Thailand has finally decided to ease its entry rules, which will attract more travelers and refresh the tourism industry.

The Govt-19 Environmental Management Center (CCSA) meeting on Friday, April 22 brought about the long-awaited changes in the tourism sector and travelers.

The CCSA has approved a major relaxation in the entry requirements for fully vaccinated travelers (both Thai and foreign) from May 1, but these rules will become official after they are published in the Royal Gazette, which is expected early next week.

There will no longer be Test & Co or Sandbox plans, and non-vaccinated travelers will no longer be isolated if they provide an RT-PCR test (see description below).

Two options for arriving travelers are “vaccinated” or “non-vaccinated”.

The main decision was to drop all checks for fully vaccinated travelers who wish to enter Thailand.

No test before departure, no test upon arrival.

But CCSA asks foreigners to self-monitor their health while in Thailand and recommends ATK testing, but the latter is advised and not mandatory.

New entry rules for vaccinated travelers

International travelers who have received the full immunization need not present evidence of a negative RT-PCR test prior to arrival or undergo any testing upon arrival.

Registration system Thailand Boss It is so complicated and time consuming that it is still mandatory, despite calls from tourism officials to remove it.

But the documents that travelers need to upload to register before arriving in Thailand are passport, vaccine information and proof of insurance.

Before coming to Thailand, you have to wait for the pass approval.

The current waiting period is usually 1-3 days, but may take longer.

However, approvals should be expedited after May 1, as very few documents are required.

Applications under the new rules will be accepted from April 29, according to an update posted on the official website of Thailand Pass: tp.consular.go.th.

Anyone with a positive test conducted by them will be treated and protected by their travel insurance.

Compulsory Govt insurance will also be reduced from $ 20,000 to $ 10,000.

As in the past, Thais and foreigners in Thailand’s global healthcare system do not need to purchase additional “govt” insurance.

Although all test requirements for vaccinated passengers are waived, some airlines may require proof of vaccination or negative PCR testing before boarding their flight.

Once in Thailand, travelers will be allowed to enter and travel anywhere in the kingdom.

Documents requested from those who have been vaccinated for Thailand Pass

According to the official website of Thailand Boss.

From May 1, 2022, travelers entering Thailand by air will be subject to the following new entry procedures:

• Register on the Thailand Pass website.
• Attach the required documents including passport and vaccination certificate
• Attach at least $ 10,000 insurance certificate for medical treatment in Thailand (for non-Thai only).

New entry rules for unvaccinated travelers

International travelers who have not been vaccinated or have not been fully vaccinated will no longer need to be screened upon arrival.

They must book a Thailand pass with a 5 day hotel booking and an insurance policy of at least $ 10,000 (instead of $ 20,000).

Upon their arrival in Thailand, they were to be isolated for 5 days and subjected to RT-PCR testing on the 5th day.

Vaccinated travelers are exempt from uploading negative evidence of the RT-PCR test within 72 hours of traveling through the PAS Thailand system, as they are – fully vaccinated – allowed to enter and can go anywhere. Kingdom.

Documents requested from those who have not been vaccinated for the Thailand Pass

According to the official website of Thailand Boss.

Option 1 – Isolated Exemption

Passengers who receive a negative RT-PCR test within 72 hours of departure:

• Sign up for Thailand Pass.
• Attach the required documents including passport obtained within 72 hours of travel, Govt-19 RT-PCR test result.
• Attach at least $ 10,000 insurance certificate for medical treatment in Thailand (for non-Thai only).

(No Govt-19 test taken after arrival in Thailand is required)

Option 2 – Isolation

Passengers who are unable or unwilling to undergo RT-PCR testing within 72 hours of travel:

• Sign up for Thailand Pass.
• Attach the required documents including passport, 5 days confirmation (including RT-PCR check) from the alternative isolation (AQ) hotel.
• Attach at least $ 10,000 insurance certificate for medical treatment in Thailand (for non-Thai only)
• Perform RT-PCR testing on days 4 and 5 during mandatory 5 day isolation at AQ Hotel in Thailand.

Visit by ground

For those who come to the land, visitors who wish to stay more than two days should undergo a complete immunization and self-antigen test.

Otherwise, they will not be able to enter the country.

For visitors who wish to stay longer, vaccinated travelers will not be isolated if they pass the antigen test, while non-vaccinated travelers will be isolated for five days.

Respect the rules

While in Thailand, vaccinated and non-vaccinated travelers are advised to strictly adhere to health and safety standards.

Passengers with symptoms such as Govt-19 should be screened.

If the test is positive, they should seek appropriate medical treatment.

Mandatory testing under the Test & Go entry scheme may be eliminated as only 0.46% this month, statistics show that the infection rate among foreign visitors to the Test & Go scheme is very low.

A real step up for tourism

Thailand’s tourism and business groups hail the changes, which have eased major restrictions since the borders were closed in April 2020, a key step in Thailand’s tourism recovery.

In the first four months of 2022, in the pre-Govt period, daily attendance never exceeded 10%.

Relaxation of controls in the country

The CCSA also took note of the decision of the Ministry of Public Health to facilitate nationwide disease control from Friday, May 1, ending the Control Zones (Orange) in 20 provinces.

As a result, the number of close observation areas (yellow) will increase from 47 to 65 provinces, Dr. Tavisilp said.

In addition, the number of tourist (blue) pilot areas will increase from 10 to 12 provinces, with Tsongla and Raeong being the newest.

Source: Bangkok Post, TAT News, Tiger