Arrival process in Bangkok

Hi, I’m arriving at BKK—how does exiting the airport work? I’m guessing: Immigration, then baggage claim, and then exit? Thanks!

Hi, Add a stop at customs* between baggage claim and the exit, and you’ve got it all covered.

* where there’s never a line and they rarely check Westerners.

Yes, that's exactly it.

The best exchange rate is on the lower level of the airport, the one by the metro. For transportation, there’s also a cheap shuttle bus to the city. For taxis, avoid the touts. There’s a dedicated spot where you take a ticket and get taxis at the normal rate (around 500 baht with the meter for the 20/25 km).

Taxis are located on level 1 of the airport. Make sure they turn on the METER (taximeter).

Alternatively, you can take the Airport Link on level -1, which will take you to central Bangkok with connections to the elevated metro (BTS) and the underground metro (MRT). There’s a dedicated app available for Android and iOS.

Hi there,

No worries, there aren’t even any forms to fill out on arrival anymore since last year. You queue up at immigration, they stamp your passport for 60 days, you collect your luggage, and you’re out.

As mentioned earlier, if you want to exchange money, don’t do it after immigration or baggage claim—instead, go to the ground floor. Follow the signs for the AIRLINK metro; it’s all the way downstairs, and you’ll find money changers with better exchange rates. For large amounts, it really makes a difference.

Everything else about getting to Bangkok has already been covered in previous posts.