20 things to verify before booking rehab in Thailand

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Center: Date checked:

Licence and staff

1. The facility licence is on the Thai register. Search the name or licence number on the Department of Health Service Support's register (in Thai) and check that the name and address match.^[1]
2. You know the doctor responsible for your care. Get their full name and check it in the Medical Council of Thailand's online search. Ask how often they are on site.^[2]
3. If drugs are involved, the center may treat drug addiction. Under the 2021 Narcotics Code, drug treatment must take place in a recognised facility. Ask for written proof.^[3]
4. You know who delivers therapy. Names, qualifications, professional registration, and who supervises them clinically.
5. Any accreditation is checked at the source. Look it up on the accreditor's own website and note the expiry date. Accreditation is a plus, never a substitute for the licence.^[4]

Medical safety

6. Your own doctor has advised on withdrawal. Stopping alcohol suddenly can be dangerous if you are dependent, and benzodiazepines also cause withdrawal if stopped suddenly. Don't stop either without medical advice.^[5][6]
7. There is a written detox plan. Where withdrawal happens, who supervises it, who is on duty at night, and whether it is in the price.
8. You know the emergency hospital. Its name, how long it takes to get there, who goes with you and who pays.
9. A psychiatrist is named, and your medicines are agreed. How often they would see you, and which of your current medicines you can keep taking.

The program

10. You have a sample weekly timetable. Count the one-to-one sessions, the hours of group therapy led by a qualified therapist, and the group sizes. Yoga and outings are not therapy.
11. Family contact and consent are clear. Family sessions, visits, and who the center may talk to about you.

Money and the contract

12. You have an itemised quote for the whole stay. Program fee, room, VAT (some centers add 7%), detox, medication, psychiatrist visits, transfers and extra weeks.^[7]
13. Deposit and refund terms are in writing. Published deposits include about US$2,000, sometimes non-refundable, or 50% before arrival. Check what happens if you cancel, leave early, are discharged for breaking rules or move to a hospital.^[7]
14. You have read the full contract and house rules. Who pays for extra treatment, aftercare and discharge medication; phones, visitors, passports, leaving the grounds and how complaints are handled.^[8]
15. Insurance is confirmed in writing. Get your insurer's or super fund's pre-authorisation before you travel. Most travel insurance does not cover planned treatment abroad.^[9]

Travel and paperwork

16. Your visa covers the whole stay. Since 15 September 2026, visa-free entry for Australian, UK, US and Canadian passports is up to 30 days, for tourism only. Ask the Thai embassy which visa fits treatment.^[10]
17. Your medicines are allowed into Thailand. Some are banned and some need a Thai FDA permit or a doctor's letter. Check each one before you fly.^[11]
18. Travel advice is checked, and your family has the details. Check your government's advice for the center's location, and leave the center's address, the hospital and your embassy's contacts with someone at home.^[12]

After treatment, and red flags

19. There is a written discharge and aftercare plan. A discharge summary in English for your doctor, a relapse-prevention plan, referrals at home, copies of your records, and aftercare with its length and cost.^[13]
20. No red flags. No pressure to pay or fly within hours, no promise of a cure (Thai advertising rules for medical facilities prohibit it), and no "free helpline" that is paid by the center it recommends.^[14]

Each point is explained, with what a good answer looks like, in How to choose a rehab in Thailand and Is rehab in Thailand safe? Rules on visas and medicines change, so check them again before you travel.

Sources

1. Department of Health Service Support, Ministry of Public Health (accessed 11 October 2026). Private health facility check system (in Thai)
2. Thai PBS (11 June 2020). Medical Council advises checking whether a doctor is real before treatment (in Thai)
3. Narcotics Code B.E. 2564 (2021). Part 2, Title 5: offences relating to drug treatment, sections 121–123 (Thai text). Unofficial online compilation of the Thai statute
4. Healthcare Accreditation Institute (Public Organization) (accessed 11 October 2026). Certificate status: find a certified healthcare facility
5. NHS (reviewed 24 April 2026). Alcohol misuse: treatment
6. NHS (reviewed 2 June 2026). Diazepam
7. Thai Recovery Guide (October 2026). Review of English-speaking residential centers' published prices, deposits and programs. Centers are described, not named, in line with our editorial policy
8. TravelHealthPro (NaTHNaC, UK Health Security Agency) (17 June 2024). Travelling for treatment (medical tourism)
9. NHS (reviewed 13 October 2023). Going abroad for medical treatment
10. Royal Thai Embassy, London (accessed 11 October 2026). Visa exemption (effective from 15 September 2026)
11. Thai FDA, Narcotics Control Division (Version 5, 21 September 2024). Guidance for travelers under treatment carrying personal medications containing narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances into Thailand
12. UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (updated 28 September 2026). Thailand travel advice
13. Department of Health and Social Care (28 November 2025, updated 17 April 2026). UK clinical guidelines for alcohol treatment, chapter 14: residential treatment and intensive structured day programmes
14. Tilleke & Gibbins (9 September 2026). Court judgment reaffirms rules on advertising of medical facilities in Thailand

Checked on 11 October 2026. This checklist is general information, not medical or legal advice. We have not yet visited centers in person.

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