What’s Forbidden in Thailand

Thailand is a country with relatively free morals. But this may only seem so at first glance. To avoid unpleasant situations during your trip, it’s important to know what is prohibited in the kingdom. Violation of local laws can lead to fines, arrest, or even deportation. Here are several things that are strictly prohibited in Thailand.

Smoking in public places. Smokers will have a hard time because finding specially designated smoking areas is not so easy. Smoking on public beaches is punished with particular severity – the fine reaches 100,000 THB. Fortunately (or not?), hardly anyone monitors this closely. It’s possible that you might light a cigarette next to a police officer, and he won’t react at all.

Showing disrespect to religion. Thai people are religious, and everything related to Buddha and other sacred objects is extremely important to them. Buddhist monks have a particularly revered status – you must never touch them under any circumstances, otherwise there will be a major scandal. There are also many strict rules regarding temple visits: you must remove your shoes before entering, cover your knees and shoulders, and you cannot sit with your feet pointing toward a Buddha statue. Touching any statues in the temple is forbidden, as each has sacred significance.

Showing disrespect to the King. In Thailand, the King and the entire royal family are treated with special honor and respect. Any disrespectful words toward them are forbidden. Disrespect cannot be shown even to images of the King – for example, tearing or crumpling portraits, as well as national banknotes.

Flying quadcopters without permission. Capturing the beauty of Phuket from a bird’s-eye view – why not? But don’t rush to launch a drone, even a very small one under 250 grams. First, you need to register the device in the NBTC database or with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAAT). This can be done on the official websites of these agencies. Videographers face large fines for flights without proper registration.

СPublic Scandals. In Thailand, open conflicts are not welcomed, so it’s undesirable to raise your voice and show your irritation in public. And you definitely shouldn’t raise your voice at locals or argue furiously with police officers – this won’t lead to anything good.

Public Display of Affection. Thais are quite conservative, although it may not seem so at first glance. Couples in love should behave more modestly – in Thailand, public displays of affection are condemned by society. This applies even to kisses, not to mention actions of a sexual nature.

Driving a Car/Bike Without a Shirt. Yes, even if it’s unbearably hot outside, you shouldn’t take off your shirt and get on a bike. For violating this law, a driver can be fined up to several hundred baht.

Prohibition on Professional Activities. There is a fairly large list of professions that foreigners are prohibited from practicing in Thailand. For the most part, these are activities that are somehow related to manual labor and aimed at manufacturing or processing products of Thai culture. For example, a woodcarver, but also such professions as Thai massage therapist, agricultural worker, and even hairdresser are on this list.

Feeding Fish in Protected Areas. Thai law prohibits causing damage to sea inhabitants in nature reserves, areas belonging to national parks, and coastal zones. Damage is any impact on fauna, including feeding exotic fish. The ingestion of any food products into the water can disrupt the natural symbiosis, so it’s not worth being kindhearted and feeding the fish – they are able to feed themselves.

Prohibitions on Importing and Exporting Certain Products and Goods An important part of the prohibitions in Thailand concerns the import and export of various products and goods. So, what cannot be imported into the kingdom:

• Pornographic materials. This applies not only to photo or video materials but also to any goods depicting genitals, as well as adult toys.
• Electronic cigarettes and hookahs.
• Drugs and psychotropic substances.
• Unlicensed films and music.
• Wireless charging devices with a capacity of more than 32,000 mAh.
• Meat or meat products from countries with domestic livestock diseases.
• Rare animals/plants.

What is prohibited from exporting from Thailand:

• Works of art.
• Buddha statues larger than 15 cm and other religious souvenirs.
• Items depicting the national flag of Thailand.
• Exotic animals and souvenirs made from them, for example, a tiger tooth, turtle shell, or ivory craft.
• Marine souvenirs – shells, corals, and others.
• Thai sand and soil.
• Some fruits: for example, durian.
• All types of drugs.
• Counterfeit products and counterfeit money.
• Pornography, sex toys.
• Electronic cigarettes.

Of course, tourists manage to both import and export many items from this list. This especially applies to electronic cigarettes, power banks, and some souvenirs. However, violating the rules is everyone’s personal responsibility. Forewarned is forearmed.

Insulting Tuk-Tuks and Teasing Elephants. There are no official prohibitions, but you shouldn’t insult tuk-tuks (even if the driver overcharged you) or tease elephants. Both tuk-tuks and elephants are an important part of Thai culture, so show respect for it, and happiness will come to you.

To learn more about Thailand, its inhabitants, and religion, refer to the sections of our website: Excursions, Temples, and Museums. You can explore the gastronomic culture of the kingdom by visiting numerous Cafes & Restaurants, as well as Night Markets.