Do I need a visa on arrival in Phuket?
Citizens of most CIS countries enter Thailand visa-free on an ordinary passport, but check how long a visa-free stay lasts for your passport before you fly. After landing at Phuket airport (HKT), follow the Immigration / Arrival signs. Have your passport ready, plus a printout of your return ticket or hotel booking: officers sometimes ask for them. At peak times, in the morning and late evening when several international flights land in a row, the passport control queue takes 20–40 minutes. Allow for this if you have arranged to meet at a set time.
Where do I collect my luggage?
After passport control, go down to Baggage Claim. The board by the escalator shows the belt number for your flight. It can change at the last minute, so keep checking the screen. If your bag has not arrived or is damaged, go to the airline desk in the baggage hall before leaving the arrivals area: you cannot get back in afterwards. Photograph the tag and get a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) on the spot.
Where do I meet MonkeyCar at the airport?
The car is handed over at the HKT airport terminal, and pickup and return there are free. The MonkeyCar office is 5 minutes from the airport, so the car arrives quickly. The manager agrees the time and meeting point with you by message before you land. Give your flight number when booking: the handover is adjusted to the actual arrival time. If you cannot see anyone, do not search the whole terminal: message the manager on Telegram or WhatsApp and they will tell you exactly where to go. There is one arrivals hall, but several waiting areas by the exits.
How long does the paperwork take at the airport?
Paperwork at the terminal takes 10–15 minutes: a document check, a walk round the car with the manager and signing the agreement. Full Insurance is a separate option: it lowers your liability, and on rentals of 7 days or more it removes the deposit. From the airport it is about 40 minutes to Patong, 30 to Phuket Town and 50–60 to Rawai and Chalong. Driving on the left with the wheel on the right feels unfamiliar after a flight, so take the first stretch slowly.
Where can I buy a SIM card at the airport?
AIS, True and dtac kiosks are right in the arrivals hall and stay open until the last flight. A tourist package takes five minutes: you need your passport, it costs 300–600 baht and gives unlimited data for 8–30 days. The staff member inserts the SIM and checks that the internet works. Buy it before you leave the terminal: navigation, messages with the manager and calling for help on the road all depend on a signal, while roaming is expensive and gets weaker reception in the hills than a local network. With an eSIM you can activate a plan while still on the plane.
What if my flight lands at night or is delayed?
Give your flight number when booking: the handover is adjusted to the actual arrival time. If a delay moves your arrival to the next calendar day, message the manager on Telegram or WhatsApp: the rental dates will need to be recalculated. If you land late and your villa is far away, you can spend the night near the airport and set off in the morning. The roads to the south of the island are unlit at night, and driving on the left is easier to get used to in daylight.
What you need in your first hour behind the wheel
Keep small-denomination cash for parking and fuel (cards are not accepted everywhere), water, sunglasses and a charged phone with an offline map of the island to hand. There are ATMs in the terminal, but the rate there is worse than in town, so withdraw a couple of thousand baht for the first day. If you ordered a child seat, check that it is fitted securely before you set off. The drive to the hotel usually takes 30–60 minutes, and the first half hour of calm driving is when you get used to driving on the left.
