Ministry of Foreign Affairs sings praises of Thailand Pass
The promotion engines are rolling as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has launched a global charm offensive to win over travellers regarding the new Thailand Pass that will replace Certificates of Entry for international travellers to Thailand as the country reopens on November 1. The Thailand Pass, a collaboration between the Department of Consular Affairs and the Digital Government Development Agency, is claimed to be a much easier web-based system for travel and health information to be collected and uploaded before travelling to Thailand.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that over the last year-and-a-half, the ministry has approved more than 400,000 CoE requests for people to visit Thailand, both foreign travellers and Thai nationals returning home. They say that the new Thailand Pass system will reduce unnecessary paperwork and procedure for those wishing to come to Thailand.
Representatives from all the agencies involved in launching the new Thailand Pass are convinced that it will be a much more efficient way the screen people and approve them to enter Thailand, adding that Thai embassies and consulates in foreign countries, as well as the Department of Consular Affairs, are hard at work testing the system to make sure it is stable before the official launch on November 1.
One main advantage the spokesperson espoused is that the Thailand Pass system will be fully automatic, with applicants going to tp.consular.go.th to register and process their application, leaving government officials only to advise on the process.
“Thai embassies and consulates will change their original role of issuing the COEs to publicising and giving advice on the registration of the Thailand Pass system. This means there will be no more process of seeking their approval.”
To be more helpful and efficient than the CoE application, the Thailand Pass is designed to collect travel plans and health information while simultaneously assisting in filing the mandatory TM6 and T8 forms necessary upon arrival in Thailand. The process is said to take 3 to 5 days depending on which Embassy or consulate is processing it, and travellers are advised to apply at least one week before their intended travel date.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
