I recieved this mailer from Thai Airways just now, so thought of sharing.

Greetings from THAI Airways - Mumbai Office

Minimum Funds Required To Enter Thailand:

We have been informed by Immigration Department, Bangkok that to be in line with the regulation imposed by the Ministry of Interior, Kingdom of Thailand, with immediate effect, all passengers arriving in Thailand must have sufficient funds as follows to show at the immigration before entry is permitted.

1. Transit Visa holder: Must hold minimum THB 10,000 per passenger or THB 20,000 per family.
2. Tourist Visa holder: Must hold minimum THB 20,000 per passenger or THB 40,000 per family.
3. Visa on Arrival: Must hold minimum THB 10,000 per passenger or THB 20,000 per family.
4. Non Immigrant Visa holder: Must hold minimum THB 20,000 per passenger or THB 40,000 per family.

The above funds may be held in any permitted currency.Kindly adhere to the above as insufficient funds on arrival could result in refusal to enter Thailand.

The above notification raises two questions.
1. It is silent on credit, debit & ATM cards. So these don't count I guess.
2. What happens to travellers like us who had paid for every thing and need money for food and sundry expenses? Would they have to carry so much money just to qualify for entry?

Wow, I've only ever once been asked to produce a requirement for entry and that was proving that I had a flight home. The only other time I was asked was by a check-in clerk here in Australia to produce a ticket home before they allowed me to board the plane. As I did not have one, I intended to simply book it when I decided I wanted to go home, I just dug up an old itinerary from my email, printed it at the local internet cafe, flashed it hoping for the best, and the ticket clerk didn't even notice that it was scheduled for 6 months ago.

This cash requirement is a little worrisome for me, I hate carrying cash, preferring to withdraw funds from an ATM. Thanks for letting me know, I'll be sure to carry some funds with me next time I head over there.

Thank you very much for bringing this to the forum's attention, Jyotirmoy. I will be very eager to hear field reports as to how strictly this rule is enforced. As a solo traveller who uses ATMs (as MrNaz does) £400 in cash is a lot to be bringing on my person in Thailand as a tourist on a tourist visa. In the UK I wouldn't go out the door with more than £100 in my wallet.

A few questions spring to mind. Would a credit card suffice, with proof of credit balance (a recent statement)? Would a recent ATM receipt do the same job (i.e. a printout from just before your flight?)

I could walk an immigration officer to an ATM and show him the funds, but that's hardly practical for a planeful of people. Perhaps travellers' cheques are not quite dead yet.

Will the airlines also be enforcing this rule? It's on them to ferry people back if they are refused entry, or so I thought. Do they share the responsibility as they do for checking visas?

As with most decisions by the Thai Immigration Dept, you have to question the logic and thinking of this move, if not the sentiment, which is at least understandable. I suspect it will be applied in a lax fashion at targeted individuals that fit a particular profile or travel pattern. Somehow I can't see mum, dad and 2 kids on a 2-week break from Blighty being turned away for not having £200 of crisp notes in their back pockets.

But then again, this is Thai Immigration we're talking about - so who knows!

These are exactly the thoughts that crossed my mind. Logistically walking to an ATM machine and checking balance for all entry seekers is impossible, so as you wrote in all probability it will be aimed at certain passenger profiles.
Like Airlines check validity of Visa before checking in in this case they would have to verify the amount of cash carried by each passenger.
I am also wondering about what could be the motive.

Do not get this at all .
If you are in transit you are not in the country , so you do not need a visa !
Quick call to Thaiairways in London as I needed to book award ticket and they have not heard of this .
Not wanting to appear rude but is it just passengers from India that this rule has been introduced ? makes you wonder .

These rules are not new and have been in effect for some time .
Below are the a copy of rules from Thai Embassy , New Delhi obtained today .
Means of living expenses does not mean CASH ONLY , credit/debit cards would constitute towards your funds .
You may be asked for proof of return ticket , this may be why Thaiairways contacted you as they would be liable to return you home at their cost if you did not have ticket/funds and were refused entry .
Some countries now will not let you fly if you only have single ticket out of home country .


According to the Interior Ministerial Announcements, passport holders from 14 countries may apply for visas at the immigration checkpoints for the purpose of tourism for the period of not exceeding 15 days.
The applicant must possess instrument of means of living expenses 10,000 Baht per person and 20,000 Baht per family accordingly.
The applicant must produce instrument of means of transport (full paid ticket) which is usable within 15 days since the date of entry.
Visa on arrival is provided at 23 designated international checkpoints and applicants should produce the application form to which his/her recent photograph (2 1/4 inches) is attached. The application fee is 300 Baht.
Visitors who enter the Kingdom with Visa on Arrival generally cannot file an application for extension of stay except in special cases such as illness which prevents them from travelling, etc. They can submit an application at the Office of Immigration Bureau , Immigration Division 1, Soi Suan Plu, South Sathorn Road, Bangkok 10120. Tel. (662) 287-3127 or 287-3101-10 ext. 2264-5 or at website http://www.police.go.th/frconten.htm
List of 20 countries is as follow

1. Bhutan : Kingdom of Bhutan
2. China : People’s Republic of China (including Taiwan)
3. Cyprus : Republic of Cyprus
4. Czech : Czech Republic
5. Estonia : Republic of Estonia
6. Hungary : Republic of Hungary
7. India : Republic of India
8. Kazakhstan : Republic of Kazakhstan
9. Latvia : Republic of Latvia
10. Liechtenstein : Principality of Liechtenstein
11. Lithuania : Republic of Lithuania
12. Maldives : Republic of Maldives
13. Mauritius : Republic of Mauritius
14. Oman : Sultanate of Oman
15. Poland : Republic of Poland
16. Russian Federation
17. Saudi Arabia : Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
18. Slovakia : Slovak Republic
19. Slovenia : Republic of Slovenia
20. Ukraine

I don't know whether this rule is for Indians alone. We went to Thailand this Jan end, neither our carrier Thai Airways nor our travel agent told us anything like this. Apart from a couple of hundred US$ in cash we had our credit cards and ATM cards. No one at the immigration asked us to show proof of adequate funds. I some how don't think this rule is only for us considering the volume of trade and warm diplomatic relation we have with Thailand. As far as Visa is concerned, for us it is free on arrival. More over hordes of Indians including groups of school children travel to Thailand on package tours where every thing is paid in advance in Indian rupees while booking, so they carry limited money for sundry expenses and shopping.
We had been criss crossing Europe and US for last two decades and never had to show how much money we had.

Good info. With all the travellers on these forums, we're bound to hear more about this soon.

I'm in Australia and just looked up the Aussie site Smartraveller: The Australian Government's travel advisory and consular assistance service - Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade it reads as follows no mention of having to show "funds" but then again we dont have to get a visa for a less than 30 day holiday. So maybe it only applies to other countries.



"Australian tourists travelling to Thailand through one of the international airports on an Australian passport may currently enter Thailand for up to 30 days without obtaining a visa in advance. This is referred to as a “visa exemption”. Australian tourists travelling overland into Thailand through a border crossing may enter Thailand for up to 15 days without obtaining a visa in advance. A visa is required for longer stays or for travellers intending to work or to travel for other than tourism purposes in Thailand.

Thai authorities require all travellers to have at least six months remaining on their passports. You may be refused entry to Thailand if your passport has less than six months. "


Also found this on another site :-


Entry Requirements

Passports & Visas

All visitors to Thailand must carry a valid passport with proof of onward passage (either a return or through ticket). Visa applications are not required if you are staying less than 30 days and are a national of 1 of 41 designated countries including Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States (New Zealanders may stay up to 3 months).


Read more: Entry Requirements in Thailand at Frommer's