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Thailand approves major June 1st changes for unvaccinated visitors.
Thailand has always been a popular holiday destination. Beautiful beaches, islands, exotic food, wildlife, and culture. What’s not to love? But during COVID-19, Thailand was one of the hardest countries to visit, especially if you were unvaccinated.
Unvaccinated holiday makers will be happy to know the largest changes approved for June 1st are aimed at helping them enter Thailand safely.
Because Thailand was proactive in vaccinating its own people, it implemented strict entry requirements for unvaccinated travelers to ensure the safety of Thai Nationals. Thailand lost its appeal because people had to jump through so many hoops just to get here. Then they had to spend time in mandatory quarantine with expensive hotel packages.
While many countries dropped their testing and safety precautions, there was a lot of negative press about Thailand’s conservative stance on entry during the COVID-19 pandemic. But you have to remember that Thailand wanted to protect both its people and tourists alike.
With summer coming, and the world inching towards a COVID-19 endemic status, international travelers wait with bated breath to see how the country will change its travel restrictions on June 1st. Three questions smother Social Media platforms like Facebook.
“Will people need Thailand Pass after June 1?”
“How will Thailand change its entry requirements after June 1?”
“How will these changes affect unvaccinated and vaccinated foreign visitors?”
Major changes were made in May that benefited vaccinated travelers, but the changes approved for June 1 are the biggest leap forward for unvaccinated travelers looking to return to Thailand.
Like anything on the internet, there is already a lot of conflicting information. We haven’t even reached June 1, and simple changes are confusing people already.
Simple is best. Explain things as you would to a child. So let’s break down the changes that will come into effect from June 1st.
Will people need Thailand Pass after June 1?
The short answer is yes. Whether unvaccinated or vaccinated, foreigners will still need to apply for a Thailand Pass after June 1. But there are changes that will streamline the process.
After a meeting of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on May 20, Spokesman Taweesilp Visanuyothin announced that,
- Thailand Pass will be removed for Thai Nationals from June 1.
- Thailand Pass will still be required for foreign visitors, but they will receive instant approval after submitting the required documents.
How will Thailand change its entry requirements after June 1?
A few things won’t change:
- Foreigners entering Thailand will need a valid Travel Insurance policy. This policy must be uploaded into the Thailand Pass system. The insurance policy must:
- Have a minimum medical coverage of $10,000 USD.
- Cover “Covid -19” related incidents.
- Remain valid for the entire duration of your stay in Thailand.
- Unvaccinated travelers will need to complete a COVID test before applying for a Thailand Pass.
- Vaccinated travelers will need to provide a vaccination certificate when applying for their Thailand Pass.
- Children will enter the country under the same scheme as their parents.
- An approved Thailand Pass will be valid for seven days on either side of the original entry date.
Now let’s look at the CCSA-approved changes that will be implemented from June 1st.
For unvaccinated, or partially vaccinated travelers:
- The 5-day Alternate Quarantine scheme will be removed from the Thailand Pass system. There is no longer any mandatory quarantine period needed for unvaccinated travelers.
- An unvaccinated traveler can now choose to complete a Pro-ATK or RT-PCR test 72 hours before departing their country and upload the result into a Thailand Pass application. Approval will be received instantly.
For vaccinated travelers; Thailand Pass will be approved instantly after submission.
Get your Thailand Pass Insurance here: https://u.axa.co.th/Sawasdee_Siamlegal
How will these changes affect unvaccinated and vaccinated foreign visitors?
Unvaccinated travelers don’t need to worry about booking SHA+ hotel packages for 5 days while undergoing Alternate Quarantine. They can arrive in Thailand and enjoy themselves from day one.
Unvaccinated travelers will still need to complete a COVID test before applying for their Thailand Pass. The test needs to be completed within 72 hours before departure.
This has been a point of stress for unvaccinated travelers. One of the most common threads on Facebook was whether there was enough time to do an RT-PCR test, apply for Thailand Pass and have it approved within three days before departure.
The changes on June 1st will reduce this stress in two ways.
Unvaccinated travelers can now choose between completing a Professional ATK test or RT-PCR test. The Pro-ATK test is faster and cheaper than the RT-PCR. An unvaccinated traveler can visit a clinic and receive a negative test result within minutes.
After receiving a negative test result, unvaccinated travelers will then apply for a Thailand Pass and receive instant approval after uploading their test result.
Unvaccinated travelers will upload the following Documents:
- Passport details
- A flight itinerary
- Travel insurance with Covid coverage
- Pro-ATK or RT-PCR test result.
The main change for vaccinated travelers is the reduction of approval time. Vaccinated visitors will also receive instant approval after uploading the following documents:
- Passport details
- A flight itinerary
- Travel insurance with Covid coverage
- Vaccination certificate
Overall, the June 1st changes are a positive step as Thailand continues to ease its travel restrictions. People hoped that Thailand Pass would be scrapped completely, but the removal of Alternate Quarantine, faster testing options, and instant approval allowed more tourists to visit while maintaining a safe stance for visitors and locals.
If all goes well with the removal of the Thailand Pass for Thai Nationals, authorities have promised that the removal of Thai Pass will be rolled out to all visitors as soon as possible. Travel will return to pre-Covid conditions and people will once again be able to enjoy summer in Thailand.
