THAILAND REMOVES LAST HURDLES FOR FOREIGN TRAVELLERS
Thailand is gearing up to remove the last of the travel restrictions put in place for international travellers during the Covid-19 crisis, in a bid to boost the country’s tourism sector.
Thailand’s Centre of Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) has approved the removal of the Thailand Pass registration scheme and an US$10,000 health insurance requirement for foreign travellers. The measure will be effective starting July 1, 2022. Both requirements were removed for Thai nationals on June 1, 2022. The CCSA also announced its plans to remove temperature scanning at borders’ checkpoints.
From July 1, foreign nationals will only be required to show proof of either a certificate of vaccination or a negative RT-PCR or professional ATK test result within 72 hours of travel. These can be in a print or digital format. Random checks will be made on arrivals at Thailand’s international airports or land border checkpoints (in 22 provinces).
Post-Covid Thailand
During random checks, any unvaccinated travellers, or those who are not fully vaccinated, who are unable to show proof of a pre-arrival negative test will be required to undergo a professional Covid-19 test at the point of entry.
The Thailand Pass registration system will however remain in place. But it will only be used for travellers to report suspected symptoms of diseases considered dangerous by Thailand Public Health Ministry.
Meanwhile, the CCSA has also approved the designation of Bangkok and 76 provinces as “green zones”. This classification allows resumption of ‘new normal’ business activities nationwide.
The changes, mean that Thailand‘s formalities for visitors under the post-Covid ‘new normal’ are beginning to resemble those it had in place prior to the pandemic.
