Thailand: Arrival Fee and Departure Tax Are Proposed; Heavy-Rain Warning Narrows for Bangkok

October 8, 2026 — Thailand is weighing two new charges on air travelers: a 450-baht arrival fee for foreign tourists and a 1,000-baht departure tax. Neither is in force and neither has a start date. Separately, in an update to our October 7 story, the weather service’s latest warning keeps heavy rain in the forecast for October 9–13 but now lists Bangkok for October 10–11 only.

Proposed fees

Charge	Amount	Who pays	Status
Tourist arrival fee	450 baht	Foreign tourists; air arrivals first, land and sea a year later	Public consultation closed Sept 28; start TBA
Air departure tax	1,000 baht	All nationalities, including Thais; collected with the ticket	Draft law; consultation Sept 30 – Oct 29; would start 180 days after the law is published
Airport passenger service charge	1,120 baht (was 730)	Air passengers	In force since June 20, 2026

Arrival fee: The tourism minister chaired a meeting on how to collect it on October 6. Exemptions under discussion include transit passengers, crew and children under two. A repeat entry within 30 days would not be charged again.
Departure tax: The finance minister defended the draft on October 7. Exemptions in the draft include children aged two or under, some transit passengers, crew on duty and tickets bought before the law takes effect. Travel agents are objecting.
Total: Press reports add the three charges to 2,570 baht, about US$76, if both proposals pass.

Heavy-rain warning

Latest warning: No. 4, issued at 5 pm Thai time on October 8.
Bangkok and the central region: Heavy to very heavy rain on October 10 and 11. Yesterday’s warning ran to October 12.
The South: Included every day from October 9 to 13, and on its own on October 12 and 13.
The East: October 9 to 11.
At sea: Waves above two metres in thunderstorms in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand.
So far: No flooding or transport disruption reported.

What it means for airline travelers

Nothing to pay yet. The two new charges are proposals. We will report a start date when there is one.
Crew look likely to be exempt from both, on duty at least. Whether non-rev travelers on a pass count as ticketed passengers for the departure tax is not addressed in the reports.
Bangkok this weekend: Allow extra time to reach the airport on Saturday and Sunday. Heavy rain floods roads quickly.
Phuket, Krabi and Koh Samui: Rain through Tuesday. Ferries and speedboats may be cancelled in rough seas, so do not schedule an island transfer on the same day as your flight home.