Koh Samui : useful phone numbers
DOCUMENTS REQUIRED
- Passport with validity not less than 6 months;
- Visa application form completely filled out;
- One recent (4 x 6 cm.) photo of the applicant;
- Air ticket paid in full;
- Financial means (20,000 Baht per person and 40,000 Baht per family)
Consular officers reserve the rights to request for additional documents as deemed necessary
TOURIST VISA
A Tourist Visa is needed when a person plans to stay in Thailand for tourism purposes longer than 30 days and it will be issued at the Thai Embassy or Thai Consulate.
A Tourist Visa is valid for 60 days and it will be issued to applicants wishing to enter the Kingdom only for tourism purposes. The foreigner is not allowed to work or conduct business with a Tourist Visa.
On October 1, 2006 the Kingdom of Thailand introduced a new visa policy to restrict the number of times a foreigner can enter the country during a certain period of time. The new policy states that one foreigner can only stay in Thailand for 90 days in a period of six months, after which one must leave the country and stay outside for another 90 days before they can re-enter. This means anyone using the 30 day Visa exemption, and therefore doing the Visa Run every 30 days, to stay long term in Thailand, now need to find out another way to stay long term.
If you are planning to stay in Thailand long term or an extended time, you'll need to apply the appropriate Visa in your home country before travelling. Tourist Visa can easily be obtained in the Thailand's neighbour countries (Malaysia, Burma, Laos e Cambodia) but the Consulates seem to be only issuing the single entry type.
VISA RUN
Most of the regularly scheduled ‘Visa-Run’ runs their services through Hat Yai province to the Malaysia’s border or through Ranong province to the Burma’s border. The minibus will pick you up early in the morning; 3:30-4:00 a.m. and the round trip will takes about 14 hours.
The Visa Run to the Malaysia’s border doesn’t offer any “emotion” to the traveller and the way from Had Yai to Sadao-Padang Besar is always busy; its takes more than one hour.
The journey across to Burma's border, from Ranong pier to the city of Kawthaung (sometimes still called Victoria Point), takes about 40 minutes by the local long tail boats. The Immigration Office is right on the middle: a small wood-building over the water. It is a good idea to take an umbrella to protect you from the rain and sea spray in the wet season and he sun in high season. After return to Thailand you need to make another stop at Immigration to get your entry stamp.
In order to extend your stay in Thailand, don't forget there are available direct flights from Koh Samui to Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore ed Honk Kong.
IMPORTANT NOTE: renting your own vehicle - motorbike or car or jeep - is the best way to explore Koh Samui. The local operators generally rent motorbikes and manual shift Suzuki jeeps: somebody can ask your passport as a guarantee, don't give it; one copy is enough.
Many operators rent motorbikes and car without any insurance so you'll be held responsible for the potentially ruinous expense of any damage to the vehicle in an accident and compensation for others involved. Don't forget that Koh Samui has the highest rate of driving fatalities in the Kingdom, specially the motorcyclists. In Samui there are four International hospitals but it's not free of charge and sometimes it's very expensive! So, don't forget to set up your personal travel insurance, it's your holiday.
USEFUL NUMBERS IN KOH SAMUI:
Thailand International Phone Code: +66
Tourist Police: 1699 or 077 421 281
Immigration Office: 077 421 069
Police (emergency): 191
Police loc. Nathon: 077 421 095
Police loc. Chaweng: 077 422 067
Police loc. Lamai: 077 424 068
Police loc. Maenam: 077 425 070
Police loc. Bophut: 077 425 071
Emergency (ambulance): 1155
Samui Rescue emergency 24 hrs): 077 421 444
Samui Hospital: 077 421 230
Samui International Hospital: 077 422 272
Bandon International Hospital: 077 425 382
Bangkok Samui Hospital: 077 429 500
Credit card lost:
Visa, MasterCard: +66 (0) 2299 1990 - American Express: +66 (0) 2273 0020
Bangkok Airways:
Bangkok airport office: 02 265 5555
Samui airport office: 077 428 500, 077 428 555
Chaweng office: 077 422 512-9
Buses service Koh Samui-Bangkok:
Phantip Co., Ltd.: 077 421 221
