Thailand drops all pre and on-arrival testing, banks on a tourist surge after May 1

The CCSA has approved the biggest easing of entry requirements for fully vaccinated travellers (Thai and foreign) starting May 1, but awaiting official publication in the Royal Gazette, expected early next week.

There will be no more Test & Go or Sandbox programs, and there’s now more options for unvaccinated travellers. The only 2 options for arriving travellers will simply be ‘vaccinated’ or ‘;unvaccinated’.

The Thailand Pass still exists but the only paperwork you need to upload for registration before coming to Thailand is your passport, vaccine information and proof of your insurance. You will still have to await approval of your Thailand Pass before coming to Thailand. The current waiting period is usually 1 – 3 days, but can take longer. However, with a vastly simplified paperwork requirement, approvals may be quicker in the future, after May 1.

The key decision was to drop ALL testing for fully vaccinated travellers to enter Thailand. No pre-travel test, no on-arrival test. But the CCSA is asking foreigners to self-monitor their condition whilst in Thailand and recommend an ATK test, but the ATK testing is advised, not compulsory.

Treatment for anyone who tests positive, from their own self-administered tests, will be covered by their travel insurance. The compulsory ‘Covid insurance’ coverage will also be reduced from US$20,000 to US$10,000. As in the past, Thais and expats covered under Thailand’s universal healthcare system, will not be required to have additional ‘Covid’ insurance.

For unvaccinated travellers, the good news continues. Unvaccinated or ‘under-vaccinated’ travellers, who do not provide a negative pre-travel PCR test, will be subject to a 5 day quarantine at an Alternative Quarantine hotel.

Unvaccinated travellers, who can present a negative pre-travel test result, will be treated exactly the same as vaccinated travellers. The pre-travel test must be performed within 72 hours of departure.

Whilst all testing requirements have been dropped for vaccinated travellers, and only a negative pre-travel PCR test (within 72 hours of travel to Thailand), some airlines may still require either vaccination proof or negative PCR tests before travelling on their airline.

The CCSA meeting says the new easing of entry measures for inbound travellers will come into action from May 1. But the proposals must be published in the Royal Gazette first – that is expected early next week.

Tourist and business groups around Thailand are hailing the changes, the biggest easing of restrictions since border closures were imposed in April 2020, as a milestone in Thailand’s tourism recovery. International arrivals, for the first four months of 2022, have never exceed even 10% of the daily arrivals of pre-Covid days.

The Thailand Pass website also says that people will be able to apply for new re-entry conditions from April 29.

Here’s the official wording from the Thailand Pass website (note that the website still lists the current requirements, not the revised requirements which will be updated (apparently) on April 29)…

Registration on Thailand Pass for travellers entering Thailand from 1 May 2022 under new entry measures will be opened from 29 April 2022 onwards (00.01 hrs Thailand time).

From 1 May 2022, travellers entering Thailand by air will be subject to new entry measures, as follows;

1. Fully Vaccinated Persons must :

– Register on Thailand Pass

– Attach required documents including passport, certificate of vaccination

– Attach proof of insurance with at least 10,000 USD coverage for medical treatments in Thailand (for non-Thais only)

(COVID-19 test, both prior to and after arriving in Thailand, is no longer required)

2. Unvaccinated Persons

(Option 1 – Exemption from quarantine) Travellers with a negative RT-PCR test result issued within 72 hours before traveling must :

– Register on Thailand Pass

– Attach required documents including passport, COVID-19 RT-PCR test result issued within 72 hours before traveling

– Attach proof of insurance with at least 10,000 USD coverage for medical treatments in Thailand (for non-Thais only)

(Any COVID-19 test after arriving in Thailand is not required)

(Option 2 – Quarantine) Travellers who cannot undergo an RT-PCR test result within 72 hours before traveling or wish to be quarantined must :

– Register on Thailand Pass

– Attach required documents including passport, Alternative Quarantine (AQ) hotel confirmation for 5 days (including 1 RT-PCR test)

– Attach proof of insurance with at least 10,000 USD coverage for medical treatments in Thailand (for non-Thais only)

– undergo an RT-PCR test on Day 4 – 5 in Thailand during the mandatory 5-day quarantine at AQ hotel

PLEASE NOTE: For travellers whose Thailand Pass have already been issued can travel with the issued QR Code and do not need to register for new Thailand Pass.

SOURCES: Thailand Pass Website | NBT