No more tests required for fully vaccinated travellers to Thailand after May 1

Thailand’s CCSA has approved the dropping of all testing for travellers to Thailand (Thais and foreign) starting May 1. Registration for the revised Thailand Pass is expected to be available from April 29, according to the Thailand Pass website.

It’s the biggest easing of entry requirements for fully vaccinated travellers since the Thailand Pass was introduced as an upgrade for the earlier Certificate of Entry, on November 1 last year.

The revised rules should be posting in the Royal Gazette early this week.

GONE

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’. But the key change is that there is no pre-travel or on arrival testing from May 1 for fully vaccinated travellers.

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.

What does fully vaccinated mean? Read HERE.

THAILAND PASS

The Thailand Pass will remain but the only paperwork you need to upload for registration before coming to Thailand is your passport details, vaccine information and proof of your insurance coverage. 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.

The compulsory ‘Covid insurance’ coverage is being 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. Some overseas policies, that specifically cover Covid treatment and hospitalisation, will be accepted. Otherwise there are Thai-based insurances available.

UNVACCINATED TRAVELLERS

For unvaccinated travellers, there’s some good news too. Unvaccinated or ‘under-vaccinated’ travellers, who do not provide a negative pre-travel PCR test taken in the 72 hours before arrival in Thailand, 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 arrival in Thailand.

For unvaccinated travellers, unable or unwilling to get a PCR test before travel, you can still apply for a Thailand Pass but will also need to pre-book 5 days of quarantine.

There are some airlines who won’t carry unvaccinated travellers at this time – be sure to check with your carrier before confirming and paying for tickets.

TOURISM

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 a video to go through some questions and answers about the revised Thailand Pass…

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: 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. Registration for the revised Thailand Pass, once published in the Royal Gazette, will be able to apply from April 29.

SOURCES: Thailand Pass Website | NBT