As of May 1st 2022, Thailand became a lot easier to get to. Yes there are still some things that you must do in order to Travel to Thailand now in May 2022, but here are the steps.
You must continue to register through the Thailand Pass system to enter Thailand. If you are arriving through a Land Border, then you must have a Border Pass. The Thailand Pass is to ensure that you have a QR code that can be scanned at the airport and also to ensure that you have the mandatory insurance requirement and whether you are vaccinated or not. Both vaccinated and un-vaccinated persons are able to enter Thailand. The steps are only slightly different for each.
Here is a video from on applying for your Thailand Pass from Siam Legal.
Vaccinated Travelers
- A valid Passport
- A Thailand Pass, or Boarder Pass if arriving by land.
- Proof of vaccine. Travelers 18 years and older must be fully vaccinated (at least 2 doses).
- Travelers from 5-17 who are unaccompanied, must have at least one vaccine 14 days before arrival. Those traveling with their parents do not have to be vaccinated.
- If you have a history of Covid-19 sickness, then you must have at least one vaccine after recovery from Covid, and you must show a medical certificate, stating that you have recovered from Covid-19.
- Proof of insurance with a minimum of US $10,000 that specifically states Covid-19 coverage.
- If you are an Expat living here and you are under Thailand s health care system, you do not need this.
Un-vaccinated Travelers
- A valid Passport
- A Thailand Pass, or Boarder Pass if arriving by land.
- Proof of insurance with a minimum of US $10,000 that specifically states Covid-19 coverage.
- If you are an Expat living here and you are under Thailand s health care system, you do not need this.
- A prepaid 5-night quarantine at government-approved hotel; such as SHA Extra Plus (SHA++) hotel, or AQ (Alternative Quarantine Accommodation.
- Proof that you have prepaid for 1 RT-PCR COVID-19 test.
Note: The Quarantine period is not required for travelers who can show proof of a negative RT-PCR test taken within 72 hours, via the Thailand Pass system. This exemption also includes travelers under 6 years old, who are traveling with their parents. This means your proof of a negative RT-PCR test must be uploaded into the Thailand Pass system. You cannot just bring it with you.
On Arrival at Suvarnabhumi
Essentially the arrival process is the same for Vaccinated or Un-vaccinated travelers. But Vaccinated travelers are free to wander. Un-vaccinated travelers must follow a sealed route.
Vaccinated
- Disembark
- Go through Thailand Pass
- Go through Temperature screening
- Go through Passport Check
- Pick up your baggage
- Go through Customs, exit B or C
- Exit the airport to transportation (any Exit is OK, and transport is OK)
Un-vaccinated
- Disembark and follow a sealed route – you will be led through the process until you meet your designated hotel representative.
- Go through Thailand Pass
- Go through Temperature screening
- Go through Passport Check
- Pick up your baggage
- Go through Customs, exit C only
- Meet up with your AQ hotel representative
- Exit the airport at Exit 10 only
- Take Hotel transportation to your Quarantine hotel
- Spend 5 days in quarantine
- Take RT-PCR test on day 4
- Negative result – travel anywhere
- Positive result – up to 7 days additional quarantine. (covered by your insurance)
It is not as difficult as it looks
Thailand is eager to welcome tourists to its shores again. The procedures above (especially for un-vaccinated travelers) seem difficult but are really not bad. Everything is done to ensure a minimum of fuss and make things run as smoothly as possible. There are a lot fewer tourists than there used to be, so everything is faster than it was before.
The Chinese tourists have not yet returned to Thailand so the special lanes at the airport that used to cater to just them are gone. You can get into the country easily and it is still a great place to visit.
The Elephant in the Room – $10,000.00 Insurance
The biggest issue confronting Thailand with tourists is ensuring that the tourist has insurance. The policy of the CDC in Thailand is to quarantine people who contract Covid-19. This is OK for people living here and for the Thai population. Quarantine for mild cases of Covid-19 has been reduced to 5 days at home or less, and an ATK test. For more severe cases, hospitalization is required and is covered under the Thailand health care system. This keeps costs down for the Thailand health care system.
Expats who are here are required to have insurance, so they are covered. Thailand does not want to be responsible for the costs of taking care of tourists who may suffer from Covid. This is the main purpose of the Thailand Pass, to ensure that visitors have insurance and do not have Covid prior to arrival.
With pre-pandemic travel at 40 million, Thailand cannot cover the costs involved in taking care of tourists who have Covid-19. Even 1% of 40,000,000 tourists is 400,000 people. Thailand does not have the resources to cover these people if they do not have insurance. I know what you are going to say, who travels without insurance? Sadly, it was not a requirement to have insurance prior to Covid-19. There were some people who arrived in Thailand, got sick, and left large hospital bills behind.
Thailand has learned from this, so now everyone must have insurance, and at present that insurance must cover a possible Covid-19 quarantine. Do not blame Thailand, blame those tourists who travel without insurance.
Tourist arrival fee
Thailand is trying to impose a mandatory 300THB fee for arriving tourists. This would be to cover tourists who do not have insurance and to help improve tourist facilities.
Unfortunately, the logistics of implementing this are very complex. Trying to charge people on arrival would be a nightmare. Who has to pay and who is exempt? Taking cash and or exchanging currency would be problematic, not to mention doing this would slow the arrival process down immensely.
For airport arrivals, the government proposed to add it to the plane ticket and the airlines will be responsible for taking care of it. The airlines are justifiably not happy about this. Huge sums of money would be involved and again, who has to pay and who is exempt?
For land borders, the problem is also complex, who has to pay, and who is exempt? Who takes care of the money? How does the money get back to the government?
For now, it has been shelved for another look later in the year.
You are now Let Loose in Thailand
Once you are loose in Thailand things are much the same as they were before Covid-19. You are free to travel where you want to go and do whatever you want. Remember to wear your mask when you are out in public areas. You can take it off when eating or drinking, but it is still mandatory to wear a mask.
One thing returning visitors will notice is that there are a lot fewer places open than there used to be, and a lot fewer tourists. The pandemic has been hard on Thailand and many places have closed. There is still plenty to do and see and experience, it is after all Thailand. Many people will remember Thailand from years ago and while it does not feel quite like it did 20 years ago the number of tourists are significantly reduced at present.
The beaches are the same and many of the old tourist attractions are re-opening. If you have a specific location in mind, it is advisable to check to see that they are still operating.
Bars and Nightlife
If you are coming to Thailand for nightlife, then be aware this sector of the economy is not the same as it used to be.
- All bars are re-branded special restaurants
- Closing times are 12PM at present
- They are petitioning to be allowed to stay open longer, but it is not here yet
- The average beer bar is just the same, but now has a food menu
- Go Go bars are not really open (only sort of, they also have a food menu)
- Karaoke places are open
- Specialty bars are open, with food…..
- No soapy massage locations are open
- Oily massage locations are open
- Masks are not required when inside these locations but are appreciated when traveling between them
- Normal restaurants are open, just like they used to be
In Summary
Thailand is open for business. While not everything is open yet, much is, and there are a lot less people around. The process to enter Thailand has been streamlined. Once you have the Thailand Pass everything is easy. Yes, vaccinated travelers can go anywhere they want while un-vaccinated travelers must follow the quarantine route, but once they are out of quarantine they can go anywhere.
Masks
Remember to wear a mask in Thailand – it is still required when out in public spaces.
Everyone will be wearing a mask, so you will not be alone.
Masks are not hard to wear, and you can take them off once out of public spaces.
(This includes as soon as you enter a bar or restaurant)
The Thailand Pass site is easy to navigate and as streamlined as possible. The minister of Tourism has asked for its removal, but for now, it remains.
There has been much discussion about removing the Thailand Pass requirement. But while the possibility of quarantine for Covid-19 exists the Thailand Pass will exist, unless they can morph it into something different to prove travelers have insurance. This is the main issue here. Travelers must have insurance.
There is plenty of fun to be had in Thailand. Come and see what it is all about.