News

Updated travel rules to enter Thailand as of December 16

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) would like to provide an update on the latest announcement published on December 15, 2021 in the Royal Thai Government Gazette that further eases rules for travellers entering Thailand under the Exemption from Quarantine (TEST & GO) entry scheme, effective from December 16, 2021.

  • Eligible travellers
    • Thai citizens
    • Foreign travellers including diplomats, guests of the government, Thai work permit holders, students and their family, and patients seeking medical treatment.
  • Eligible countries
    • Currently, there are 63 approved countries/territories under the TEST & GO scheme where travellers must have stayed for 21 days or more before travelling to Thailand.
    • Returning Thais and eligible foreign expatriates, who previously travelled from Thailand to these approved countries/territories, are exempt from this requirement.
  • Points of entry
    • By air at Thailand’s international airports.
    • By land at Nong Khai’s border checkpoint, which will reopen from 24 December, 2021.
    • By water, provided that everyone on board the vessels meet the vaccination, testing and entry requirements.

Pre-Arrival Requirements

All eligible travellers travelling from eligible countries must have the following documents for entering to Thailand:

  • A Thailand Pass, which can be applied via https://tp.consular.go.th/.
  • A Medical Certificate with an RT-PCR lab result indicating that COVID-19 is not detected issued no more than 72 hours before travelling.
    • Travellers under 6 years of age, travelling with parents with a negative RT-PCR test result within 72 hours before travelling, are not required to have a pre-arrival negative RT-PCR test result and can have a saliva test when entering the Kingdom.
    • For arrivals by water, everyone on board the vessels must have a medical certificate with an RT-PCR lab result indicating that COVID-19 is not detected within the officially specified timeframe. Anyone on aboard with a history of COVID-19 infection within a period between 14-90 days must have a medical certificate of recovery.
  • An insurance policy with coverage no less than US$50,000.
    • Thais and foreign expatriates under Thailand’s national healthcare coverage are exempt from this requirement.
  • A confirmed payment for at least a 1-day stay at a SHA++ hotel that also includes the expenses for the RT-PCR and self-antigen (ATK) tests.
  • A Certificate of COVID-19 Vaccination/Recovery
    • Everyone 18 years of age and older must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 with an approved vaccine at least 14 days before travelling to Thailand.
    • Travellers 12-17 years of age travelling to Thailand unaccompanied must get vaccinated with at least one dose of an approved vaccine. Those travelling with parents are exempt from this requirement.
    • Travellers 6-11 years of age, travelling with parents, are exempt from this requirement.
    • For arrivals by water, everyone on board must be fully vaccinated. This is except for travellers under 18 years of age, travelling with parents or guardians.
    • Travellers with the history of COVID-19 infection who have recovered by medical treatments and travellers who have received at least 1 dose of an approved vaccine after post-infection must have a certificate of COVID-19 recovery.

All travellers must undergo ‘exit screening’ at the point of departure, i.e., at the airline check-in counter and present the required documents to the person-in-charge to carry out the checks.

On-Arrival Requirements / During the Stay

  • All travellers must undergo ‘entry screening’ including body temperature check at the point of entry           
  • Present the required documents to the Immigration/Health Control officer to carry out the checks, then proceed through the Immigration procedures.
  • Proceed to the prearranged accommodation or medical facility to undergo the RT-PCR test. The trip must be by a prearranged vehicle on a sealed route within a 5-hour journey from the point of entry. Then, all travellers must wait for the test result within the hotel only. Travellers under 6 years of age, travelling with parents, can have a saliva test.
    • If testing negative for COVID-19, travellers are free to go anywhere in Thailand. They will receive an ATK for a self-antigen test on Day 5-6.
    • If testing positive for COVID-19, travellers will be referred to a healthcare facility for appropriate medical treatment, for which the expenses must be covered by the required insurance, or national healthcare coverage for Thais and eligible foreign expatriates.
  • All travellers must download and install the MorChana application, and set it on at all times for the COVID-19 precautionary measures and to record the result on Day 5-6 in the application.

Guidelines for International Departure

It is the responsibility of travellers or their organisations to make sure that the travellers meet the requirements of their specific international destination regardless of the point of departure.