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Procedures and requirements for entry into Thailand via Test & Go, effective 1 March 2022

Procedures and requirements for entry into Thailand via Test & Go, effective 1 March 2022

Here is everything you need to know if you are planning to travel to Thailand — pre-arrival requirements, requirements during the stay in Thailand, and guidelines for departure.

Effective today (Tuesday, 1 March 2022), Thailand will be easing its Test & Go rules for travellers entering the country.

In light of this, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has detailed all the relevant procedures for travellers to note — pre-arrival requirements, requirements during the stay in Thailand, and guidelines for departure.

Points of entry & eligible travellers/countries

As shared previously, travellers may enter Thailand via the following points of entry:

  • By air (direct international flight or transit domestically via dedicated flights)
  • By land (at the border checkpoints in Nong Khai, Udon Thani, and Songkhla)
  • By water (yachts)

For arrivals by air and water: Fully-vaccinated Thai citizens and foreign travellers from all countries/territories.

For arrivals by land: Fully-vaccinated Thai citizens and foreign travellers from neighbouring countries connecting with the reopened border checkpoints (Nong Khai, Udon Thani, and Songkhla).

Pre-arrival requirements

All travellers entering Thailand must have in hand the following documents:

  1. A Thailand Pass (obtained here) for arrivals by air and land; or a Certificate of Entry (via a Royal Thai Embassy/Consulate-General) for arrivals by water.
  2. A medical certificate with an RT-PCR lab result indicating that COVID-19 has not been detected, issued no more than 72 hours before travelling.
    • Travellers under six years of age, travelling with parents who have 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 take a saliva test when entering Thailand.
    • For arrivals by water, everyone on board the vessels must have a medical certificate with an RT-PCR lab result indicating that COVID-19 has not been detected within the officially specified time frame. Anyone onboard with a history of COVID-19 infection within a period between 14-90 days must have a medical certificate of recovery.
  3. An insurance policy with coverage no less than US$20,000. Thais and foreign expatriates under Thailand’s national healthcare coverage are exempt from this requirement.
    • TAT recommends that travellers make sure to read the fine print of any COVID-19 insurance policy before purchasing it. Ultimately, the policy should cover the cost of treatment and other medical expenses associated with being infected with COVID-19, including in-patient hospitalisation, hospital isolation, hotel isolation, or related quarantine. The insurance policy should also cover the whole duration that travellers are planning to stay in Thailand, plus at least 10 extra days as a precautionary measure in the event that the traveller’s second swab test result returns as positive.
  4. A proof of prepayment for one night of accommodation at government-approved hotel/s; such as SHA Extra Plus (SHA++) on day one, which should also include the expenses for one RT-PCR test on day one and one Antigen Self-Test Kit (self-ATK) on day five.
  5. A certificate of COVID-19 vaccination/recovery:
    • Everyone aged 18 and above 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 six-11 years of age, travelling with parents, are exempt from this requirement.
    • For arrivals by water, everyone onboard must be fully vaccinated. This is except for travellers under 18 years of age, travelling with parents or guardians.
    • Travellers with a history of COVID-19 infection, who have recovered by medical treatment, and travellers who have received at least one dose of an approved vaccine post-infection, must have a certificate of COVID-19 recovery.

All travellers are also required to 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.

Requirements upon arrival/during the stay

  1. All travellers must undergo entry screening including body temperature check, and present the required documents to the Immigration/Health Control officer to carry out the checks.
    • Arrivals by air:
      • Arrivals on a direct flight to Thailand’s international airport: At the point of entry.
      • Arrivals with domestic connecting flights: At either the first point of entry before boarding the transit flight, or at the final airport.
    • Arrivals by land and water: at the point of entry.
  2. Proceed to the prearranged accommodation or medical facility to undergo the day one RT-PCR test. Travellers under six years of age, travelling with parents, can take a saliva test.
    • Arrivals by air and land: The trip must be by a prearranged vehicle on a sealed route, within a travelling time of no longer than five hours. Then, all travellers must wait for the test result within the hotel only.
    • Arrivals by water: All travellers must wait for the test result on board the travelling vessel (yacht).
      • Travellers whose test result returns negative are free to go anywhere in Thailand, but will be provided with one Antigen Self-Test Kit for a self-test on day five and be required to report/record the result via the MorChana application or any other specified application.
      • Travellers whose test result returns positive will be referred for appropriate medical treatment in accordance with Thailand’s Communicable Diseases Act B.E. 2558 (2015). The expenses must be covered by the required insurance/own expense for foreign travellers, or national healthcare coverage for Thais and eligible foreign expatriates.
        • Pending their conditions, they may be medically advised to receive treatment in either the hospital, hotel isolation, or community isolation.
        • While receiving medical treatment, which will take at least 10 days, they must only remain in their accommodation. They should not leave their accommodation unless most necessary, and must notify the Communicable Disease Control officer-in-charge.
          After having recovered from COVID-19, they will receive a medical certificate of recovery.
  3. While in Thailand, travellers are advised to strictly follow the standard, good personal hygiene practices; such as wearing a mask in public, maintaining hand hygiene (washing with soap and water or using hand sanitiser), and keeping a physical distance of at least one metre from others.
    • Travellers who are experiencing COVID-like symptoms should get tested. If tested positive, they must get appropriate medical treatment.
  4. 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 self-ATK result on day five in the application.
    1. The self-ATK on day five will not be required if the traveller’s length of stay is less than five nights, or his/her scheduled international departure date out of Thailand is on day five or before. For example, if the traveller plans to stay in Thailand for three days, then he/she does not have to report the self-ATK result, but he/she must leave for another country immediately. However, the traveller may be required to take another test depending on the airline and the final international destination.

Domestic/international departure guidelines

For domestic departure, travellers must show proof that they have received a negative result for their day one RT-PCR test; while 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, TAT shared.

8 March 2022 update: Ministry of Foreign Affairs' infographic on the vaccination criteria for travellers entering Thailand

ALSO READ: Procedures and requirements for entry into Thailand's sandbox destinations, effective 1 March 2022


Photo / PR Thai Government

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