your card.
–Or if your credit card provider thinks that your increased spending is suspicious and turns off your credit card or your ATM cards. I have had that happen with my ATM before, despite having a travel advisory on the card.
–What happens if the Pizza place won’t accept your credit card. I had that happen in Montrenegro. I was on a tour bus. I had come from Croatia on a single day trip. The tour bus told us everyone accepted credit cards. My girlfriend had Pizza and wine. I tried to pay with my credit card, they said their machine was out. No, they would not accept Croatian money although I had plenty. The waiter lead me over to an ATM on the other side of town, and luckily my ATM gave me some Euro, and I paid the waiter.
–I can think of more, but carry enough cash!
Carry more than ONE ATM card, ditto the credit cards.
The beauty of ATM card is, it all has different card number, unlike most credit cards the primary and the additional have the same number.
Also choose the ATM to use carefully. As a principle, I only use ATMs at the banks unless there is absolutely no other option.
One time a machine at a BNP at Aix-en-Provence did eat my ATM card. I had to wait till the bank reopened after its lunch closure time to go in asking them to look for my card. At first the idiotic French teller said no, that they had to call the ATM operator, blah blah blah. I told her to get me the manager and we would straight this out… She picked up her phone, then 10 min later left her counter. The next thing I knew, she came up from lower floor, holding my Fido ATM card in hand… There was further issue with the BNP aborted transaction but that belongs to different topic.
“any cash” =! “600 dollars of cash” (20k THB). I also have access to multiple ATM cards.
Sheesh, we normally have less than $100 to $150 with us when we travel, all over the world I may add, and month-long trips too. That is what ATM and Credit Cards are for. Have Cards, Will Travel.
SE Asia never has a draw to us probably because we are from Asia. Who cares for the hot and humid climate and the crowds? LOL.
The Thai immigration never gives us any trouble. Though the ATMs at the baggage claim area all have rip-off fees. Thanks to the Fido and Schwab cards, always get reimbursed those high fees. We usually only withdraw as small a portion as possible of the local currency as we have NO desire to eat at the street stalls, buy from the hawkers on the streets, etc. Only the taxi fares and whatever odd occasions needed cash. After 2 or 3 stopover in Bangkok, we wound up still have some Bahts left that I exchanged to HKD when at HKG – crummy exchange rate but that also meant I no longer need to remember I still have some Bahts.
I have to call fertilizer on this one (not your reporting, but the reason for his detention). In his Facebook post, this guy admits he overstayed his visa, and that he had four visas already. That’s a ton of red flags, and probably made the immigration officer think his intentions were dubious. I seriously doubt Thai immigration will bother the average tourist only staying for a few days. I can tell you, there’s no way in heck I’m carrying around $600 cash in Bangkok, ever!
I’ve traveled to Bangkok 10+ times in the past year for business and leisure without carrying over 200 USD in cash. Never had a problem or was questioned at all. This article is BS. Get your facts straight.
Do you dispute the law, even if few immigration officers enforce it?
Tourists that look the part and aren’t coming on student/work visas etc will be fine. Officially this has been the policy for a while now. (read it previously in Frommers/Fodors or one of the travel books) however it is not enforced unless there’s a reason to be concerned.
I was there twice in the last couple of weeks without much cash as I use my ATM cards and no issues at all.
I rarely carry more than $50 in cash, as exchange rates are a rip off for hard currency. ATM’s tend to be much better…that being said I am in BKK right now and just arrived a couple days back, there were absolutely NO questions on currency or how much cash I had. I have stamps from previous Thailand trips in my passport so not sure that made a difference, but I suppose if you show up at the immigration counter looking like a hippie with a large backpack, questions can be raised!
Peons – i always have a couple 100s in my billfolld.
Cheers
I suspect they target a certain “look.”
Thailand is actually one of the few countries where you’re better off bringing cash (or traveler’s checks) than an ATM card. You can exchange cash for no fee at very close to the interbank rate (Krungsri Bank is particularly good) whereas ATMs have very high fees.
Shocked that so many “seasoned” travellers here think it “irresponsible” to travel without cash.
Why? My charge, credit and debit cards all afford me secure(er) access to more money than I need when travelling, certainly much more than I’d dare carry around in cash in my own town.
Unless I’m off to a completely off-the-grid dirt hole in the middle of nowhere (and Thailand, especially Bangkok, doesn’t qualify as such), it is always, *always* more economical from an FX perspective to use a local ATM if you absolutely need cash. (Even then, the destination airport is likely to have an ATM, so I’d go for that rather than submit myself to Travelex’s extortionate rates & fees.) That’s if you can’t get away with paying with a (no foreign spend fee) card, which really is the most economical way of accessing foreign currency. Plus it’s definitely safer than carrying the equivalent of USD 600, which can be misplaced, lost, left behind or (obvs) stolen – even if flying Emirates First, if we are to believe the news from a few weeks ago.
So, as a requirement I wouldn’t expect (there are plenty of countries with a “money-on-entry” requirement that deem cards as an acceptable form of funds – the US is a prime example of it), thanks to Matthew for pointing this out.
Crackdown is a noun. Crack down is the verb usage you wanted.
Thank you…
We travel as a family with no more than $200, and usually just enough hard currency to get us out of the airport and to the hotel. Typically, $600 is just too much unless we will be there for a long time, especially in Thailand. That being said, if the those are the rules, we will follow them, and if we don’t like them, we have plenty of other holiday options in Southeast Asia.
We have seen “begpackers” and before we understood the nature of what they were doing, bought some postcards off them. I think now that this is “a thing” we will give it a pass but at the time it seemed a little more creative than another plastic fidget spinner.
cash is difficult try to go to bank of america or chase with cash to pay a credit card bill..esp a small on of $9.00 even after i showed them my GOES ID they still would not take the $9.00 nuts money laundering was what i was told..Who launders under $10.00 crazy banking rules
I ditto the people who think there’s something fishy with the German “tourist.” Border-hopping for a new visa/ visa extension is going to be suspicious to immigration in ANY country. That, with an overstay, is more than enough to make the officer’s scrutiny reasonable in my book.
My wife and I flew to Bangkok for a couple of days in March during our honeymoon trip through Bangkok, New Zealand and Fiji. We did not get asked for proof of currency. Maybe because we had flown Thai 1st class and we were being escorted through?
I’m from another South East Asian country and travel to Bangkok for business maybe 10-15 times a year. I always carry the equivalent of about US$500 in cash, in my own currency, which is well received in Thailand.
The reason why I do this is because you never know. If you look back in the recent history of the country in question, you’ll see serious floods, street protests, airport shutdowns etc. I used to be in the ATM maintenance business, and we came up with an idea before with the bank client and its insurer, to apply marking grease (the type you use on a dipstick in a petrol holding tank) inside the machine casing to track how high flood waters could go so as to determine the responsibilities of the vendors. That ATM is NOT going to work.
US$500 gets me a decent chance to buy my way back to my country in emergencies…or at least to my country’s embassy. It’s not a lot to risk- most travel insurance will cover that much in theft. And if you hold it in your own currency (assuming your currency is well recognized where you’re visiting), it’s just everyday cash in the wallet.
Just my 2 cents worth.
Yep, fully agree with you Dee Tee.
However, this cash on arrival requirement (10,000 Baht for visa exempt travelers and 20,000 for those holding tourist visas) is only requested from travelers who look like they’re “at the end of the road”, or like the person in this story, have overstayed and have previously entered on many tourist visa exemptions and/or tourist visas with little time spent outside Thailand in the past year or couple of years.
For the average visitor, even a regular business traveler such as yourself, this is not a concern and you probably won’t be asked.
I assume you are from Malaysia or Singapore? If you’re from the former, you’ll be afforded unlimited entries without fuss. Only if you were spending 90% of your time in Thailand on visa waivers might you be questioned, but the vast majority of Malaysians who arrive by car across Thailand’s southern frontier drive up to places like Hat Yai, Krabi, Trang, Samui or Phuket, spend a few days and then leave again, perhaps coming again a few months later. Others, such as traders, particularly those who live close to the border might come every other day (or week) but only spend a day or two in the country then leave again. Again, no scrutiny would be applied to these travelers.
Does this apply for all destinations in Thailand? I’m heading to Krabi in a few months and am just wondering. Because your blog is the only article I find on the internet regarding this issue.
Hi Devon,
It should not be a problem, but I’d still keep a bit of cash just in case. It was reported only in Bangkok.
Probably. Some might be quite lax. It was covered in today’s newspaper in Malaysia:
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/2018/01/08/rm1000-legally-cross-thailand
Just happened to 2 Malaysians tourists in November last year and covered in the newspaper today. Since our country is just beside Thailand, we did not bother to bring much cash since we can all use credit cards and/or ATMs. Like in Brussels where I was just asked to show my credit cards.
Nevertheless, the begpacking is real – saw one in Hat Yai Thailand and in Penang, Malaysia where in both places, Western tourists play music to help them get fund for onward travels.
I carried 1500 USD with me when I went to Indochina because I don’t have credit cards and I can’t afford the foreign transaction fee that is charged by all the bank in my country. Being a working class Asian traveler, every bit of that fee counts so I better stash the cash all over my body, i just didn’t put it in the fanny pack!
So useful, short and clear! Thank you! 🙂
I found this article to be helpful. Thank you im traveling to Thailand tomorrow for 28 days. I called my banks already so they are aware. I’m also bringing about 3k usd .
Reading the comments is a bit like people watching in an airport. You can tell (or at least speculate) which authors are the privileged, the entitled, the pragmatic, and so on.
I find it a bit presumptuous for people to consider traveling with less than (in Thailand) a month’s rent to be irresponsible.
While I think Kregg has it right (that this person’s practice of linking multiple visas is a legit reason for targeting), one does not need to have substantial cash on hand to be a responsible traveler.
I live in Thailand and travel between here and the USA two or three times per year. I have never been asked to show cash or prove financial resources when entering Thailand. Not saying it doesn’t happen and I have heard of this. I think it comes down to appearance. If you arrive looking like a backpacker or a tourist with little class then you are more than likely to be questioned. If you approach the kiosk and give the officer a Wa and greet them with a nice Sawadee Krap and a smile while being dressed nicely then they will glance through your passport, review your visa and stamp you in. It has at least worked for me with over 50 entries through Thai Immigration with zero problems. My statement aside just stash $500.00 somewhere on your person or carry on and don’t stress! Always good to have some cash for an emergency and emergencies do happen. I got caught in Liberia once where civil unrest had all banking and atm access closed off (that’s another story)… and luckily myself and team members traveling with me had sufficient cash on hand to take care of us… It never hurts to be prepared!
Does this also apply to group travel? We are on a fixed itinerary with roundtrip tickets. Hotel and all activities confirmed.
It’s not that difficult to bring 300 $ in cash, after all you’ll need it anyway. We’re facing a bit more difficult dilemma this time – non of the hotels that we booked on booking.com would accept online payments, only cash! Couldn’t believe it… So we’ll probably bring maybe 600$ in cash but not more, then I’d rather risk the ATM costs (that might be as high as 10-15$ each withdrawal) than being a walking ATM myself.
Use a Schwab ATM (bank account if you’re a US person, or international brokerage if you’re not). The total fee– including anything the local bank/ machine charges– will always add up to exactly and only $0.00.
I have never heard of any Port / airport Authority demanding that a national should bring enought CASH with them and hardly as it is, Thailand enforces this at their arrivals in Bangkok!
It is definately their responsibility to find out if travellers have enought funds to cover their stay but I dont really understand the upmost need of having this in form of Cash and then, they dont even have any ATMs before arrivals. Stupid Stupid and .. oh yeah Stupid
As someone who has lived in Laos for the past 12 years and travelled to Thailand regularly, I have never had a problem.
We have ‘ratpackers’ in SE Asia, essentially travellers working as touts/servers in hospitality in exchange for bed and alcohol. I think this German traveller raised the suspicions of the authorities and they, “didn’t trust him’.
I’ve been going to Thailand 4-6 times per year since 2013, and have never been asked to show that I have money, nor have I ever been asked to show proof of having already booked a departing flight. I’ve also never seen anyone ahead of me in the queue denied entry.
(Full disclosure: I always enter via the fast-track counter).
I agree with Mike. It is better to exchange money at a currency converter (not at Airport) as you will get better Rate……No fees. If you stay at a good hotel you will have a safe in your room.
I go to Pattaya several times a year. I go for about 16 0r so days. I take plenty of cash.
Exchanging a small amount at the airport is still not a bad idea. Thai airports offer far superior exchange rates than anything you’ll find at airports in western countries. The good news in the specific case of Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok is that on the underground floor, you have a branch of Super Rich, which offers far superior exchange rates to the other exchange bureaus so provided you have been stamped into the country already, there is little reason to exchange money anywhere or hit the ATMs.
I got my visa denied Sept 2018 after a grilling by an unreasonable immigration officer/supervisor at the Aranyaprathet/PoiPet border with Cambodia. I was not the only one. A cue of foreigners got denied entry. The official reason was financial. Only $340 cash with me. NOT ENOUGH!. Besides the demand to hand over my phone (and from others as well) to either show what u were doing in Cambodia by pics or to prove his narrow minded way of thinking that everyone who doesnt have to go to his country of birth has no job and therefore needs another reason to have money for a living. In my case he went to my gallery to look for pics of Thai girlfriend that would care for me. As if there is even one single Thai who would pay for the foreigner instead of the other way. Never met a bigger joke than that faggot. Anyway, it’s clear, they play not by the rules, but on the person.