What to sort out before you fly to Phuket

Most of what people arrange for a Phuket trip can be arranged on arrival. Two things cannot: the arrival card has a filing window before you land, and a driving permit has to be issued in the country that gave you your license. Everything else on this list is here because doing it beforehand is cheaper, calmer, or the difference between having options at midnight and not.

1. The arrival card

Thailand requires an arrival card from foreign visitors, submitted online in the days before you arrive rather than on paper in the queue.

Two things matter. It is filed within a window before arrival, so it is a task for the week of the flight, not for the month before. And the official system is free — the paid lookalike sites that rank alongside it charge for filling in a form you can complete yourself. The entry requirements page keeps the current rule and the official address in one place.

2. The transfer, if any of the hard cases apply

Book ahead if you land in the evening, travel with children who need seats, carry checked bags for a group, or go anywhere off the west-coast bus line. In those cases the airport is a seller’s market and you are arriving into it tired.

For a daytime landing with hand luggage going to a beach on the bus route, arranging nothing is a perfectly good plan. The transfers hub compares what each destination involves.

3. A phone that works when the doors open

Whether you buy an eSIM before departure or a local SIM at the counter in arrivals, the point is the first hour: finding your driver, checking an address, or calling a hotel when the plan slips. Doing it beforehand means walking out connected instead of queueing for it.

4. Insurance, and reading it rather than buying it

Private hospitals here expect payment at the time rather than a claim afterwards, which makes cover more practically important than it is in many destinations. The exclusions matter more than the headline number — especially the motorcycle clause, which is what catches visitors here. If you intend to ride, check that the policy covers it with the license you actually hold; the insurance page sets out what to look for.

5. A driving permit, if you plan to drive anything

This is the only item on the page with no local workaround. An International Driving Permit is issued in the country that issued your license, so a car or a scooter here means arranging it before you leave. A car-only permit does not cover a motorcycle, and that distinction is enforced at checkpoints and by insurers.

If a rental is likely, read the requirements on car rental or scooter rental while the permit can still be obtained.

6. Money for the first day

Bring enough for the ride from the airport and the first day, and change the rest in town rather than at the terminal. Airport rates are the worst you will see on the island, and card terminals that offer to charge you in your own currency are offering you a worse rate again. The money page covers where to change and what to decline.

7. The flight legs themselves

If the trip is not booked yet, that is the biggest variable of all — including whether Phuket is the right airport at all. For a holiday spent entirely around Krabi, Khao Lak or Samui, the connection from here is a real part of the journey and belongs in the comparison before the ticket is bought.

The short version

When the flights are booked: arrange the permit if you will drive, and buy insurance once you know what you plan to do.

When the hotel is booked: book the transfer if any of the hard cases apply, and ask the hotel about a shuttle if you are staying near the airport.

The week of the flight: file the arrival card, sort connectivity, check that the entry rules have not changed, and confirm the pickup with the flight number.

The day before: save the assistance number from your policy offline, take a photograph of your passport page, and check the arrival time of the flight your driver is tracking.