General travel information
Information for your trip to Koh Samui
Most of the information you need to make your trip to Thailand, and Koh Samui successful is contained on these pages. If you can not find the information you are looking for, send us an email and we will try to help.
Visas
Passport validity
To enter Thailand you must be in possession of a passport still valid minimum six months with a tourist visa or three months for a transit visa or without visa. A passport that is valid for at least 6 months is required to enter Thailand.
Passport holders of approximately 60 countries including most European countries, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand can enter Thailand for 30 days without a visa, providing they have an onward ticket and enough cash. Passport holders of other countries may be required to obtain a visa.
For the most accurate and up to date in/adverts formation regarding visa requirements, check to the www.mfa.go.th Thailand Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Extend your visa
If you want to protract your stay, there is another solution. Before the end of your allowed stay, show the following documents to the closest immigration office:
- The passport (of course !)
- 2 recent passport sized photos
- 2 photocopies for each of the following documents : your passport, the visa, the stamps, the departure card stapled
- And 1930 baht.
You only have to fill out a form, that's all.
The immigration office is only on Samui Island at Nathon.
Traveler can extend tourist visa by 30 days for a fee of 1930 bahts at the Koh Samui Immigration.
Tel: 077 721069
Open: 08.30am - 12.00 am and 01.00pm - 04.30 pm
Monday to Friday
Closed Public Holiday
It is about 2 km south of Nathon
If Saturday, 1000 baht (500 for Sunday and 500 for Monday)
If Sunday, 500 baht (for one day late)
Long stay = visa
If you think of staying more than one month, get yourself a visa at the nearest or consulate
Customs
When you arrive in Thailand you will be given a customs declaration form and a sheet detailing the regulations. You should complete the form and hand it to the customs officer as you leave the airport's arrival hall.
You may bring in 200 cigarettes or 250 grams of tobacco, 1 litter of spirits, plus a reasonable amount of perfume. If you are bringing in prescription drugs, ask your doctor for a note detailing the drugs you are taking.
Firearms, pornography and narcotics are strictly prohibited. The penalties for drug trafficking are severe.
Bank
Most of banks open from 8:30 am till 5:00 pm non stop from Monday to Sunday.
The government services open from 8:30 am till 4:30 pm. Their offices are closed between 12:00 am and 1:00pm.
You will find many currency exchange offices or banks branches everywhere in the tourist spots and opened 7 days a week and often till 10pm.
All the common foreign currencies are accepted in the banks everywhere, in cash or in travelers-checks (more valuable exchange rate).
The Thai currency is the baht (international currency code: THB).
If you have to exchange large amounts of foreign currencies, it is interesting to compare the exchange rates of the various banks, because they vary appreciably from a bank to another and on a large sum you can gain several hundreds of baht.
If you intend to stay in Thailand for a long time or to visit it repeatedly, the easiest way is to open a bank account here (you will need to bring only your passport to open it) as it is made in ten minutes and you will be given an ATM card which will allow you to withdraw some money from any Automatic Teller Machine of any bank, which you will find everywhere, and the advantages are that you will be able to withdraw money at any time and you do not need to carry with you large amounts.
Credit cards
The most widespread cards are Visa, Mastercard and American Express. These cards allow you to withdraw money from any ATM which displays the same logo/symbol as your card, provided you have PIN code, otherwise you also could withdraw money from bank counters (4% commission or more!) or pay with your credit card in miscellaneous shops, hotels and restaurants.
For your information, there are now Automatic Teller Machines available everywhere on the island. All of them allow you to withdraw money with your country's ATM card. The maximum allowable withdrawal at once is of 20'000 baht.
Money transfer
If you urgently need money on your holiday location and have no time to receive a bank transfer (maybe you haven't got a bank account here), think of Western Union, reliable and fast money transfer worldwide.
Moving around on the island
There are many options for transportation on Koh Samui. Vehicles can be rented from a number of tour agents. A rental vehicle is not your only means to get around. One way is walk and takes in the sights at a slow pace.
Walk
Nice, but use a lot of sun screen and be careful in the traffic.
Bicycle
Just rent it. It's cheap. But be very careful if the traffic is intense.
Pickup Taxi (Songtaew)
From early morning to 7 pm. Price: 30-60 Baht, but it's more expensive at night after 6 PM. After this time you will have to negotiate about the price.
The red pick-up trucks hauling passengers in the back are called Songtaews, meaning two rows. Thais and visitors use this handy means of transportation around the island.
Taxis-meter
There are now also taxis-meter (the same that you will find everywhere in Bangkok) yellow and black, air-conditioning, comfortable, which circulate on the island, but more expensive than the local taxi, the fare should be negotiated before getting on, because the "meter" is rather there as a decoration.
Convenient! But most of them do not use the taxi meter. Ask for the price in advance. The prices usually start from about 300 baht and up to 600-700 baht from Nathon to Lamai or similar distance.
Rental Cars
Cars can be rented from a large variety of agencies on Koh Samui. There are many rental choices from local agents in many price ranges. Shop around for the vehicle and price that suits your needs.
Rental Motorcycles
Most common for transportation here. From 100 cc (smaller bikes such as; Honda Click, Honda Wave, Honda Dream, Yamaha Fino, Yamaha Nouvo, Yamaha Mio etc), to Harley Davidson. Prices from 250 baht per day and up… Please, for your own safety, use a helmet and do never drive drunk! There is an often-overlooked Helmet Law in Thailand. The current fine for not wearing a helmet is 300 Baht. Don't say you weren't warned…
Note: Driving any kind of vehicle in Koh Samui can be dangerous! Use EXTREME caution and good judgment whenever operating a car or motorbike on the island.