Thailand will relax entry rules from June 1st
Thailand is again simplifying the entry regulations: holidaymakers from abroad will still need the so-called Thailand passport in the future, but will receive it from June 1st immediately after applying.
This eliminates the usual waiting times of several days. What other entry rules apply to Thailand and what is the corona situation in the country?
Thailand’s Center of COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) has recently approved the simplified registration and entry rules for the so-called Thailand passport with effect from June 1, 2022. According to this, holidaymakers from abroad still have to apply for the so-called Thailand passport, but receive the QR code automatically generated by the system immediately after applying for the passport. This eliminates the usual waiting times of several days. Thai citizens, on the other hand, will no longer need a Thailand passport from June 1st.
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In addition, there should be further simplifications for travelers from abroad who have been vaccinated when entering Thailand from June 1st. Until now, anyone who wanted to enter the country without quarantine had to present a negative RT-PCT test (not older than 72 hours) upon arrival. In the future, proof of a negative, professionally performed rapid antigen test should also be sufficient, writes the Tourism Authority of Thailand on its website.
It was only at the beginning of May that Thailand abolished the corona test requirement upon entry that had applied until then.
Entry programs for vaccinated and unvaccinated holidaymakers
Fully vaccinated tourists are no longer required to undergo a PCR test upon arrival in Thailand since May 1 and are free to move around the country immediately. Previously, travelers were required to take a PCR test upon arrival and then wait for the result in a specialized hotel.
For holidaymakers who are not or not fully vaccinated, the obligation to test on the day of arrival has also been abolished. Unlike vaccinated travelers, however, they are obliged to spend the first five days of their stay in Thailand in a certified hotel and to undergo a PCR test on the fifth day. An exception applies to unvaccinated travelers who have uploaded proof of a negative corona PCR test via the Thailand passport system within 72 hours prior to travel. They can then move freely anywhere in the country as soon as they arrive, as if they were fully vaccinated.
Update: Instead of a negative PCR test result, a negative result of a professionally performed rapid antigen test can also be presented from June 1st.
All travelers, whether vaccinated against Corona or not, must still register for the so-called Thailand passport before entering Thailand. Prerequisite for a successful registration is u. Proof of medical insurance with coverage of $10,000 that includes COVID-19 treatment. From June 1st, the system will then immediately and automatically issue a QR code for the Thailand passport to the applicants. The previously usual waiting times are therefore no longer necessary. Thai nationals will no longer need a Thailand passport.
The current corona situation in Thailand
Thailand has been seeing a fall in the number of corona infections for a few weeks. On Friday (May 27), the authorities in the country with 70 million inhabitants registered 4837 new infections, the 7-day incidence was 47.4 (source: corona-in-zahlen.de).
What is open again in Thailand despite Corona?
Thailand is divided into different zones depending on the corona incidence, currently from blue (pilot tourist areas) to green (monitored areas) to yellow (strict monitored areas). Depending on the color, different rules apply, which have only recently been relaxed. In the blue and green zones, pubs, bars and karaoke lounges are open again and may now also serve alcoholic drinks until midnight. In Thailand, masks are compulsory in all public spaces – including outside.
