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Arriving in Thailand is exciting—but the first 30 days can feel overwhelming if you don't know what to set up and in what order. This practical guide walks you through everything new arrivals need to handle in their first month: getting a local SIM card, understanding your visa situation, registering your address through the TM30 system, finding accommodation, setting up transportation, opening a bank account, and building your daily routine. We cover the practical realities of settling in—what's easy, what takes more effort, and what mistakes to avoid. Whether you're arriving on a tourist visa, DTV, retirement visa, or any other status, the first 30 days set the foundation for everything that follows. Get these basics right and the rest of your Thailand life falls into place naturally. Thai Kru helps newcomers navigate the visa side of settling into Thailand.
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You've landed. You're in Thailand. The heat hits you the moment you walk out of the airport. You're excited, maybe a little overwhelmed, and you have a long list of things you know you need to sort out but aren't quite sure where to start.
The first 30 days in Thailand are crucial. Get them right and you'll feel settled, organized, and ready to enjoy everything Thailand offers. Get them wrong and you'll spend months untangling problems that could have been avoided from day one.
Here's your practical, honest guide to the first 30 days—what to do, in roughly what order, and what to watch out for.
This should be your first stop after clearing immigration and collecting your bags. Thailand's mobile network coverage is excellent, and having a local number immediately solves several problems at once.
Why you need it immediately:
Where to get one: Major mobile providers have counters inside all international airports. You can also find them at convenience stores (7-Eleven and Family Mart are everywhere) and shopping malls throughout the country.
What to bring: Your passport. Providers register SIM cards to passport numbers, so you'll need identification.
Choosing a plan: Thailand has several major carriers offering varying packages for data, calls, and validity periods. Compare options at the airport counter or ask what's popular with long-term residents. Tourist SIMs and longer-term SIMs exist—if you're staying more than a few weeks, look for plans with longer validity rather than daily tourist packages.
Thailand's major airports are well-connected, but each city has different transport options.
Bangkok: Suvarnabhumi airport has the Airport Rail Link connecting to central Bangkok efficiently. Taxis are metered—always use the official taxi queue inside the terminal, not touts outside offering fixed prices. Grab (Thailand's dominant ride-hailing app) also works at the airport.
Other airports: Phuket, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and other destinations have taxi queues and ride-sharing services. Prices vary—ask at the tourism desk inside the terminal if you're unsure what a fair price looks like for your destination.
Download Grab immediately: Grab is essential for daily life in Thailand. It's reliable, shows the price upfront, and eliminates negotiation. Download it before you land and set it up using your new Thai number.
Here's something many new arrivals don't realize: every foreigner staying in Thailand must be registered at their accommodation address through a system called TM30.
Your hotel or guesthouse handles this automatically—it's part of their legal obligation. But if you're staying in a private rental from day one, your landlord must file a TM30 within a specific period of your arrival.
Why TM30 matters immediately: Immigration offices require proof of your TM30 registration for virtually every visa-related service—extensions, conversions, 90-day reports, and more. Without it, processes at immigration become complicated or impossible.
What to do:
Take time in your first week to clearly understand exactly what your current visa allows.
Key questions to answer:
Write down your key dates: Put your visa expiry date in your phone calendar with reminders well in advance. Overstaying in Thailand results in daily fines and potential blacklisting from future entry. This is not something to lose track of.
If you're on a short-term visa and planning to stay long-term: Your first week is a good time to start researching and planning your long-term visa strategy. The earlier you begin, the more options you have.
If you arrived in a hotel while looking for longer-term housing, your first week is prime time to secure a proper place to live.
Things to consider:
Areas by city: Every major Thai city has established expat-friendly neighborhoods. Bangkok's Sukhumvit corridor, Chiang Mai's Nimman area, Phuket's Patong and Kata zones, and Pattaya's beach road areas all have concentrations of rental properties accustomed to foreign tenants.
Practical tip: Once you sign a lease and move in, immediately arrange for your landlord to update your TM30 registration to your new address. Each time you move, a new TM30 must be filed.
Thailand's internet infrastructure has improved dramatically. In major cities, connection speeds are generally solid.
Options:
For remote workers: Test your connection speeds in the first few days and identify backup options (coffee shops with good wifi, coworking spaces) if your home connection has issues during important work calls.
Getting a Thai bank account makes daily life significantly more convenient. It reduces ATM fees, allows local transfers for rent, and integrates with Thai payment apps.
Reality check: Opening a bank account in Thailand as a foreigner varies in difficulty depending on your visa type. Long-term visa holders (retirement visa, DTV with proper documentation) generally have better luck than those on tourist visas or visa exemptions.
General approach:
If you're struggling: Consider using international digital banking solutions as an alternative while you work on getting a local account. Some expats use these solutions successfully without ever opening a Thai bank account, though a local account remains more convenient for long-term residents.
Thailand's digital ecosystem runs on several key apps.
Grab: Already mentioned—essential for transport and food delivery across Thailand.
Local payment apps: Once you have a Thai bank account, Thai mobile payment systems let you pay for almost anything by scanning a QR code. Restaurants, markets, taxis, and small shops all accept these payments. Ask your bank about connecting your account to payment apps when you open your account.
Maps: Google Maps works well throughout Thailand. Download offline maps for your area as backup.
Translation: Google Translate with Thai language downloaded offline is invaluable for reading menus, signs, and communicating in situations where English isn't available.
Knowing where to go before you need it reduces stress significantly.
Register with a hospital or clinic: Visit a local international clinic or private hospital in your first two weeks. Introduce yourself, bring your passport and insurance documentation, and understand their registration process before you actually need treatment.
Pharmacy locations: Locate the nearest pharmacy to your accommodation. Thailand has excellent pharmacies with knowledgeable staff who can assist with many minor health issues.
Health insurance: If you're on a long-term visa and haven't sorted health insurance, do this in your first two weeks. Some visa types require insurance; others don't. Regardless of requirements, having health coverage in Thailand is strongly advisable.
Thailand rewards exploration. Spend time in your second and third weeks genuinely learning your local area.
Find your:
Learn basic Thai phrases: Even simple phrases—hello, thank you, how much, delicious—transform how locals respond to you. Thais genuinely appreciate when foreigners make any effort with the language. A few phrases go a long way in building goodwill and getting better service everywhere.
If you're on a long-term visa (retirement, DTV, education, work), you're required to report your address to Thai immigration every 90 days.
How it works:
Set a reminder: Put your 90-day reporting deadline in your phone calendar immediately after you've confirmed your start date. Set a reminder two weeks before it's due—this gives you time to handle it without rushing.
Thailand has well-established expat communities in every major city. Connecting with people who've already navigated what you're going through saves enormous time and prevents common mistakes.
Where to find community:
Don't isolate: The first month can feel overwhelming, and some people retreat into their accommodation rather than engaging. Push through this. The expat community in Thailand is generally welcoming, and having even a few local connections makes everything easier.
Thailand is incredibly diverse. Your immediate neighborhood is just your starting point.
Get out and explore:
The more you engage with Thailand in your first month, the faster you'll transition from "visitor" to "resident."
By the end of your first month, you should have a clear picture of your visa status and what needs to happen next.
Questions to answer before day 30:
Don't leave this to the last minute.
Not tracking visa expiry date: People get distracted settling in and suddenly realize they've nearly overstayed. Know your dates from day one.
Ignoring TM30: Assuming your accommodation handles it without confirming. Always get the receipt and verify it's been filed.
Staying isolated: Spending the first month only in your accommodation, working and ordering delivery. Get out, meet people, explore.
Changing accommodation without updating TM30: Every address change requires a new TM30. Forgetting this causes problems at immigration later.
Not planning long-term visa strategy early: If you're on a tourist visa and want to stay long-term, starting the planning process in your first week rather than week eight gives you far more options and less stress.
Overspending in the first month: Initial enthusiasm leads many expats to spend more than they'll spend long-term. Give yourself a few months to understand realistic costs before making major financial commitments.
Settling into Thailand involves navigating visa requirements, understanding immigration processes, and making sure everything is properly arranged from a legal standpoint.
Thai Kru helps newcomers with the visa side of settling into Thailand. If you're unsure about your visa situation, need to extend or convert your visa, or want guidance on long-term visa options, we're here to help.
Contact Thai Kru to discuss your visa needs.
The first 30 days in Thailand establish your foundation. Get your practical setup right—SIM card, TM30, accommodation, banking, transportation—and everything else builds naturally on top.
Thailand rewards people who engage with it genuinely. Learn a few Thai words. Explore your neighborhood. Try the street food. Connect with people.
The administrative tasks in this guide are important, but they're just the scaffolding. The real work of your first month is falling in love with Thailand—which, for most people, happens faster than they expected.
Welcome to Thailand. You're going to love it here.
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