Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing entry protocols associated with arriving in Thailand. I thought of making this video after reading a recent comment on our channel, quoting directly: "I just came through Bangkok Immigration. No arrival card to fill out, just your passport, boarding card and after they take your fingerprints, you are through."

So a couple of things to unpack there. No arrival card to fill out. Yeah we discussed last year, at least temporarily they have decided to phase out, I believe it is the TM6 arrival card. In the past when you were arriving in Thailand you would be given this perforated card, it had two cards on it. You fill them both out, you give one of them to Immigration on arrival, you keep one in your passport - usually they will staple it in - and then you have it on you when you leave the Kingdom. The arrival card is gone; they don't do that anymore. It is all done digitally which explains again they say, "take your fingerprints and you are through".

Biometrics has become an integral part of the process of arriving and departing from Thailand. Thai Immigration is fully integrated with the biometric system meaning they are doing facial recognition upon arrival in Thailand. They are also taking fingerprints, storing that in a biometric database and then they are using this as just another marker if you will, sort of a touchstone if you will, for essentially processing through arrivals and departures of folks coming and going from the Kingdom of Thailand. 

So understand, while on the one hand the system has become far more streamlined and in my opinion more convenient, on the other hand, there is far more scrutiny on arrivals and people departing Thailand than there has ever been in the past.