Thailand airport SIM rules and prices

Tourist SIM prices at Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang read 14 September 2026, passport and face check rules, and which unlimited plans slow to 1 Mbps.

Your flight gets into Suvarnabhumi late and the SIM counter by the belts has a queue. The clerk wants your passport, a live photo of your face and a decision on a plan whose small print you have never seen. Last trip a global "unlimited" eSIM crawled by three in the afternoon.

Below is what the counters at Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang sell and what the operators' own pages charged on 14 September 2026. It also covers what the regulator changed in 2025 and 2026, what a DTV holder cannot buy, and which kind of unlimited you are paying for.

What changed in 2025 and 2026: face check, three numbers, the 60 day rule

On 30 June 2025 the NBTC, Thailand's telecoms regulator, published a package of measures against technology crime (press release 16/2568). Two of them rewrote the tourist SIM. Measure 5 limits a foreign national to three mobile numbers per person per operator, with the passport as the identity document. Measure 6 caps a Tourist SIM at 60 days and says a top up cannot extend that period. Anyone who wants to carry on must verify their identity with the operator again first.

On 15 August 2025 a second release (28/2568) made real time liveness detection mandatory from 18 August 2025. You blink or hold still on camera at every registration, prepaid or postpaid, new line or SIM swap. Only an original unexpired document is accepted, which for a visitor means the passport.

A further notification took effect on 16 May 2026. As summarised by the law firm Tilleke & Gibbins on 19 May 2026, it restates three per operator for non Thais and requires registration in person at a branch or authorised dealer. It also sets a 60 day deadline to activate a registered SIM. Guides updated as recently as September 2026 still print "five SIM cards per passport"; that was the earlier rule, and an operator eSIM counts toward the three.

60 daystourist SIM cap, no extension by top up

3numbers per person per operator

18 Aug 2025live face check at every registration

1,199 THBAIS and True 30 day tourist SIM, read 14 Sep 2026

What a tourist can buy, and what a tourist or DTV visa cannot

With a passport you can buy a prepaid tourist SIM or eSIM from AIS, True or dtac at the airport, at their shops and at some 7 Eleven branches. What you generally cannot get is a postpaid contract or a permanent line. A September 2026 thread on r/ThailandTourism came from a DTV holder refused any postpaid plan at two mall shops and told the only option was a prepaid eSIM. The replies line up: shops treat a DTV as a tourist visa and ask for a long stay visa, a work permit or sometimes a lease. One person in the same thread got postpaid at an AIS branch and another runs a monthly True eSIM, so this is shop practice rather than a published NBTC rule.

A foreign roaming eSIM is a different thing. Ours is not a Thai operator number, so there is no passport upload and no face check. The rules above apply to SIMs and eSIMs issued by AIS, True and dtac. The consultancy Yozzo noted in a piece updated June 2026 that the NBTC has published nothing for foreign eSIM providers.

Suvarnabhumi: where the AIS, True and dtac counters are

AIS publishes a shop list for its tourist SIM. At Suvarnabhumi it names 2nd floor points at baggage claim belts from 6 to 22, then Visa On Arrival, Transit C, Interchange E, Exit 9 and Concourse G. The list runs past thirty entries and gives no opening hours.

True's Thai language tourist page says its airport shops are open 24 hours. KKday, which sells dtac pickup vouchers, puts the True counter outside baggage claim in the 2nd floor arrival hall at Exit Gate 7, 24 hours daily. An older vendor map from thailandesim.com has dtac at Exit Gates 7 and 9, 07:00 to 22:00, and Trip.com lists its own pickup desk at Gate 8 on the same floor. Those figures come from partners and resellers, so treat them as a sketch.

On which stall is "the" official one, nobody can give you a straight answer. In October 2025 a traveller on r/ThailandTourism bought at a small AIS branded office and found the SIM had been activated two weeks earlier with one day left. AIS told them by email that there is only one official store in the airport, yet AIS's own list shows dozens of points. Buy at a counter that is clearly branded and busy, and run the check below before you walk away.

Don Mueang: counters, hours and the 7 Eleven downstairs

Don Mueang is smaller and the hours matter more if your flight lands late. AIS lists "3rd Floor Terminal 2" and "3rd Door Exit 8", again with no hours. For True and dtac, KKday places the counter near Exits 3 and 5 in the Terminal 1 international arrival hall, and KKday and Pelago both list 05:00 to midnight daily, as read on 14 September 2026. thailandesim.com says 07:00 to 22:00 and True's own page says 24 hours.

Assume 05:00 to midnight until the operator says otherwise, and do not bank on any counter at 01:00. Blogs quoting 150 to 300 Baht at Don Mueang describe products no operator lists today; tiers and prices match Suvarnabhumi. There is a 7 Eleven on the lower level.

How much does a SIM card cost at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport?

The prices below were read on ais.th , true.th and dtac.co.th on 14 September 2026. Airport counters sell these tourist tiers and, by repeated forum account, nothing else; a December 2025 thread put it as "all they do is churn out the tourist sims". An August 2026 thread found the 30 day price identical online and at the kiosk. One September 2026 arrival paid less at the official AIS shop by baggage pickup than the website asked.

Product	Validity	Price, THB	What the operator page says you get
AIS Lucky Tourist SIM or eSIM	5 days	399	Unlimited data, max speed; free calls within AIS; 100 Baht call bonus
AIS Lucky Tourist	8 days	499	Same
AIS Lucky Tourist	15 days	699	Same
AIS Lucky Tourist	30 days	1,199	Same
AIS Lucky Tourist	60 days	1,599	Reportedly not stocked at the airport, Aug 2026
True Tourist Infinite SIM	8 days	499	Unlimited at maximum available speed; free local calls up to 15 minutes each
True Tourist Infinite SIM	15 days	699	Same
True Tourist Infinite SIM	30 days	1,199	Same
True Data Only Tourist SIM	10 days	349	Voice disabled, emergency calls only, can receive SMS
dtac Happy Tourist eSIM	8 days	299	15 GB at max speed, 15 Baht call credit
dtac Happy Tourist eSIM	15 days	599	30 GB at max speed
dtac Happy Tourist Infinite SIM	8 days	449	As listed in True's tourist FAQ

The 60 day AIS tier is on the AIS page, but an August 2026 thread reports that neither the airport counters nor several AIS stores in town would sell it. The 7 Eleven inside Suvarnabhumi is no bargain either. A December 2025 Reddit guide reports 999 Baht for a 30 day SIM there, against 199 Baht for 30 GB over 30 days at a city branch. Not every city branch sells that pack to a foreigner.

How to register a SIM card using a passport at the counter

Registration is done for you at the counter and takes a few minutes. The part that trips people up is the last thirty seconds.

Clear immigration first. A traveller in July 2026 reported that the shop before immigration would sell but not activate, while the AIS stand after it had them working in under five minutes.
Hand over the original passport. Since 18 August 2025 only an original unexpired document is accepted; a photocopy or a photo on your phone will not do.
Name the tier and the days. The counter registers the number to your passport on the spot.
Look at the camera and blink or hold still. Travellers report the same step at 7 Eleven, and one in December 2025 said it failed the first day and worked the next.
Before you leave, open myAIS or dial *121*3# on an AIS line, or the dtac app on a dtac line. Confirm the package name and expiry date match what you paid, and keep the receipt.
If you bought an eSIM, install it there and watch it find signal. Fixes are quick at the counter and slow from a hotel.

If you buy a SIM with nobody there to register it, AIS's help page lists the myAIS app, an SMS of your passport number to 4444161 (free), a web form, or any AIS Shop. It warns that an unverified line "could be affected". One traveller in July 2026 noted that AIS keeps the passport scan and the face capture and did not answer an email asking to revoke consent. That is the trade for a Thai number.

Buying an AIS or True tourist eSIM online before you fly

AIS sells the same tiers as an eSIM through its traveller site. On 14 September 2026 it showed $12.14 for 5 days, $15.18 for 8, $21.26 for 15 and $36.47 for 30. Its terms (clause 4.1) set the order: create an account, verify your email, then complete eKYC with a passport photo and a selfie. AIS gives an "estimate time 1 hour till 48hours" for that check and emails the QR. After payment no cancellation or refund is possible.

The check fails more often than the page suggests. A July 2026 poster on r/ThailandTourism found the AIS passport scan failed "after multiple attempts" and timed out, then activated at the airport stand instead. In January 2026 a TrueMove buyer was stuck on "detecting face position", and a July 2026 walkthrough of True's online eSIM ends with the fallback "activate in store".

Buying the operator eSIM through a platform such as Trip.com can move the identity check to the platform or to arrival, by two 2026 reports. One August 2026 buyer said Trip.com handled the KYC for an AIS eSIM; a February 2026 TripAdvisor report says the verification site took five minutes but needed Wi-Fi. dtac's own page lists fifteen outside platforms as sales channels, so a reseller eSIM is normally the real operator product with a different checkout.

⚠

Arrival prep lookalikes In January 2026 a traveller paid NZ$207 to a site that bundled the Thailand Digital Arrival Card with an eSIM, handing over card number and CVV. The arrival card is free on the government site and has nothing to do with buying a SIM.

Three kinds of unlimited, and which one drops to 1 Mbps

"Unlimited" in Thailand means three different products, and the daily cap trap comes from mixing them up. The headline tourist SIMs, AIS Lucky Tourist and True Infinite, are sold as "Unlimited Data, Max Speed" and "at maximum available speed". Neither page prints a daily full speed allowance, and True's terms mention a fair use policy without a figure. Users on both reported through 2026 that they were never slowed, one running Teams calls daily and another streaming 80 GB.

The second kind is an operator pack that is unlimited at a fixed speed. Users on r/ThailandTourism in August 2026 quote AIS on top packs sold as "unlimited at 10 Mbps", where the whole plan runs at that speed and nothing changes later. The AIS tourist page also lists a separate 1 GB item "at speed 10 Mbps" beside the main cards. The third kind is the travel eSIM "unlimited": a daily full speed allowance, then a slow lane. Airalo's own Thailand listing, quoted on r/ThailandTourism in July 2026, says "Lower speed rate of 1 Mbps after 3 GB usage per day". Travelsim Asia's comparison of 12 August 2026 puts Saily at 5 GB per day.

Kind of unlimited	Example	Full speed allowance	After the allowance
Operator tourist SIM, max speed	AIS Lucky Tourist 30 days 1,199 THB; True Infinite 30 days 1,199 THB	None published as of 14 Sep 2026	Users in 2026 threads report no slowdown
Operator pack at a fixed speed	AIS on top pack "unlimited at 10 Mbps", as quoted by users on r/ThailandTourism, August 2026	Whole plan runs at the stated speed	No change
Travel eSIM, daily allowance	Airalo Thailand unlimited, per its listing quoted on Reddit, July 2026	3 GB per day	1 Mbps for the rest of the day
MegaEsim Unlimited Lite	$1.29 for 1 day, $33.60 for 30 days	1 GB per day, printed on the plan	Up to 1 Mbps until the 24 hour reset
MegaEsim Unlimited Standard	$4.38 for 1 day, $131.46 for 30 days	3 GB per day, printed on the plan	Up to 1 Mbps until the 24 hour reset

Ours is the third kind, and we print the number. Unlimited Lite gives up to 1 GB per day at full speed, then up to 1 Mbps for the rest of that day, and the allowance resets every 24 hours. Unlimited Standard gives 3 GB per day on the same terms. With no daily ceiling at all, fixed plans run from $1.29 for 1 GB over 7 days to $42.84 for 50 GB over 30 days. If a plan slows on you halfway through the trip, our post on why data is slow abroad walks through the daily cap check.

Is it possible to extend a Thai tourist SIM beyond 60 days?

Not by topping up. Measure 6 bars extending a tourist SIM past 60 days that way, so the old advice to keep it alive with a small monthly top up no longer works. What you can do is verify your identity again. AIS's page says a tourist who wants to continue "beyond 60 days from the activation date must reconfirm their identity". You text the passport number to 4444161 free of charge and follow the link that comes back, or go to any AIS Shop.

True and dtac send an SMS too. Quoted on Reddit in December 2025, it says the tourist SIM can no longer extend its validity through a top up and points users to any True dtac Shop or to 1678. A user in that thread said the 1678 call centre turned it into a regular SIM. AIS users report converting theirs to "AIS THE ONE SIM" inside the app so they can buy ordinary local packs.

Problems people report at the counters, and what the operators say to do

The counters are not a scam, and we will not call them one. They are busy kiosks where mistakes happen, and the fix is easy on the spot and slow afterwards. In 2023 a TripAdvisor poster bought a "90 day sim for 1200 baht which expired after 1 day" at a dtac stall. The replies called it an activation error and said to take the receipt and SIM to any dtac shop, which is still the remedy. Numbers are recycled too, so a tourist number may already be tied to someone else's Lazada account.

ℹ

The "500MB remaining" text In November 2025 a buyer of an 8 day AIS unlimited eSIM at the airport (619 Baht) got a "Your internet has 500MB remaining" SMS the first evening. myAIS showed three packages, a 1 GB one day pack, the 8 day unlimited pack and a base rate. The 1 GB pack counts down first and the connection stayed fast all trip. Dial *121*3# to see the real package.

The dual SIM mistake that cuts off your bank codes

In March 2026 a traveller with a Galaxy S25 on a US carrier had a 7 Eleven clerk install a Thai physical SIM and set it as the primary line. The US eSIM then showed no signal and stopped receiving bank codes. The fix in the thread: set the home line back to primary for calls and SMS and switch roaming on for it, or remove the Thai SIM and add it again. Our post on keeping your home number on a dual SIM phone has the iPhone and Android screens.

✓

Check the primary line before you leave the counter Data on the Thai line, calls and SMS on your home line, roaming on for the home line so texts arrive. Bank codes from a five or six digit short code do not reach foreign numbers, so only the home line can catch them.

When a data only eSIM is the simpler choice, and when you need a Thai number

A Thai number earns its queue if you will sign up for Grab, register a LINE ID, receive a Thai bank OTP or check out on Lazada. Travellers in September 2026 and November 2025 report all of those asking for one by SMS. The operator tourist SIMs above give you one. Our Thailand number plan on DTAC, $18.99 for 8 days or $56.99 for 30, gives a Thai number with data and unlimited calls, but it carries no texts, so do not buy it to receive the SMS codes those apps send; for that, use an operator tourist SIM. It works inside Thailand only, its days start at install, and because a live number is issued at purchase it cannot be refunded. Bank short codes will not reach it either, so keep your home line on for those.

For most two week trips the simpler route is data only. Our Thailand eSIM plans start at $1.29 for 1 GB over 7 days and run across AIS, dtac and True Move, with the phone picking whichever is strongest where you stand. You install at home on Wi-Fi and switch data roaming on for the eSIM line when you land. Your home number stays in the phone for calls and codes, with no counter, no passport upload and no 60 day clock. To ring a hotel or a driver from that setup, our post on Thailand's country code has the dialling formats. Calls and texts on a data only plan are covered separately.

Quick answers

How do I register a Thai SIM card with my passport?

At an airport counter or operator shop the clerk scans your original passport, runs a live face check on camera and registers the number to you in minutes. AIS also accepts an SMS of your passport number to 4444161, free, followed by a verification link. Operator eSIMs bought online need a passport photo and a selfie instead, which AIS says takes 1 to 48 hours.

Do I need to register a SIM card before using it in Thailand?

Yes. A Thai operator SIM or eSIM only works once it is registered to your passport, at the counter on the spot or online after eKYC. The NBTC also requires a registered number to be activated within 60 days and lets operators interrupt unverified lines. A foreign roaming eSIM is not a Thai number and involves no passport upload.

Which is better for a tourist, dtac or AIS?

dtac has been part of True Corporation since 2023 and its tourist SIMs are sold from the True dtac page, so the real choice is AIS or True. Prices match at 30 days, 1,199 Baht on both. We make no coverage claims for either; forum reports in 2026 are mixed and depend on where you happen to be standing.

Can I get an unlimited data SIM card in Thailand?

Yes, but check which kind. AIS Lucky Tourist and True Infinite are sold at max speed with no daily allowance published. Cheaper operator packs run at a fixed speed such as 10 Mbps. Travel eSIM unlimited plans give a daily full speed allowance and then about 1 Mbps; ours are 1 GB or 3 GB per day, then up to 1 Mbps until the reset.

Is there a 30 day unlimited data plan for eSIMs in Thailand?

AIS sells a 30 day tourist eSIM for 1,199 Baht and True Infinite is 1,199 Baht for 30 days, both with a Thai number. Airalo's 30 day unlimited gives 3 GB per day before dropping to 1 Mbps, by its own listing. MegaEsim's 30 day Unlimited Lite is $33.60 at 1 GB per day and Unlimited Standard is $131.46 at 3 GB per day.

Can a DTV visa holder get a postpaid plan in Thailand?

Usually not. Shops treat the DTV as a tourist visa and ask for a long stay visa, a work permit or sometimes a lease before opening a postpaid account, so most DTV holders end up on prepaid with a passport. A few report getting postpaid at particular AIS or True branches. It is shop discretion, not a published NBTC rule, so outcomes vary.

How much does a tourist SIM cost at Don Mueang?

The same operator tiers and list prices as Suvarnabhumi, read on 14 September 2026: AIS 399 Baht for 5 days up to 1,199 for 30 days, True Infinite 499 for 8 days to 1,199 for 30, True data only 349 for 10 days, dtac Happy Tourist eSIM 299 for 8 days. Blogs quoting 150 to 300 Baht at Don Mueang describe products no operator lists now.

Is it worth getting an eSIM for Thailand?

It depends on two things: whether you need a Thai number for Grab, LINE, bank OTPs or Lazada, and how much data you use in a day. If you need the number, buy an operator tourist SIM or eSIM with your passport. If you only need data, a foreign travel eSIM installed before you fly skips the counter, the passport upload and the 60 day rule.