According to certain embodiments, a method by a wireless device is provided for beam-based random access. The method includes receiving, from a network node, a handover command, the handover command comprising at least one suitability threshold. Measurements of each of a plurality of beams detected by the wireless device are performed. The measurements of the plurality of beams are compared to the at least one suitability threshold. A particular beam is selected based on the comparison, and a random access procedure is initiated.