Entry requirements for international arrivals starting November 1

PHOTO: Entry requirements are streamlining a bit to reenter on November 1. (via Thai Embassy/ dk photography unsplash)

The Thailand Pass is set to launch in 5 days, aiming to ease the process to get approval to enter Thailand. The entry requirements for international travellers still require some hoops, but the government hopes this streamlining will help welcome back much-needed tourism to the country.

The website for the Thailand Pass has been created at tp.consular.go.th but it is not active yet, displaying a message that registration begins at 9 am on November 1. All currently issued certificates of entry will be honoured and travellers can request refunds from their hotels for the cost of lifted requirements.

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Thailand Pass will open for registration on 1 November 2021 at 09.00 hrs. We recommend you to register for Thailand’s new electronic entry document (Thailand Pass QR code) at least 7 days prior to your travel date. For travellers who have been granted COE (Certificate of Entry) and will arrive in Thailand from 1 November 2021 onwards, the COE remains valid for entering Thailand. Travellers can update the approved COE with the revised terms and condition of stay complying with new entry regulations by downloading the new COE at the registration website (coethailand.mfa.go.th) or the link from your COE approval notification email.

The Department of Consular Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have prepared an infographic outlining the 5 steps of the entry requirements for Thailand starting November 1.

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  1. PREPARE: Required documents
    1. Passport
    2. Thai visa (if required)
    3. Vaccine certificate (for Test & Go or Sandbox Blue Zones scheme – unvaccinated travellers can quarantine 7 or 10 days for air travellers and 14 days for overland travellers.)
    4. Insurance with a minimum of US $50,000 coverage
    5. Paid SHA+ or AQ hotel reservation (including fee for RT-PCR test)
  2. REGISTER: Register at tp.consular.go.th at least 7 days before travel
    1. Fill in details and immigration forms
    2. Upload to the site
    3. Wait for pre-approval of your vaccine certificate
    4. Receive a Thailand Pass QR code
  3. TEST: Within 72 hours before departure, obtain a negative Covid-19 RT-PCR test
  4. ARRIVE: Travel to Thailand
    1. Officers will check your Thailand Pass QR code and negative RT-PCR test
    2. Pass through immigration and disease control checkpoints
    3. Take another RT-PCR Covid-19 test
      1. At the airport OR
      2. At your approved hotel OR
      3. At designated accommodations in the Test & Go or Sandbox Blue Zones schemes
  5. STAY: According to which entry program you do (see below)
    1. Test & Go – 1 night in AQ or SHA+ hotel while waiting for test results
    2. Blue Zone Sandbox – SHA+ hotel for 7 nights
    3. Happy Quarantine – AQ hotel for 10 nights (14 if you enter by land)

 

Thailand Pass graphic

 

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“TEST & GO”: COUNTRIES THAT CAN ENTER WITHOUT QUARANTINE

1. Australia
2. Austria
3. Bahrain
4. Belgium
5. Bhutan
6. Brunei Darussalam
7. Bulgaria
8. Cambodia
9. Canada
10. Chile
11. China
12. Cyprus
13. Czech Republic
14. Denmark
15. Estonia
16. Finland
17. France
18. Germany
19. Greece
20. Hungary
21. Iceland
22. Ireland
23. Israel
24. Italy
25. Japan
26. Latvia
27. Lithuania
28. Malaysia
29. Malta
30. the Netherlands
31. New Zealand
32. Norway
33. Poland
34. Portugal
35. Qatar
36. Saudi Arabia
37. Singapore
38. Slovenia
39. South Korea
40. Spain
41. Sweden
42. Switzerland
43. the United Arab Emirates
44. United Kingdom
45. United States
46. Hong Kong

 

Entry requirements:

  1. Travellers to the reopening of Thailand must arrive by air and come from a list of “low-risk” countries approved by the Public Health Ministry
  2. Have proof of vaccination with 2 doses of a recognised Covid-19 vaccine
  3. Have a negative PCR test result taken within 72 hours of departure from your home country
  4. Have at least US$50,000 in Covid-19 insurance coverage (returning Thai citizens eligible for national health insurance are exempt)
  5. Have proof of a SHA+, Alternative Quarantine, Organisation Quarantine, or Alternative Hospital Quarantine booking
  6. Travellers must download the Mor Chana app and take a second PCR test on arrival or within 24 hours of arrival
  7. If the second test is negative, visitors can continue their journey without any further quarantine (travellers will be given an ATK to test after 7 days or upon any symptoms.

 

“LIVING IN THE BLUE ZONE”: SANDBOX FOR THOSE NOT FROM THE 46 APPROVED COUNTRIES

17 so-called “blue zone” provinces will be part of the reopening to vaccinated foreign arrivals during their first 7 days in Thailand. In addition to the same testing requirements as Test & Go travellers, they will also be subject to a further test on day 6 or 7 after their entry. This test will be carried out using an antigen test kit, making it cheaper than PCR testing. The Bangkok Post reports that from December, the “blue zones” will expand to 33 provinces and then 45 from January. To qualify as a blue zone, a province must have vaccinated at least 70% of its population.

  • Bangkok
  • Krabi
  • Phang Nga
  • Phuket
  • Buri Ram – Muang district ONLY
  • Chon Buri – ONLY: Bang Lamung, Pattaya, Si Racha, Koh Si Chang, and tambon Na Jomtien tambon Bang Sare in Sattahip district
  • Chiang Mai – ONLY: Doi Tao, Mae Rim, Mae Taeng, Muang
  • Loei – Chiang Khan district ONLY
  • Nong Khai – ONLY: Muang, Sangkhom, Sri Chiang Mai, and Tha Bo
  • Phetchaburi – Cha-am municipality ONLY
  • Prachuap Khiri Khan – ONLY: tambon Hua Hin and tambon Nong Kae
  • Ranong – Koh Phayam ONLY
  • Rayong – Koh Samet ONLY
  • Samut Prakan – Suvarnabhumi airport ONLY
  • Surat Thani – ONLY: Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao
  • Trat – Koh Chang ONLY
  • Udon Thani – ONLY: Muang, Ban Dung, Kumphawapi, Na Yoong, Nong Han, and Prachak Silapakhom

 

“HAPPY QUARANTINE”: ENTRY FOR UNVACCINATED OR OUTSIDE THE BLUE ZONE

For those who are not fully vaccinated, or who do not want to Sandbox in one of the 17 provinces, the Alternative Quarantine System allows people to still travel to Thailand after the November 1 reopening. The ASQ plan follows the same testing and insurance requirements as Blue Zone entry.

  • 7-day quarantine for fully vaccinated travellers with an approved vaccine.
  • 10-day quarantine for partially vaccinated or unvaccinated travellers arriving by air only.
  • 14-day quarantine for travellers arriving by land who are partially vaccinated or unvaccinated.

SOURCE: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Thailand NewsTourism News

Neill Fronde

Neill is a journalist from the United States with 10+ years broadcasting experience and national news and magazine publications. He graduated with a degree in journalism and communications from the University of California and has been living in Thailand since 2014.

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