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New Thailand Pass rules to ease long awaited country’s reopening
Registration on Thailand Pass with new updated rules for travelers entering Thailand from 1 May 2022 under more relaxed entry measures will be opened from 29 April 2022 onwards (00.01 hrs Thailand time).
Starting from May 1, fully vaccinated travelers entering Thailand will no longer be required to wait in hotel quarantine the result of a RT-PCR Covid-19 test upon arrival.
Thailand Pass latest rejig marks a significant milestone in the country reopening as pre-travel and on-arrival RT-PCR tests are no longer needed. In addition, the amount of health insurance coverage has been lowered to US$10,000.
New rules are eliminating two costly and tedious steps to enter Thailand: booking a private van to an SHA Plus+ hotel and quarantine there up to 24 hours until receiving the RT-PCR test result.
“Now that the Test & Go scheme will be lifted, many travel agencies from India, Vietnam, South Korea and Japan have already contacted us about bringing in tourists,” commented Pisut Saeku, president of the Thai Hotels Association’s eastern chapter.
Tourism operators call for more
Although the number of international arrivals is rising steadily following a gradual easing of COVID-19 restrictions, over 336,000 arrivals were recorded during April 1st – 25th, compared to approximately 273,000 travelers recorded in March, tourism operators have called for more.
The Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) said the Thailand Pass scheme should be scrapped from June 1 to gain an additional 2 million tourists from tour groups and help the country to achieve 10 million tourist arrivals this year.
But Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said that Thailand must proceed cautiously before scrapping the “Thailand Pass” scheme, as demanded by the private sector. He also noted that two vaccine shots may not be sufficient and a booster jab may be required for overseas arrivals.
Thailand only welcomed 700,000 foreign tourists in 2021, compared to the 39 million in 2019 before the pandemic. The Tourism Authority of Thailand expects to welcome 5.6 million foreign tourists this year.
What are the new rules ?
From 1 May 2022, travelers entering Thailand by air will be subject to new entry measures, as follows;
1. Fully Vaccinated Persons
- – 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
Travelers with a negative RT-PCR test result issued within 72 hours before traveling must :
- – Register on Thailand Pass
- – Attach required documents including passport, and COVID-19 RT-PCR test result issued within 72 hours before traveling (must attach on Thailand Pass only)
- – 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)
PLEASE NOTE Travelers who have been approved to enter Thailand under AQ scheme but wish to enter Thailand under exemption from quarantine must re-apply on Thailand Pass.
Option 2 – With quarantine
Travelers 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
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