Geography

Thailand is located in Southeast Asia, eastward from India, bordering Burma and Laos to the North, the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia to the South, Laos and Cambodia to the East, and Burma and the Andaman Sea to the West. It has a total area of 513,120 square kilometres and a coastline of 3,219 kilometres. It’s divided into five regions (North, Northeast, South, East, and Central), 77 provinces, and hundreds of islands both in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea.

Climate and Weather

The climate in Thailand is tropical, and the average temperature ranges between 18ºC and 38ºC throughout the year. The weather can be divided into three seasons:

Hot Season: The hot season goes from mid-February to mid-May, although it is quite dry starting November, with a cool northeast monsoon. April, when Songkran is celebrated (the water festival that marks the beginning of the traditional Thai New Year), is the hottest month. During this season, you can expect clear skies, a bright sun, and a blue sea.
Wet/Rainy Season: From mid-May to mid-October it’s rainy, warm, and cloudy, featuring a southwest monsoon. This season offers verdant forests and spectacular views. Expect heavy rains on the Andaman Sea side (west coast of Thailand), for example, in Phuket and Krabi, from April to October
Cool Season: From mid-October to mid-February. It is recommended to visit the mountains during this season to observe the winter flowers. Expect heavy rains on the Gulf of Thailand (east coast of Thailand), for example in Koh Samui, from September to December. The southern isthmus is generally always hot and humid.

Check the weather forecast for specific destinations here.

Must-Know

Capital: Bangkok
Official Language: Thai
Main Religion: Buddhism
Currency: Thai Baht (THB 1 is approximately equivalent to INR 2); 1 Thai Baht is divided into 100 satang
Time zone: UTC+7 (1.5 hours ahead of India)

Visas

Visitors from India can apply for a visa on arrival (VoA) at 48 designated immigration checkpoints in Thailand, allowing tourists to enter the country and stay for up to 15 days.

Requirements for VoA application are:

Completed application form (download it from here and for more information
click here.
Headshot photograph (4×6 cm)
Passport with at least six months validity
Confirmed return ticket within 15 days
THB 2,000 fee in cash
Applicant must carry sufficient funding (at least THB 10,000 per person or THB
20,000 per family) and provide proof of accommodation in Thailand

For more information on requirements and VoA checkpoints click here.

For more information on other types of visa click here.

Application for visas for more than 15 days can be done through VFS Global or a
Consulate-General office.

VFS Global Helpline for India
+91 22 6786 6003

Royal Thai Embassy in New Delhi
+91 11 4977 4100

Royal Thai Consulate-General, Chennai
+91 44 4230 0730/40/60/80

Royal Thai Consulate-General, Kolkata
+91 33 2440 3231/7836

Royal Thai Consulate-General, Mumbai
+91 22 2282 3535

Legal Information about Getting Married in Thailand

Firstly, you must know that a wedding ceremony in Thailand is different from a marriage registration in the country. While the former may take place to celebrate with family and friends, as well as to honor traditional or religious beliefs, that ceremony itself doesn’t make a marriage legal in Thailand.

To make a marriage legal in Thailand, the couple has to register it in the country.

Necessary documents:

Passport
Affidavit (certificate) of Freedom to Marry, issued by the Home Department of the concerned state, which afterward needs to be apostilled by the Attestation Section of the Consular, Passport & Visa (CPV) Division of the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi. These applications for attestation must be submitted through the outsourced agencies listed here. Alternatively, the affidavit can be secured by the Indian Embassy in Thailand after arriving in the country.

Procedure

Once the affidavit has been issued, it has to be translated into Thai and certified by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Then it has to be presented at the local district office for the marriage registration.
Each of the parties will be given a Certificate of Marriage (in Thai) after the union has been formally registered.
The Certificate of Marriage then has to be translated into English and taken to the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs for certification, before presenting it back in India.

The information provided here is as of August 2018. It is possible that the rules and regulations may change. Please consult your wedding organiser for further assistance should you chose to have your marriage registered in Thailand.

How to Get to Thailand

A flight from India to Thailand takes around four hours, and the country is connected with direct flights to major Indian cities such as New Delhi, Kolkata, Jaipur, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Hyderabad, Bagdogra, Guwahati, and Lucknow. Most travellers will arrive first in Bangkok and then fly to other parts of the country.

Airports

Thailand’s two main gateways, located in Bangkok, are:

Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK)
Check arrivals and departures to from this airport https://airportthai.co.th/en/.

Don Mueang International Airport (DMK)
Check arrivals and departures to/from this airport here.

Other important airports in Thailand are:

Phuket International Airport (HKT)
Check arrivals and departures to/from this airport here.

Chiang Mai International Airport (CMX)
Check arrivals and departures to/from this airport here.

Mae Fah Luang – Chiang Rai International Airport (CEI)
Check arrivals and departures to/from this airport here

Hat Yai International Airport (HDY)
Check arrivals and departures to/from this airport here.

Airlines

Air Asia
Reservations/Call Center: +66 2 515 9999, +66 2 515 9999

Air India
+66 2 216 5691–5, +66 2 216 5719

Bangkok Airways
Reservations/Call Center: +66 2 270 6699 ext. 43711–2

Indigo Airlines
Reservations/Call Center: +66 2 134 2960–1

Jet Airways
Reservations/Call Center: +66 2 696 8980, +66 2 696 8971–4

Cathay Airways
Reservations/Call Center: +66 2 787 3366

Nok Scoot
Reservations/Call Center: +66 2 021 0000

Spicejet
Reservations/Call Center: +66 2 277 9000

Sri Lankan Airlines
Reservations/Call Center: +66 2 236 8450

Thai Airways International
Reservations/Call Center: +66 2 356 1111, +66 2 88 7000

Thai Lion Air
Reservations/Call Center: +66 2 529 9999

Thai Smile
Reservations/Call Center: +66 2 118 8888

Customs

If you are bringing in items the quantity of which exceeds those allowed for personal use and/or with a total value of more than THB 20,000 or intended for commercial use, will be subject to import taxes and duties.

A flat duty rate of duty will be applied on the dutiable items provided that:

They are intended for personal use
They are a reasonable quantity and not intended for commercial use, business, or trade purposes
The total value does not exceed THB 100,000 Baht
Passengers are able to pay taxes and duties in cash on the date of arrival

Travellers carrying foreign currency over USD 20,000 or its equivalent into or out of Thailand, as well as outbound travellers carrying jewelry intended for exports are required to complete Customs formalities before their departure at the Customs Airport Office.

For more information, click here.

Events and Festivals

The following public holidays should be taken into consideration when organising a wedding in Thailand as they fall during the high season, and hotel occupancy and prices are higher.

Chinese New Year

The Lunar Year or Spring Festival celebrates the first day of the year of the Chinese calendar (usually during late January and early February). Please note that during this festivity many small shops are closed for a week.

Songkran Festival

Also known as The Water Festival, Songkran is celebrated in mid-April and marks the beginning of the Thai New Year. This period is one big relentless water fight and it is strongly suggested to take necessary precautions with your mobile phones and cameras.

Visakha Bucha Day

This is the most important Buddhist holiday in Thailand (commemorating events in the life of the Buddha), and it is celebrated on the full moon of the sixth lunar month (usually during May).

Loy Krathong

One of country’s most picturesque festivals, it is celebrated on the night of the twelfth lunar month, which is usually in November. Also called the festival of lights, people gather around lakes, rivers and canals to pay respects to the water goddess on this day. They release beautiful floating baskets decorated with candles, incense and flowers on the water

Other Holidays

The birthdays of HM King Vajiralongkorn, HM the Late King, and HM the Queen are also public holidays. For a full list of Thailand’s events, festivals, and public holidays click here.

Dry Days

The sale of alcohol is banned on religious holidays such as Visakha Bucha, Makha Bucha, and Asaha Bucha, among others, except in hotels nationwide. Some restaurants, bars, and nightclubs might also be closed during these festivities.

Alcohol sale is also banned in Thailand during elections, starting 6 pm the day before.

Useful Websites

Airports of Thailand
Find flight schedules, passenger guides, and announcements from the Ministry of Transport.

Tourism Authority of Thailand
The official website of Tourism Authority of Thailand provides information about: travel, accommodation, attractions, and events in Thailand.

Rome2Rio
This is a great tool to discover how to get anywhere by searching plane, train, bus, car and ferry routes, including travel time and prices.

Thai Railway Ticket
There are three railway lines connecting Thailand: Northern, North Eastern, and Southern. Buy train tickets online on this website.

Ferry Samui
Book speedboats and ferries from the mainland to (and around) Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao.

Grab Taxi
This app allows booking taxi rides with fixed prices in several cities in Thailand including Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, and Phuket.

Tip on taking taxis: Don’t take a taxi that doesn’t agree to use the meter, or negotiate the rate in advance.

Transit Bangkok
Find information about fares and operating hours of Bangkok’s public transportation: bus, MRT (Metropolitan Rapid Transit), BTS Sky Train (Bangkok Mass Transit System), and boats (Chao Phraya Express and Khlong).