March 1 changes to the Test & Go program have been officially approved

Changes to the Thailand Pass, which take effect on March 1, will allow travellers to arrive in Thailand with only one pre-paid day of accommodation and PCR test. The Day 5 PCR test and accommodation has been scrapped but you will still be required to do a self-ATK test on Day 5 and upload the result onto the Mor Chana app.

The other main change was the Covid Insurance, required by foreign travellers. The exception is foreign workers who have a valid Work Permit and the social security deductions. The insurance now has to cover treatment up to a value of US$20,000 instead of the earlier US$50,000.

The changes have now been announced in the Royal Gazette, making them applicable from March 1. The changes were approved at a meeting of the CCSA this week and were awaiting approval through the Royal Gazette.

In addition to the following information, we would like to remind travellers that the Thailand Pass is a FREE service. There is no charge for the service provided by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs. But there are qualified visa agents who can assist you with the documentation, for a fee. Get a recommendation from a friend or ask lots of questions before proceeding with the services of a visa agent.

Everyone has to apply for a Thailand Pass if they are entering Thailand at this time – locals and foreigners.

The new rules apply for for people who have applied for and been approved, or who will be approved for a Thailand Pass before March 1, 2022.

There are three types of Thailand Pass – the Test & Go (which this document specifically addresses), the Sandbox program or Alternative Quarantine Program (for people who are not vaccinated).

You can arrive by land (Nong Khai, Udon Thani, and Songkhla, according to the TAT), sea or air.

For arrivals by air and water…

• Fully vaccinated Thai citizens and foreign travellers from all countries/territories.

For arrivals by land…

• Fully vaccinated Thai citizens and foreign travellers from neighbouring countries connecting with the reopened border checkpoints (Nong Khai, Udon Thani, and Songkhla).

The following information has been copied from the tatnews.org website…

All travellers must have the following documents for entering Thailand…

A Thailand Pass is for arrivals by air and land; or a Certificate of Entry (via a Royal Thai Embassy/Consulate-General) for arrivals by water.

• A Medical Certificate with an RT-PCR lab result indicating that COVID-19 is not detected issued no more than 72 hours before travelling.

• Travellers under 6 years of age, travelling with parents with a negative RT-PCR test result within 72 hours before travelling, are not required to have a pre-arrival negative RT-PCR test result and can have a saliva test when entering the Kingdom.

• For arrivals by water, everyone on board the vessels must have a medical certificate with an RT-PCR lab result indicating that COVID-19 is not detected within the officially specified time frame. Anyone on aboard with a history of COVID-19 infection within a period between 14-90 days must have a medical certificate of recovery.

• An insurance policy with coverage no less than US$20,000. Thais and foreign expatriates under Thailand’s national healthcare coverage are exempt from this requirement.

• TAT recommends that travellers make sure to check the small print of any COVID-19 insurance policy before purchasing. Ultimately, the policy should cover the cost of treatment and other medical expenses associated with being infected with COVID-19, including in-patient hospitalisation, hospital isolation, hotel isolation, or related quarantine. The insurance policy should also cover the whole duration that travellers are planning to stay in Thailand, plus at least 10 extra days as a precautionary measure in the event that the traveller’s second swab test result returns as positive.

Check out The Thaiger’s insurance partner HERE for Covid insurance.

• A proof of prepayment for 1 night of accommodation at government-approved hotel/s; such as, SHA Extra Plus (SHA++) on Day 1, which should also include the expenses for 1 RT-PCR test on Day 1 and 1 Antigen Self-Test Kit (self-ATK) on Day 5.

• A Certificate of COVID-19 Vaccination/Recovery. Everyone 18 years of age and older must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 with an approved vaccine at least 14 days before travelling to Thailand.

• Travellers 12-17 years of age travelling to Thailand unaccompanied must get vaccinated with at least 1 dose of an approved vaccine. Those travelling with parents are exempt from this requirement.

• Travellers 6-11 years of age, travelling with parents, are exempt from this requirement.

• For arrivals by water, everyone on board must be fully vaccinated. This is except for travellers under 18 years of age, travelling with parents or guardians.

• Travellers with a history of COVID-19 infection who have recovered by medical treatment, and travellers who have received at least 1 dose of an approved vaccine after post-infection must have a certificate of COVID-19 recovery.
All travellers must undergo ‘exit screening’ at the point of departure, i.e., at the airline check-in counter and present the required documents to the person-in-charge to carry out the checks.

On-Arrival Requirements / During the Stay

• All travellers must undergo entry screening including body temperature check, and presenting the required documents to the Immigration/Health Control officer to carry out the checks.

1.1 Arrivals by air:

Arrivals on a direct flight to Thailand’s international airport: At the point of entry.
Arrivals with domestic connecting flights: At either the first point of entry before boarding the transit flight, or at the final airport.

1.2 Arrivals by land and water: at the point of entry.

Proceed to the prearranged accommodation or medical facility to undergo the Day 1 RT-PCR test. *Travellers under 6 years of age, travelling with parents, can have a saliva test.

2.1 Arrivals by air and land:

The trip must be by a prearranged vehicle on a sealed route within a travelling time of no longer than 5 hours. Then, all travellers must wait for the test result within the hotel only.

2.2 Arrivals by water:

• All travellers must wait for the test result on board the travelling vessel (yacht). Travellers whose test result returns as negative are free to go anywhere in Thailand, but will be provided with 1 Antigen Self-Test Kit for a self-test on Day 5 and be required to report/record the result via the MorChana application or another specified application.

• Travellers whose test result returns as positive will be referred for appropriate medical treatment in accordance with Thailand’s Communicable Diseases Act B.E. 2558 (2015). The expenses must be covered by the required insurance / own expense for foreign travellers, or national healthcare coverage for Thais and eligible foreign expatriates.

• Pending their conditions, they may be medically advised to receive treatment in either hospital hotel isolation or community isolation.

• During receiving the medical treatment – at least 10 days, they must remain in their accommodation only. They should not leave their accommodation unless utmost necessary, and must notify the Communicable Disease Control officer in-charge.

• After having recovered from COVID-19, they will receive a medical certificate of recovery.

Whilst in Thailand

• While in Thailand, travellers are advised to strictly follow standard, good personal hygiene practices; such as, wear a mask in public, maintain hand hygiene (washing with soap and water or using hand sanitiser), and keep physical distance of at least 1 metre from others.

• Travellers who are experiencing COVID-like symptoms should get tested. If testing positive they must get appropriate medical treatment.

• All travellers must download and install the MorChana application, and set it on at all times for the COVID-19 precautionary measures and to record the self-ATK result on Day 5 in the application.

• The self-ATK on Day 5 will not be required if the traveller’s length of stay is less than 5 nights, or his/her scheduled international departure date out of Thailand is on Day 5 or before. For example, if the traveller plans to stay in Thailand for 3 days, then he/she does not have to report the self-ATK result, but he/she must leave for another country immediately. However, the traveller may be required to take another test depending on the airline and the final international destination.

Guidelines for Domestic/International Departure

• For domestic departure (who are international travellers around Thailand), travellers must show proof that they have received a negative result for their Day 1 RT-PCR test.

• For international departure, it is the responsibility of travellers or their organisations to make sure that the travellers meet the requirements of their specific international destination regardless of the point of departure.

All this information is from the TAT website HERE.

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If you are fully vaccinated and looking to travel to Thailand, you may enter by a 1 Day Test & Go Packages.

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